Tower Condo and Spring Skiing

On Saturday, March 24th, we hopped in the car after work and drove up to Yongpyong, our usual winter destination. While Seoul at that time was starting to feel slightly warmer, Hoenggye, the town at the base of Yongpyeong still had plenty of snow to be had. Another storm had just dropped more snow in the area the day before and we were looking forward to an amazing day of skiing on Sunday.

Kitchen in Tower Condo

When the ski season is still in full swing, booking condos at the resort can be difficult. And expensive of course. Fortunately, we (ahm, aka the boyfriend) bought a condo membership this year, so a night at any of the condos around the resort starts at 70,000 a night instead of around 200,000 per night. So, that took care of the cost. Booking, especially last minute tends to be difficult, but since it was the end of the year we were able to call on the way there and get a room in Tower Condo.

Tower Condo

As the olympics are coming in the next few years, I've been trying to document every place to stay around Yongpyong. So, here's what a basic room in Tower Condo looks like. This is, of course, an ondol room which means there's no bed, just floor mats. Nowadays I sleep on the floor more often than in my own bed so this is nothing strange to me.

Tower Condo

There is a small kitchen with an electric stove with two burners. Unfortunately the sink was seriously blocked which made cooking our spagetti dinner a little difficult.

Bathroom in Tower Condo

The bathroom was nice. No tub in this condo, but it had a nice big shower stall. To see other Yongpyong accomodations, along with other info about Yongpyong, click here.

And as for the skiing? It was great, of course, just like it was at this time last year. Spring skiing in Yongpyeong is usually great! We skied the whole day in beautiful powdery conditions.

High1 Resort on March 2nd, 2012

On Friday, we finally made it down to High1 Resort in Gangwondo. As a regular skier at Yongpyong, Korea's oldest ski resort, coming to High1, one of Korea's newest resorts was a bit of a shock to the system. It was kind of like comparing Las Vegas and Boston. Yongpyong is classic and, for the most part, refined. High1 is flashy, modern and feels a bit like stepping into some unnatural, constructed ski world.

End of Zeus 3 slope at the base of High1

From the base of the ski resort, it's impossible to see the rest of the mountain. It left me feeling really curious about what was up there. Getting into the gondola didn't help either because the snowy/foggy conditions made visibility quite low in the morning.

 

Midway down Hercules 3, an advanced slope

Looking at the map, there seemed to be quite a few "advanced" and "expert" trails. I was a bit confused what those meant, though, because they don't use the North American standard "green circle" "blue square" and "black diamond" system. Instead hills were color coded green for beginner, blue for intermediate, red for advanced and purple for expert. What the difference between "advanced" and "expert" are I really can't tell you because the two expert trails were both closed, much to our chagrin.

 

A lunch of Udon noodles and Odeng 꼬치

The problem with High1 for us is that while the elevation is quite high, the resort is actually split between two peaks which meet together in a valley. The valley, unfortunately, is also at a very high elevation, making the actual runs quite short.

 

Free test skis were available for 1 hour trials

I was also quite surprised at how wet the snow was here on Friday, despite the elevation. Yea, I know it's March now and we can start to call this spring ski season, but the following day in Yongpyong the snow conditions were still great despite all the warm weather we've had. Even at the bottom of the hill.

 

A view of Victoria 1, an advanced slope that was hosting a snowboarding competition

Anyway, it is a decent ski hill in Korea, considering most resorts here are much smaller that what I'm accustomed to in the states. Probably best to go when the weather is still really cold as all the best trails were closed already when we got there on March 2nd. Also, don't expect long expert runs, despite the elevation, the runs are quite short, not much longer than any of Korea's smaller resorts. I'm glad I went to check it out, but I don't expect I'll be going back any time soon, especially not for spring skiing. One good thing, though, was that the towns at the base of the resort are full of motels and we paid just 30,000 won for one night in a room with a bed.

The 30th Yongpyong International Ski Festival

The 30th Yongpyong International Ski Festival brought hundreds of foreign guests to Yongpyong Ski Resort this past weekend. Since 1982, this festival has been bringing guests from around the world to experience one of Korea's finest ski resorts and future host to the 2018 Winter Olympics. Festival participants were able to enjoy discounted rates on lift passes, ski and board rentals and condos. The culminating event of the weekend, though, was the ski race on Saturday, a Giant Slalom held on the silver slope, giving an opportunity for all to participate. Ski and snowboard races were held for men, women and children.

Of course, I had to participate as well. Here I am waiting for the Ladies I race to begin.

The U.S. National Ski Patrol was on hand to manage the day's event. They did an amazing job of keeping the hundreds of race participants organized and well informed about the event.

