Skiing, an exciting sport and outdoor activity in winter, can be as addictive as extreme sports such as cross-country running, marathons and triathlons. Even China may not be the first place that comes to mind when global ski destinations are mentioned. But with vast land and diverse terrains, China covers the cold, temperate and tropical zones. There are more than 500 ski resorts in the country. As Beijing successfully becomes the host of the 2022 Winter Olympic Games, ski resorts in China are steadily improving their service and infrastructure and offers a viable alternative for skiers around the world.
Now, let's bring our skis and meet in the following TOP 10 Ski Resorts in China to have an unforgettable winter vacation. Let's immerse ourselves in joy and ecstasy, experience the speed and passion of the wind whistling past our ears in snow fairylands!
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Location Map of Top Ski Resorts in China
Opening Time: 8:00-16:30, Mid November to Late March
Recommended Skiing Time: 2-3 days
Skiing Market: suitable for all, particularly for those experienced skiers
Location: Southeast of Shangzhi, Harbin City, Heilongjiang Province, China
Distance from Harbin City: 220 km southeast from Harbin, takes about 3 hours by car
The latitude is high in Yabuli, snow would last for about 150 days, November to the next March is the best skiing period in Yabuli Ski Resort. In the Qing Dynasty, it was a hunting ground for the emperors and nobles of the Manqing Dynasty. Surrounded by mountains, the forest is thick with deep snow and the scenery is quite splendid.
Now, in addition to serving as a training base for national skiers, Yabuli Ski Resort also serves as a training base for Antarctic explorers. Yabuli Ski Resort is praised as the "Snowland Mecca" for its’ thriving ski industry.
>> 5 Days Harbin Winter Tour with Yabuli Ski Resort
Opening Time: Daytime: 8:30~16:30; Nighttime: 16:30~21:00. Mid November to April
Recommended Skiing Time: 0.5-1 day
Skiing Market: suitable for all, particularly for those advanced skiers
Location: Changbai Mountain, Fusong County, Changbai City, Jilin
Distance from Jilin City: 320 km southeast from Jilin, takes about 4 hours by car
Wanda Ski Resort is located in the virgin forest of Changbai Mountain National Nature Reserve. It is the only ski resort with five rope clip ski lifts. It covers a total area of 6.34 square kilometers and is distributed in the east, west and north direction of the main peak. There are overall 43 ski runs in Changbai Mountain Ski Resort. The international standard single board U-groove field and Mogul field were also constructed here.
Changbaishan Ski Resort has the longest snow period, from mid-November to April. Even in spring, there are also abundant snow in the field, making it a paradise for skiers and wild snow lovers. If you're not that good at skiing and don't have a lot of interest in skiing. There are also many outdoor activities, such as Skyride, snowmobile, patent protector, etc. for you to enjoy at the Ski resort of Changbai Mountain.
>> 6 Days China Snow Town & Changbai Mountain Tour from Harbin
Opening Time: Daytime: 8:30~16:30; Nighttime: 18:00~21:00. Early December to Late February
Recommended Skiing Time: 0.5-1 day
Skiing Market: suitable for all
Location: Shengshuitou Village, Henanzhai Town, Miyun District, Beijing
Distance from Beijing City: 73 km southeast from Beijing, takes about 1-2 hours by car
Nanshan ski Resort is located at Miyun District on the northeast outskirts of the Capital. With convenient transportation, it only takes about 45 minutes to reach the ski resort from Beijing. Nanshan Ski Resort is the only winter resort in Beijing that integrates skiing, skating, ice climbing and other leisure sporty activities. The snow field is well-equipped, snow layer is thick and fluffy, trails are smooth. There are 25 trails, 180 skiing instructors and a snowboarding theme Park in the resort, making it a great place for beginners and children.
In Nanshan Ski Resort, you can not only experience the fun of playing snow and skiing, but also satisfy your taste buds with abundant delicious food.
Opening Time: Daytime: 9:00~17:30; Nighttime: 19:00~21:00. Late November to Late March
Recommended Skiing Time: 1-2 days
Skiing Market: suitable for all
Elevation: 2100-2800m
Location: Xiling Town, Dayi County, Chengdu
Distance from Chengdu City: 122 km west from Chengdu, takes about 1.5-2 hours by car
Located in Dayi County only 110 km west from Chengdu, Xiling Snow Mountain Ski Resort is constructed on the hillside of the rare part of Xiling Snow Mountain, 2100-2800 meters above the sea. It’s reputed as the largest alpine ski resort in South China has a natural endowment as well as mature equipment and facilities for ski sports. There are 10 trails of international standard for beginners, intermediate and advanced skiers. Besides, visitors can also enjoy interesting snow activities such as snowmobile, Snakelike Sledge, Grass Skiing, Dog Sledding, etc.
