Before I moved to Beijing, I never expected that I would spend some of my winter weekends on the ski slopes outside of the city. I guess people (including myself) don’t tend to associate China with snow sports (beyond the ice sculptures of Harbin perhaps), so I thought to list the 7 best Ski Resorts in China in 2009 where you can enjoy the snow this season.
Granted, these resorts are for the most part better suited to the amateur snow seeker, but nevertheless a cheap and relatively inexpensive excursion out of the city. Whether skiing, snowboarding, or hanging in the lodge is your thing, there are quite a few options for enjoying the winter in China:
Nanshan Ski Resort
Location: Miyun county, Beijing (about 80Km from downtown Beijing)
Description: 3000 pairs of skiing equipment for rental, 1318 meters of Toboggan Runs, air park, one bridge, and 5 jumping segments
Cost: Weekday RMB180, Weekend RMB280, Holiday RMB320
How to get there: Take Dongmi Zhuanxian Bus at Dongzhimen Bus Station, to Miyun Xidaqiao Station, RMB10/person. Then take a taxi to Nanshan (RMB10/car), about 10 minutes
Contact: 84286688 or 64450990
Shijinglong Resort
Location: near Longqingxia Scenic Spot and Guanting Reservoir
Description: Snowboarding, sleigh rides, curling, ice climbing, and ice-skating offered, covers an area of 35 hectares
Cost: RMB 140 for two hours on weekend; RMB 190 for four hours.
How to get there: Take bus No 919 from Deshengmen on the North Second Ring Road to Yanqing and then change to a taxi or mini-bus to the slopes. Or you can also go along Badaling Highway to Yanqing and then take State Road 110 to the ski resort.
Contact: 69191617 or 69191615
Wanglong Ski Resort
Location: Mount Honghualiang (2110.3m) in Chongli County, Zhangjiakou City, covers an area of 30sq km, 249 km away from Beijing
Description: New ski resort, Golden Dragon trail(1800m) is a red trail for intermediate skiers in the middle of the mountain. Silver Dragon trail (2000m) is a very challenging black trail, while the longest trail is Jade Dragon trail (2500m) and the shortest trail is Little Dragon trail(800m). There is also a blue trail for beginners.
Cost: Weekday RMB 390, Weekend RMB 430, Holiday RMB 470
How to get there: A night train leaving Beijing at 2:30 AM gets you to Zhangjiakou about 6 AM and a 180-200 RMB cab ride takes you to the slopes in time to catch the first lift when it opens
Contact: 65536830 or 65536831
Xueshijie Ski Resort
Location: located in the Thirteen Tomb Scenic Area, 36 kilometers away from Beijing, about a 30 minute drive.
Description: 6 trails, including one single board track, boasts beautiful natural scenery surrounded by mountains.
Cost: Week RMB 150, Weekend RMB 150, Holiday RMB 190
How to get there: Take No. 3 ring road bus and get off at the Snow World Skiing Resort or you can take a taxi
Huaibei Ski Resort
Location: Located at the Jiugukou natural scenic spot, 70Km from Beijing, about one hour’s drive by car.
Description: The ski trails are more than 3,100 meters long in total, with a drop elevation of 238 meters. The ski trails are made up of two advanced trails & two intermediate trails, and another four beginner tracks. The cableway is 1,200 meters long.
How to get there: 70 kilometers from downtown Beijing (about 1 hour’s ride) in the Jiugukou (Nine Valleys Pass) Natural Scenic Area.
Contact: 69661177, hbski@hbski.com
Jundushan Ski Resort
Location: Located at the famous Xiaotangshan Spa in Changping, Beijing. It is the ski course nearest to the downtown area, a little over 30km away.
Description: Features a snow-covered area of 150,000 square meters and all-around service facilities with a total area of more than 6,000 square meters, making it one of the largest ski courses in Beijing. It boasts more than 4,000m of primary, intermediate, and advanced ski lanes on the hillside that are designed strictly in line with international standards.
Cost: Weekday RMB 150, Weekend RMB 200, Holiday RMB 240
How to get there: Take Bus No. 345 (branch), or No. 918 at Deshengmen, stop at Dongguan Traffic circle, then take small bus No. 12 until Jundu Ski Resort
Contact: 64443020, 80972023, or 80673378
Yinqixing Indoor Skiing
Location: Shanghai Yinqixing Indoor Skiing Site locates at 1835 Qixin Road , Minhang District
Description: It covers an area of 100,800 meters . The skiing slope is 380 meters long and 80 meters wide. The snow thickness reaches 50cm and the height of the building is 14 stories high.
Cost: Weekday RMB 138 (2 hours), Weekend RMB 158 (2 hours)
Contact: 64788666
Photo credit:
Geolocation, Local Noodles, CityWeekend, Shanghaied Weblog, Michwalks, Ionpsych, Flickr and Andres Vargas @Chinolombia
china has never been associated with the snow sports.howvever you will definitely enjoy in the ski resorts which has been listed. it will be a very nice experience to visit these resorts and enjoy the snow sports.
I just got back from the Yinqixing Indoor Skiing Area and was not impressed with the place. They jacked the prices up for the National Day holiday, but only half the park was even functioning. What a rip-off.