I skied for seven consecutive days at Wanda during the Spring Festival, spending every afternoon with a group of kids of varying skill levels. I didn’t get much skiing done myself, so I’m just jotting down some simple notes for future visitors.
Wanda is positioned as a resort destination, offering slopes of various difficulty levels, perfect for practicing and gradually improving your skills.
First of all, the snow quality at Wanda is great, there’s no wind, dining and lodging are convenient, and the overall experience is quite good.
Secondly, don’t be fooled by the claimed 43 runs—Wanda counts many short connecting runs as individual runs. In reality, there are fewer than 20 truly skiable runs.
Also, most of the runs at Wanda have long, gently sloping sections. Fortunately, the lifts are quite efficient, which helps make up for it.
Then there's the Back Mountain S Zone:
The S Zone is a freeride area, and currently only S1 and S2 are open.
S1: During the first two days I went, S1 was still a freeride run, with moguls, bare patches, and chopped-up snow. The upper section is relatively narrow, while the lower part is very wide. The average slope gradient is even gentler than G3, and you can ski straight down to the base of the lift after descending, with very few flat or dead-end sections. It’s suitable for beginners looking to try freeriding. Later, after some snowfall, I’m not sure why, but it got groomed and ended up being similar to the G Zone. The upside is that there were fewer people, the snow was especially deep, and there were absolutely no bare spots—beating all the runs in the G Zone. One day when my son was resting and I took the other kids to the hot springs, I was alone and spent time experimenting with my technique. I kept skiing S1 repeatedly and finally got the feel for carving turns, managing to pull off basic carved turns. That was probably my biggest gain of the season.
S2: Freeride run, long, wide, and steep, with very deep snow. It’s better than all the non-forest freeride runs at Wanlong and Yunding (including all the lift-accessed runs—I haven’t skied Fenglong, so I can’t compare). The downside is that after descending, you have to walk a long way along the green M1 run to get back to the lift station.
Here’s another TIP: S4/S5/S6 are officially closed, but you can still duck under the nets and ski them. And because they’re closed, fewer people go there, so the snow is even deeper and more fun. The best snow is along the S5–S6 route, especially in a small triangular area where S5 turns into S6—the snow is so soft and deep my carving skis couldn’t handle it. S2, especially S4/5/6, has fewer skiers, so you should definitely ski these runs with a partner.
The L Zone wasn’t open. I heard it had deep powder, but you have to take a taxi back to the resort after skiing down, and my carving skis really aren’t suited for it, so I didn’t go.
Summary: Wanda is great for family vacations. For enthusiasts, definitely check out the Back Mountain S Zone—and be ready to duck under the nets. Don’t ski in uncleared forest areas, and avoid lift-accessed runs that look like they have big rocks. If you’re not skiing the L Zone, carving skis are enough—you won’t need freeride boards.