Opening Time: 8:00-18:00, November to June
Recommended Skiing Time: 0.5 day
Skiing Market: suitable for all, especially for those who don’t have high altitude sickness
Elevation: 4500-4700m
Location: Jade Dragon Snow Mountain, Yulong Naxi Autonomous County, Lijiang
Distance from Lijiang City: 19 km north from Lijiang, takes about 40 minutes by car
Yulong Snow Mountain Ski Resort is located in Lijiang. It is the "warmest" natural alpine ski resort with beautiful scenery and good air quality. The Yulong Ski Resort offers alpine skiing and Primary Ski Slope (with a trainer), as well as three large ropeways.
The ski resort in Jade Dragon Snow Mountain is wide and open. The snow is pure, soft and without pollution. In Yulong Snow Mountain Ski Area, you can not only experience the fun of skiing, but also overlook to appreciate the scenery around the snow-capped mountains. You can enjoy both the splendid nature scenery of Lijiang and the fast and the fury of skiing. It is a leisure vacation resort and a paradise for snow lovers.
>> 3 Days Lijiang Cultural & Natural Tour with Jade Dragon Snow Mountain
Opening Time: 8:30-16:30. Early November to Late April
Recommended Skiing Time: 1-2 days
Skiing Market: suitable for all, particularly for those experienced skiers
Elevation: 1610-2110m
Location: Honghualiang, Chongli District, Zhangjiakou
Distance from City Center: 249 km from Beijing and 50km from Zhangjiakou City.
Wanlong Ski Resort, one of the designated locations for the 2022 Winter Olympics in Beijing, is less than a 4 hour drive from the nation’s capital and one of the most popular ski resorts in the country. Compared with other ski resorts in and around Beijing, it has the most ski trails with varied pistes and stable snow quality. Its highest altitude is about 2110 meters above sea level, with a vertical drop of 550 meters.
As the first open ski resort in China, Wanlong Ski Resort has a unique natural resource with abundant snow. There are trails to suit most levels of skier, with a good mix of beginner, intermediate and advanced terrain.
>> 4 Days Bashang Grassland Unparalleled Landscape Tour from Beijing
Opening Time: Daytime: 9:00~16:00; Nighttime: 18:00~21:00. Mid December to Late March
Recommended Skiing Time: 1-2 days
Skiing Market: suitable for all
Elevation: 1610-2110m
Location: Fengman Village, Fengman District, Jilin
Distance from Jilin City: 19 km from Jilin City, takes about 40-60 minutes by car.
Vanke Songhua Lake Ski Resort is located at the foot of the Green Mountain around Songhua Lake. With excellent snow quality, rich vegetation coverage and unique terrain, Songhua Lake Ski Resort is not only a good place for a family winter vacation but also a professional field for holding international competitions. The highest drop height is about 605m. The average annual ice and snow period in the region would last about 150 days and snow thickness can normally reach about 1 meter.
The ski resort was once the host of the 6th National Winter Games. There are multiple ski trails, among which the most prominent one is the circular off-road trail with a length of 5000 meters and a width of 4 meters. Every winter, water vapor from The Songhua River condenses on the top of the trees in the ski resorts, forming a unique rime ski trail.
>> 7 Days Amazing Northeast China Winter Tour with Changbai Mountain & Wusong Island
Opening Time: 08:30~16:30. Mid November to Late March
Recommended Skiing Time: 2 days
Skiing Market: suitable for all, particularly for those experienced skiers
Location: Beidahu Town, Yongji County, Jilin City
Distance from Jilin City: 53 km from Jilin City, takes about 1-1.5 hours by car.
The highest peak of Beidahu Ski Resort is about 1400 meters above the sea level and the vertical drop of Alpine ski slope reaches 870 meters. With a maximum slope of 32 degrees, there are 19 alpine ski trails, 10km off-road ski trail, ski jump, freestyle skiing aerials area and snowboarding skills area snowboarding U-shape field, the freestyle skiing aerials area, snowboarding techniques area,etc.
