Changbai Mountain Skiing Resort Town
The Changbai Mountain ski season lasts from mid-November to late April every year. Especially after the Spring Festival, when most ski resorts across the country have closed, the spring snowfall in Changbai Mountain is truly exceptional.
A few years ago, there was only the Heping Ski Resort near the northern slope of Changbai Mountain. In 2007, the Changbai Mountain International Natural Ski Park officially opened, offering off-piste skiing for enthusiasts. In 2012, the Wanda Ski Resort commenced operations within the Wanda Tourism Resort, featuring comprehensive supporting facilities.
Today, visiting Changbai Mountain in winter to enjoy an icy holiday in the pristine mountains and forests has built up a gradually “richer” “mountain skiing resort life” for travelers.
Earlier this December, Gao Shan, a Beijing-based travel enthusiast, joined a tour group to ski in Changbai Mountain. “The skiing facilities and resort environment here are absolutely top-notch.”
Sun Zhi, the head of the Publicity Department of the Changbai Mountain Management Committee, told reporters that this winter’s visitor numbers to the area have increased by about 19% compared to last year, with tourists mainly coming from Guangdong, Zhejiang, and Hunan, as well as a significant number from Shanghai and Shenyang. Although there are many ski resorts in the suburbs of Beijing and nearby Hebei, some tourists from Beijing still make the long trip to Changbai Mountain to ski. “Ski resorts in big cities mostly use artificial snow, whereas those in Changbai Mountain are mostly natural, with dry powder snow and a total snow accumulation of over 100 cm. The entire ski area is nestled among mountains, with dense forests and thick snow, offering spectacular scenery.”
Peng Wenyu, a designer of northeastern travel routes for travel agencies, explained that in the past, most ski resorts in Changbai Mountain were concentrated on the northern slope, such as the long-established Heping Ski Resort. Tourists usually stayed in “Erdao Baihe Town,” which had some three- and four-star hotels and small lodges, but virtually no high-end options. The newly opened Wanda Changbai Mountain International Resort is located on the western slope of Changbai Mountain, and the resort features five-star hotels such as the Wanda Westin Resort Hotel, Sheraton Resort Hotel, and Holiday Inn Resort Hotel. These premium hotels have significantly raised the overall level of skiing vacation experiences in the area.
Ma Chunye, General Manager of Wanda Changbai Mountain International Resort, stated that skiing resort life should not be limited to just skiing. “We are entering an era of Comfort Beyond Ski — where comfort goes beyond skiing itself. In addition to enjoying the snowy feast at the ski resorts, visitors can also experience the high-end quality of international vacations in the star-rated hotel clusters surrounded by mountains, as well as in the resort town that integrates shopping, leisure, dining, entertainment, and culture.”
The “Resort Culture Town” created by Wanda draws inspiration from a century-old European vacation style. The town includes lifestyle service sectors such as shopping, dining, banking, postal services, and telecommunications, as well as a variety of leisure and entertainment options like bars, KTVs, cinemas, arcades, a Shaman Museum, a grand theater, and bath centers, achieving a seamless blend of vacation and daily life.
Sun Liqun, Deputy General Manager of the Domestic Center at CTS, highly praised the hardware configuration of the Wanda Changbai Mountain Resort, saying it is “slightly better than famous European ski resorts, with relatively standardized soft services.” This year, CTS has launched several new ski routes in Changbai Mountain and introduced multiple tourist trains, driven by the reputation of Wanda Changbai Mountain International Resort as the “largest ski resort in Asia” and its new concept of “winter mountain resort.”
■ Skiing Resort Hotels
Recommended by: Sun Zhi, Head of the Publicity Department of the Changbai Mountain Management Committee
Changbai Mountain Blue View Hot Spring Resort Hotel: Built in a pure European architectural style, surrounded by pine forests, birdsong, and floral scents, and conveniently located next to the mountain highway. Soak in the open-air hot springs while snowflakes drift down from the sky — yet you won’t feel cold at all.
