Jilin Beidahu (běi dà hú 北大湖) Ski Resort is an important ski sport base and tourist resort in China. Beidahu's advantageous location surrounded by mountains on three sides guarantee a comfortable weather conditions with very little to no wind in winter. Skiers and snow boarders love Beidahu's varied terrain and enjoy its unpretentious alpine trails amidst peaks in the primitive forest. And Beidahu is the picturesque Rime Scenery which is considered to rival the landscape in Guilin (guì lín 桂林), the Stone Forest (shí lín 石林) in Kunming (kūn míng 昆明) and the Three Gorges (sān xiá 三峡) in uniqueness and it is renowned as one of China's four natural wonders. The Rime scenery occurs 60-70 times a year from October to next March or April.   

 

Beidahu Ski Resort is a quiet ski resort about an hour's flight from Beijing in Jilin Province. The accommodations and dining facilities are simple, but the slopes were good enough that the 2007 Winter Asian Games were held here, and there are scenic highlights nearby of Songhua National Park and Songhua Lake. The resort has two slopes with ski runs from the two peaks that head into the valley of the resort. The highest peak is 1357 meters high, or about 4450 feet. The base of the ski resort that includes the hotel is at the bottom of a valley at an elevation of about 537 meters. There are 6 trails and 6 lifts. It was opened in 1996. Because it is in the northeastern tip of China, the weather is usually cold enough for skiing. It is an out of the way and uncrowned ski resort that is fairly inexpensive to visit especially if you dine and lodge offsite, with good skiing in a scenic.

 

The Beidahu Ski Resort in Jilin Province's usually has consistent snow, and there are a good a good range of trails including an advanced trail. The runs and jump facilities are among the best of China’s resorts. The Alpine skiing, biathlon, freestyle skiing, and it were the venue of China's 8th and 9th Winter Olympics. Its 3 alpine trails are total about 8,040 kilometers in length with the steepest pitch being 32 degrees. A cross country run winds through the dense forest. Three jumps of 90 meters, 50 meters and 20 meters cater for skiers of different abilities. 5 cable ways are capable of transferring 3,300 persons per hour. No waiting is needed. The trials are also fairly long with some beautiful runs snaking through the trees. There is a 1,249 meter long advanced trail and a 1,700 meter long beginner’s trail. The 4 platforms for jumping are good. The 6 ski lifts are good quality. It is a quiet and forested ski resort. Beidahu's coaching team is ready to help the beginners to start and also those who are looking to progress the skills they have already developed through expert instruction.

 

The Beidahu Ski Resort has one hotel called Beidahu Lodge with about 200 rooms. It isn't fancy and costs about 500 RMB a night. But for inexpensive lodging, you can walk a little distance outside the resort. Like many of the ski resorts in China located in rural or less populated places travelers can find cheap accommodations outside the main lodgings. About 500 meters from the slope, travelers can stay for less than 7 USD a night in a Chinese style tiny hotel, and enjoy your bed area heated with a fire underneath.

 

Dining on property is limited to a single dining room for all meals. Breakfast was Chinese style, lunch ran about 25RMB/person for a buffet of Chinese dishes and dinner was a choice of 50RMB for a buffet or order off the menu. For about the same cost per person this was certainly the better choice. Buffet food was OK but the menu food was actually pretty good. At night there is also the choice to walk a short distance off the property to a group of small local restaurants including Kang style seating.

 

For scenery there is a natural park called Beidahu Park next to the resort area, and Beidahu Lake. One of China's past presidents praised the scenery in the area. If you are interested in astrophysics or astronomy or just wish to see meteorites, there is a meteorite museum in Jilin. At 2 minutes and 36 seconds after 3 o'clock on March 18th, 1976, meteors showered down on the northwestern suburbs of Jilin City. The shower covered an area of 500 square kilometers. 138 pieces of meteorite were collected, and the total weight was 2,616 kilograms. The largest piece, Meteorite 1 weighs 1,770 kilograms. The meteorite specimens are on display in the Jilin Meteorite Museum. The largest meteorite may be the largest in the world.

 

Location: Wuheli Town (wǔ lǐ hé zhèn 五里河镇), Yongji County (yǒng jí xiàn 永吉县), 56 kilometers away from Jilin City in northeastern China's Jilin Province.

Transportation: take minibus to Beidahu Ski Resort which has 5 times a day and ticket is CNY 20 at Jilin City Bus Station

Tel: 0432-4202168

Admission Fee: CNY 20 (Rental with lift ticket is RMB360/4 hours or RMB400/day on the weekend)

Tips: because of the colder weather, the best time to ski is 10:00-14:00.