Trip Overview
When: January (prime ski season)
Duration: 1 day
Travelers: Friends
Budget: 66 RMB (~$9 USD)
Transportation: Ski resort shuttle bus
Beijing Ski Resorts: The Complete Guide
Beijing's ski enthusiasts, are you ready to hit the slopes? Let me take you on a tour of Beijing's major ski resorts!
Nanshan Ski Resort (南山滑雪场) - Located in Miyun. Well-managed, reasonable slope design, complete supporting facilities, but pricey.
Yunfoshan Ski Resort (云佛山滑雪场) - Located in Miyun. Good snow quality, instructors are patient. Can get crowded on weekends.
Yuyang International Ski Resort (渔阳国际滑雪场) - Located in Pinggu. China's first snow-side RV campground. Facilities on par with international standards. Staff service is good, though instructor attitude could improve.
Huabei International Ski Resort (怀北国际滑雪场) - Located in Huairou. Excellent service philosophy, good snow quality, complete facilities. Many surveillance cameras, and many people. Restroom hygiene could be better. Relatively remote location.
Shijinglong Ski Resort (石京龙滑雪场) - Located in Yanqing. Features many popular recreational projects.
Jingzhihu Ski Resort (静之湖滑雪场) - Located in Changping. Has an outdoor ski jump.
Jundushan Ski Resort (军都山滑雪场) - Located in Changping. Night skiing is its highlight.
Lianhuashan Ski Resort (莲花山滑雪场) - Located in Shunyi. Close to downtown, affordable prices, great for beginners to practice. Snow quality isn't the best.
Xishan Ski Resort (西山滑雪场) - Located in Haidian. The closest ski resort to downtown Beijing.
Yunju Ski Resort (云居滑雪场) - Located in Fangshan. Large area, beautiful environment. Equipment replacement and maintenance are timely. Beginner slopes get heavy traffic, and the beginner area has fewer tow lifts.
Badaling Ski Resort (八达岭雪场) - Located in Yanqing. Poor snow quality, average facilities. Generally mediocre reviews.
Xuedu Ski Resort (雪都滑雪场) - Located in Daxing. Reasonable prices.
Pro tip: The order above is the Ctrip口碑榜 (Ctrip Reputation List) - Ski Resort ranking. Rankings update in real-time!
How to Choose Your Ski Resort
1. Beginners: Choose the nearest resort to practice basic skills.
2. Don't mind the price or crowds: Head to Nanshan.
3. Best value for money: Huabei International.
4. Currently most popular: Yunfoshan.
5. For resort-style and advanced skiers: Go to Chongli (崇礼). It's about 3 hours from downtown, but it's been reserved for the Winter Olympics.
Transportation: The Big Challenge Solved!
Most ski resorts are far from downtown. How do you choose a convenient transportation option? Most travel apps offer direct shuttle buses. Let me share my experience taking the bus to Nanshan Ski Resort - it was pretty good overall.
The bus picks you up at Maoyao hutong subway station (芍药居地铁站) and goes directly to Nanshan Ski Resort.
Foreigner tip: Book Nanshan lift tickets directly by following their WeChat official account "南山滑雪滑水度假村" (Nanshan Ski & Water Resort). Ski goggles, safety helmets, lockers, gloves, and ski suits are additional fees. Book your tickets in advance!
Nanshan Ski Resort is very professional with all kinds of ski conditions. There are some essential basics you need to know before skiing - ski goggles and safety helmets are especially important.
First, ensure safety - how to protect yourself from injury? Essential warm-up and joint stretching before putting on gear is a must. Once you're geared up and ready, head to the slopes...
The ski resort is a vast white expanse. Against the blue sky and sunshine, it's incredibly dazzling. Totally immersing yourself in this white world, combined with the surrounding terrain, makes the ski resort feel magnificent and grand. Imagine yourself racing across this endless white blanket, enjoying the wildness of wind and the thrill of speed. Flying down from height - the adrenaline rush after landing is... just one word: COOL!
Alright, back to reality~~~ slowly shuffling over...
Pro hack: If you don't know how to ski, hiring an instructor is recommended. Besides safety instruction, they can also take photos and videos for you anytime. Get your money's worth! Taking the cable car up gives you a bird's eye view of the entire resort - the scenery is amazing!
When you're tired, there are food options at the resort. However, once you return rental equipment to the rental desk, you can't rent again. So bring some food and drinks to store in your locker, then go to the window to get your deposit back after you're done. You can also get invoices!
Well, that's it for now. A day trip to Nanshan Ski Resort was pretty good - worth recommending. I don't remember which travel agency's product it was, but I remember you can choose from multiple ski resorts - Nanshan, Huabei, Yunfoshan - and they depart daily. The product images were beautiful, and a little cutie left a message (see below). Next time I'll use Huabei as backup, so I won't worry about having no transportation to such a far ski resort, and experience different thrills and excitement~~~