Transportation: 35 km from the train station (25-minute drive); 110 km from the airport (120-minute drive).
The nightly rate at Blue View Hot Spring Resort Hotel is around 900 RMB, with discounts available for online bookings.
Blue View Days Hotel: A quasi four-star hotel with a total of 112 rooms. The “Blueberry” restaurant offers Chinese and Western buffets, as well as local Jilin and Cantonese cuisine.
■ Skiing Resort Products
CTS: Jilin – Rime Island – Changbai Mountain – Wanda Ski Resort Double Sleeper 5-Day Tour (Starting from 2000 RMB)
Special Features: Includes half a day of skiing at the Wanda Ski Resort in Changbai Mountain (with ski suit, helmet, locker, and cable car included). After dinner, guests may opt to pay extra for a hot spring bath (Hannashan Hot Spring: 238 RMB/person).
CYTS: Flexible Changbai Mountain 3-Night 4-Day Free & Easy Tour with Double Flights (Starting from 3230 RMB)
Stay at the Wanda Sheraton Resort Hotel in Changbai Mountain and enjoy mountain forest views. The mountaintop restaurant located on the main peak of the ski area is also a great spot to overlook the snowy forests.
Ctrip Travel: Heart-Pounding Changbai Mountain · Wanda International Resort 4-Day Free & Easy Tour (Starting from 3623 RMB)
Includes free transfer from Changbai Mountain Airport to the hotel and one full-day skiing session. There are 43 ski runs suitable for all skill levels. Choose from Holiday Hotel, Holiday Suite Hotel, Westin, or Sheraton.
■ Wanda Changbai Mountain International Resort
The ski area is crowded but you “hardly notice the people”
Recommended by: Zhang Lei, Outdoor Travel Enthusiast from Mafengwo
Accommodation: Changbai Mountain Sheraton Resort Hotel
It takes only about five minutes to walk from the hotel to the ski resort — I just strolled over. Actually, most hotels here are not far from the ski area, within a ten-minute walk. Though there are free shuttles from the hotels to the slopes, many guests choose to walk.
The ski runs are distributed to the east, west, and north of the main peak, with a total of 43 runs spanning 30 kilometers in length, capable of accommodating 8,000 skiers simultaneously, including 9 advanced runs that meet Olympic standards. There are many skiers, but they are spread across different runs, so collisions are rare. Beyond the ski area, the surrounding mountains feature forests and frozen rivers and ponds. Visitors wandering into the woods will find knee-deep snow, and many lie in the pristine snow to take photos.
Price: Online flash sale packages are available for 399 RMB, including one night’s stay at the Sheraton Hotel and one free day of skiing. Transportation: Changbai Mountain Airport offers free shuttle buses to resort hotels.
European-style ski resort living in the town
Recommender: Gao Shan, travel enthusiast
Accommodation hotel: Suite Holiday Inn
The hotel is located in Wanda Resort Town, a town built within a remote expanse of snowy forests. It’s essentially just one street—I stayed at one end, while the Wanda Cinema is at the other. On my first night, I went to watch “Life of Pi.” The next day, I stepped out through the hotel’s back door and skied at the resort all day. The balcony of my room faced the advanced ski run. At night, when the lights on the run were turned on, the slope glowed crystal clear, resembling a shimmering “sky road” winding down the mountain—truly magical.
In the evening, people stroll the streets, dine out, and visit the Shaman Culture Museum for free, where they can learn about the ethnic and historical culture of the Northeast and the Qing Dynasty. The town also has the Halla Mountain Hot Springs—there’s nothing better than soaking in the hot springs after a day of skiing. This is what you’d call “European-style ski resort living without leaving the country.”
Transportation: Take the tourist resort train to “Songjianghe” Railway Station, then transfer via a local travel agency bus. Price: Approximately 3,000+ RMB (all-inclusive of meals, accommodation, transportation, and skiing fees)