WINTER is a season for skiing and snowboarding and China offers a wide variety of venues for these sports. Here is a selection of the country’s best ski resorts.

Harbin’s Yabuli

Ski Resort

The Yabuli Ski Resort is China’s most comprehensive ski resort. It is the competition venue for international sports events including the Winter Universiade and the Asia Winter Games.

The resort is conveniently connected to Harbin, capital of Heilongjiang Province, by highway and rail.

Due to its northern location, the resort remains open about 150 days every year. The resort used to be the hunting ground for imperial families during the Qing Dynasty (1644-1911).

Because of Harbin’s proximity to Russia, the resort has a healthy selection of Russian entertainment programs in its hotels and restaurants.

Harbin’s Yabuli Ski Resort is a U.S.-China joint venture and a lot of its equipment has been imported to guarantee its quality and ability to meet international standards. The resort also serves as a training base for China’s winter sports athletes.

Transport: Fly to Harbin from Shenzhen International Airport. Train K7047 departs at 7:48 a.m. every day and reaches Yabuli South Station, which is the entrance of Yabuli Ski Resort, at 10:30 a.m. Or take shuttle buses at Longyun Bus Station across from the train station in Harbin. The buses depart at 7:30 a.m. and 1:20 p.m. every day. A bus ride takes three hours and costs 38 yuan. Get off at Yabuli Township, and take a tourist bus to the ski resort.                       

    Beijing’s Snow

    World Ski Resort     

    Only 20 kilometers from downtown Beijing, the Snow World Ski Resort is popular with Beijing locals who want to take it easy. The resort has three trails designed for beginners and a 380-meter snowboard lane. Even the intermediate level trails are gently curved to meet the needs of amateur skiers.

    For visitors who are looking for a different kind of challenge, the resort offers a race lane for snow mobiles. And child customers can throw snowballs or make snowmen in a separate section. If you want to escape the crowd during the day, the resort also operates at night.

    The Snow World Ski Resort is close to hot spring resorts in Changping District. It is strongly recommended that skiers relax into a hot spring after a busy day on the slopes.

    Transport: Fly to Beijing from Shenzhen International Airport. Take bus 915 at Dongzhimen bus station to Shengli in Shunyi District. Change to buses No. 14, 21 and 34 to get to the ski resort.

    (SD-Agencies)