It is the most comprehensive ski resort with the best resources, the largest scale, the most advanced equipment and the most complete functions in China. In winter you may have a chance to see the famous rime landscape and it is the most famous powder snow paradise in Asia.
>> 7 Days Amazing Northeast China Winter Tour with Changbai Mountain & Wusong Island
Opening Time: 8:30-16:00, Late October to Early April
Recommended Skiing Time: 0.5-1 day
Skiing Market: suitable for all
Location: Xinganmeng Alshan City, Inner Mongolia Autonomous Region
Distance from Alshan City: 1.5 km from Alshan City, takes about 15 minutes on foot.
Arshan Ski Resort is located on both sides of Wenquanjie District, Arshan City. It is composed of Xishan Skiing Competition Venue, the Training Field and Dongshan Ski Resort. It is a large multifunctional snow sports and recreation place. The Competition Venue and Training Field are built according to the international skiing standard, used for ski racing and training. The skiing field covers an area of about 5.5 square kilometers, mainly for cross-country skiing.
Dongshan Ski Resort has alpine downhill, medium and primary ski trails, as well as a double chair cableway, two pull rob-type towing ropeways and a simple towing ropeway. It covers an area of about 4 square kilometers. Alpine skiing is the main project, but visitors may also enjoy snowboarding here. Besides skiing, there are also snowmobile venues and snow tubing venues built to meet the entertainment needs of different enthusiasts, which are the main venues for tourism and skiing.
Alshan Alpine Ski Resort is the only ski resort in China which has a high-standard 5km cross-country skiing route starting and ending in the central square of the city and shooting range for winter games. At present, the field of freestyle skiing is the largest and most complete one in China.
Opening Time: 10:30-18:30. Early November to Early May
Recommended Skiing Time: 0.5-1 day
Skiing Market: suitable for all
Location: Shuixigou Town, Urumqi County, Urumqi City
Distance from Urumqi City: 54 km from Urumqi City, takes about 1 hour by car.
Located on the Tianshan Mountain range at 1,800 to 2,500 meters above sea level, Silk Road Ski Resort is the largest ski resort in northwest China. At present, it is one of the three major ski resorts in China, which can accommodate 10,000 people at the same time. It has built 8 primary, medium and senior ski trails, and 3 special ski and sightseeing cable cars that can reach the virgin forest directly.
There is also a coffee shop and a mini bar in the ski resort. Whether you are drinking hot coco inside the house or watching the scenery on the outdoor terrace, winter scenery there is always a masterpiece of nature.
If you are an advance skier, have a high standard for ski trails and facilities, prefer a pleasant vacation and the main goal is skiing. You are recommended to spend 3-4 days at those top-level and high-end resorts such as Yabuli Ski Resort in Harbin, Wanlong Ski Resort or Songhuahu Ski Resort. If you prefer a more wild and thrilling skiing experience, try Changbaishan Ski Resort and Beidahu Ski Resort.
For those who are new to skiing and only want to take 1-2 days to try new things. You can choose those ski resorts which are easy to reach, have professional ski instructors and amusement ski activities, such as Beijing Nanshan Ski Resort, Vanke Songhuahu Ski Resort or Xiling Snow Mountain near Chengdu, etc.
Besides the top 10 ski resorts recommended above, there are still many worth-visiting ski resorts for your snow adventure in China, such as Jundushan Ski Resort in Beijing, Shennongjia Tourist Ski Resort in Hubei province, Jihua Ski Resort in Harbin, and so on. Set off to visit the ski resorts to savor more!
More useful articles about ski resorts, please visit Harbin Ski Resorts >>
The top ski resorts are all easy to be found, but transportation may not that well connected for most of ski resorts are not located in city center, you need to transfer to cars or coaches to reach your destinations. Therefore if you want a worry-free skiing vacation, you could travel with China Discovery, with rich experience, we can arrange everything for you. Our local guide would give a wonderful introduction to places you are visiting. Besides, the private transfer service would save your time for waiting for the vehicles and other parts along the road. You just have a relaxing rest on the private car and spend a wonderful vacation in the ski resort. Moreover, if you are planning to visit or discover other beautiful scenery, architectures, culture, history, and other shining points around, our experience travel guide can also arrange according to your own preference. For more details about private tour with China Discovery, you could contact our professional travel consultants who would help tailor make your tour best suitable for your needs and budget.
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Harbin / Yabuli Ski Resort / Harbin
Harbin / Yabuli Ski Resort / Harbin
Jilin / Beidahu Ski Resort / Jilin
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