Yongpyong Ski Resort

용평리조트

South Korea's first ski resort and the alpine skiing venue for the 2018 Winter Olympics. It has 28 runs and a gondola up Balwangsan, and it was the filming location for the drama Winter Sonata.

Yongpyong Resort lies at the foot of Balwangsan, which rises from 700 to 1,458 meters, in Daegwallyeong-myeon, Pyeongchang County. It is about 40 minutes by car from Gangneung city center. It opened in 1975 as South Korea's first modern ski resort. It hosted the alpine skiing events (slalom and giant slalom) at the 2018 PyeongChang Winter Olympics and became widely known across Asia after the Korean drama Winter Sonata was filmed here.

The resort has 28 runs, ranging from beginner-friendly yellow trails to the Olympic-grade rainbow trail, and 14 lifts. It is one of South Korea's largest ski resorts. Annual snowfall averages about 250 centimeters. The ski season runs from late November to late March or early April, and night skiing runs late into the evening. There are dedicated beginner areas, a children's ski school, and Chinese-speaking instructors (book in advance). Full ski and snowboard rentals are available. An adult full set costs about 50,000 to 60,000 won per day, and lift tickets cost about 70,000 to 100,000 won depending on time slot.

Visitors who don't ski are also worth visiting. The 3.7-km Balwangsan Sky Cable Car (about 18 minutes) takes you straight to Balwangsan Peak at 1,458 meters. At the top are a skywalk observation deck, the Balwangsan Sky Garden, and a roughly 1,800-year-old yew tree. Winter brings frost, autumn brings red foliage, and summer is cool. A round-trip ticket costs about 25,000 won. The summit also has a café and a restaurant overlooking the entire resort.

The resort has the Yongpyong Hotel, apartment-style accommodations, a snow park with sledding and snow tubing, the Peak Island water park, and an ice rink. The Olympic ski jumps are at Alpensia Resort, about 10 minutes away by car, where you can visit the jump observation deck and the Winter Olympics memorial hall.

Getting there: From Gangneung Station, take an intercity bus or KTX to Jinbu (Odaesan) Station, about 20 minutes, then take the resort shuttle bus or a taxi for about 20 minutes. From Seoul East Bus Terminal, take an express bus to Hoengseong, about 2.5 hours, then a taxi for about 10 minutes. During ski season, direct shuttle buses run from Seoul and Gangneung to Yongpyong.

Planning: A full day of skiing takes about 2 hours if you only ride the cable car.

Note: Weekends and winter holidays are crowded, so book lift tickets and rentals online in advance. Summit temperatures can drop below -15°C, and the cable car stations have heated rooms. The cable car may be suspended in strong winds. The cable car is closed for maintenance on Tuesdays in summer.

Opening hours

Ski season approx. 08:30–04:00 (time slots); Mount Fawang gondola approx. 09:00–17:00 (varies by season)

Skiing · Winter Olympics · Cable car · Resort

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