After a few delays it was finally my turn! here I am nearing the bottom of the race. 

 A snowboarder zooming through the Grand Slalom gates

Saturday evening, all were invited to the award ceremony and banquet. Guests were seated according to their nationality and some tables really went all out on their decorations and camaraderie.

U.S. National Ski Patrol's table, decorated in a most American fashion.

The evening started first with dinner, a huge buffet filled with Korean and international options.

After dinner, children and adults were entertained with a magic show. Even as an adult, I was quite impressed with some of the tricks. I could not for the life of me figure out how this card trick worked!

 

A magician doing a magic trick with a volunteer from the audience.

 Winners of the girls' junior ski race, ages 9-13

Finally, the award ceremony began. Prizes were awarded to first, second and third place winners in each division. The representatives from each country went wild when whenever one of their own was sent up to the stage to receive their awards. Flags were waved and winners were often carried on chairs or shoulders wrapped in their national flags to receive their awards. 

 A medalists from Mens' III division from Japan on his way to the stage to receive his award.

And wouldn't you know, I actually got an award myself. 2nd place in the Ladies I division. I got a medal, certificate and my grand prize, a gift certificate to get a free cleaning at a dentist in Seoul. Other awards included ski gear and cell phones for first prize winners. 

Overall, people really seemed to have a great time at this event, which brought out ex-pats from all walks of life, from English teachers to business men and women, all foreigners living here in Korea. Sunday was a day to enjoy skiing on the mountain and there was definitely an international feel to the mountain with hundreds of extra foreigners that the event brought out. I'll be certain to attend next year, and hopefully will be able to grab the gold metal, too, next time!

Alpensia Ski Resort

Alpensia is Korea's newest ski resort, just opened as recently as the 2009/2010 ski season. Because of its location, literally just around the corner from one of the top ski resorts in the country, Alpensia is easily overlooked. With just a mere 6 slopes competing for Yongpyong Resort's 31 slopes, it attracts far fewer guests, but it shouldn't be forgotten. Alpensia was a key factor in securing the 2018 Olympics in Pyeongchang and will be the location for the Olympic village in 2018. Also, Alpensia will host the following Olympic events: Ski Jumping, Nordic Combined, Biathlon, Cross-country skiing, Luge, Bobsleigh and Skeleton.

A view of the ski jump from the top of Alpensia

This year I was fortunate enough to get a joint Yongpyong and Alpensia ski pass so we now have a little more variety in our ski routine. While Alpensia has one slope for beginners, The biggest draw for me is it's intermediate and advanced slopes. Though they are short runs, the snow is really well managed so the conditions are always great. Few guests means that you have fewer people to run into on the slopes, which folks who have spent a lot of time skiing in Korea can tell you can a serious problem on the weekends at other resorts. Few guests also means no lines at ski lifts and good deals around the base as well. It's cheaper to get your skis waxed and edged here, and we had a huge buffet lunch on Seollal weekend for 11,000 won per person at the Holiday Inn at the base of the mountain.

Night view of Alpensia

Ticket prices here are typical of any resort in Korea, but if you are planning on spending more than 2 days in the area, paying 50,000 won will get you a night-time season pass (only 10,000 won more than the regular one time night-time pass). It's super cheap and a great idea if you like spending your days at Yongpyong, you can just hop over to Alpensia after dinner for a few more quick runs without the crouds of Yongpyong at night. As you can see from the photo above, it's quite empty at night.

 Ski Map of Alpensia (click to enlarge)

 Here you can see a map of the resort. There is one beginner trail, Alpha, three intermediate trails, Bravo, Charlie and Delta, plus two advanced trails Eco and Foxtrot, Foxtrot being the most challenging on the mountain. Yes, it's small, but what it lacks in size it makes up for in all other aspects.

A view of "Delta", one of the intermediate trails

The standard prices for the 2011/2012 ski season are as follows. People who have certain Korean bank cards may be eligible for discounts. Discounts may also be offered for spring skiing in March as well. Skis and boards are also available for rent outside the resort, usually for slightly cheaper rates.

	LIFT		SKI/BOARD RENTAL
Type	Adults	Children	Adults	Children
Morning	50,000 won	40,000 won	22,000 /24,000 won	16,000/ 20,000 won
Afternoon
Night
Day	65,000 won	48,000 won	26,000/30,000 won	20,000/23,000 won
Afternoon & Night	65,000 won	45,000 won
Day & Night	85,000 won	62,000 won	35,000/40,000 won	26,000/30,000 won

 Though most people are now dreaming about the coming spring, there are still two more months (or more!) left in this ski season. When thinking about your next ski trip, make sure you consider Alpensia as well!