Here is a look at the 6 best ski and snowboard resorts in Korea. Hopefully we will soon be able to add North Korea’s new ski resort once it’s completed. Information for this post was provided by www.visitkorea.or.kr
Yongpyong Resort
Yongpyong Resort, located on the ridge of Mt.Balwangsan, is the first domestic ski resort opening in 1975. With average 250cm of snow each year you can enjoy skiing from November until April. Compared to other ski resorts, ski season is considerably longer. It is 215km from Seoul, and with the construction of a 4-lane highway, the travel time has been shortened to 2 hours.
For the moment, Yongpyong is the biggest ski and snowboard resort in Korea.
High1 Resort
The High 1 Ski Resort is Korea’s most environmentally friendly resort and many of the native trees have been well-preserved. Resort planners hope to develop an all-season ecological tourist attraction, showcasing the region’s beautiful wild flowers throughout spring, summer and fall.
In addition to a topnotch skiing experience, visitors to the High1 Resort can enjoy a truly unique dining experience. Located 1,340 meters above sea level is a revolving restaurant, which offers an incredible panoramic view of no less than three different mountain ranges. The restaurant goes through one full rotation every hour, giving diners a complete view of the beautiful scenery of the region. The restaurant goes through a full turn every hour.
Fun fact: Kangwonland Casino, located within the resort, is the only casino in the country where Koreans are allowed to play.
Phoenix Park
Phoenix Park has become one of Korea’s most famous resort complexes since its appearance in the extremely popular drama ‘Winter Sonata’. The resort has a total of seventeen slopes, four of which are approved by the FIS (International Ski Federation), and has superb snow quality. Particularly popular is the ‘Panorama Slope’, which is at an impressive 2.2km length and has an average width of 46meters. Eight ski lifts, state-of-the-art gondolas, and six conveyer belts transport visitors around the park quickly and efficiently.
Phoenix Park has many excellent accommodation options, including the main condo (famous for its unique design), the Euro Villa Condo (which was the filming location for Winter Sonata), a youth hostel, and a luxury hotel.
Vivaldi Park
Daemyung Vivaldi Park Ski World is particularly popular due to its wide accommodation options and daytime and nighttime skiing. Moreover, the resort offers the utmost convenience by providing slope side condos.
Daemyung Vivaldi Park Ski World is known in Korea for its high quality snow. The resort offers up thirteen slopes ranging from beginners to experts a great skiing experience. Since Vivaldi Resort is well-known for its quality, it is regularly chosen as a venue for professional competitions and ski-demonstrations.
If the crowded slops get to you you can pay a visit to the adjacent Ocean World, one of the most famous water parks in Korea.
Konjiam Resort
The resort is a mere forty minutes away from Seoul’s Gangnam, making it a great option for visitors from Seoul who are pressed for time.
With skiing being so popular in Korea, overcrowded ski slopes are sometimes a problem, but the Konjiam Resort has solved this by enforcing Korea’s first maximum occupancy rule. Consequently, skiers will no longer have to endure long waits at the ski lifts and will have a safer, more enjoyable ski experience.
The Konjiam Resort has eleven double-width slopes for beginner and intermediate skiers and snowboarders. There are also three ski lifts that take skiers up to the peak of the slopes for a 1.8km length run down the mountain, the longest ski-run in the metropolitan area.
Muju Deukyusan Resort
Deogyusan Resort (former Muju Resort) is located in Mt. Deogyusan, and is a representative mountain resort. It blends in beautifully with the scenery of Mt. Deogyusan National Park, and is the perfect place to enjoy winter sports.
Deogyusan Resort is great place to relax all year round, with Alps-style first class hotel and a variety of convenience facilities in its 2,200,000 pyeong area. The resort is especially famous for its ski courses, and many enthusiasts come here during the winter. At Manseonbong Peak (1,215m) skiing grounds, there is a lift that can handle 13,000 people at once, and there are a variety of courses from beginners’ to professional levels.
Seolcheon Peak (1,520m) skiing ground where Asian Universiade competition officially opened, has a variety of gondolas and lifts, along with a hot spring to relax after skiing. The outdoor hot springs with snow-covered mountains is especially famous.
