Staying in Beijing during the -winter can be a little -overwhelming, especially for those of us who come from temperate climates.
Despite having stayed seven years in Beijing with the -respective seven -winter seasons, I still have trouble getting used to the freezing temperatures outdoors, which compels me to hibernate often.
There are various reasons why I don't travel around Beijing, but it's mainly because, during the winter, I prefer to stay at home or consider traveling to other warmer places.
However, after China won the right to host the 2022 Winter Olympic Games, I thought it was necessary to get on the same page as the city and get to know what the skiing was like more closely.
I had already seen in magazines and on social media, as well as heard -comments from my friends, that the ski resorts in Beijing were quite popular.
Indeed, during last month I had seen ski resorts announcing different day trips at very reasonable prices.
So this year, I decided to take the plunge and find the right ski resort for me. With a bit of research, I found many options for all -preferences and budgets.
Getting out of the city, as well as breaking from your routine, is always great. It allows you to rest and relax, even if it's only for a day.
I was amazed to find that only 100 kilometers away from Beijing, there were high -quality ski resorts with advanced -infrastructure.
I soon found that while staying- in the city deprives you of the sight of snow, just a quick trip outside the city limits could take you to a white world that was still beautiful even when the snow was man-made.
Looking at options
In my case, the most important factors were cost, the availability of transportation from Beijing and the activities involved.
As I don't have a car, it was fundamental for me to be able to count on convenient transportation to and from the city.
While this may not be a -factor for those with a car, in my case - and that of many of us who live in Beijing - travel on public transportation can take a lot of time and requires at least a basic conversational level of Chinese proficiency, so finding a resort that had shuttle service was -essential.
From there I had to consider the next issue: shuttle bus schedules.
Many of the groups or shuttle buses tend to leave early from Beijing (around 8 a.m.) and return to the city at 5 p.m. or later.
This is quite understandable since most people want to have fun during the daytime, but it leaves you with very few options in the event that you want to go back to the city before the -scheduled time.
As I worried over schedules, a new option appeared to me: Some ski resorts have accommodations.
Having a room to rest in seemed like a great option, so my original plans to spend a day skiing suddenly turned into a weekend in the snow.
There were still many -different resorts from which to choose.
Perhaps the most famous and -closest to Beijing is Nanshan, located in Beijing's Miyun district.
The trip takes about an hour from Beijing (about 70 kilometers)-.
The resort has a shuttle bus from Beijing that leaves at 8:30 am and returns at 5 pm.
Cost depends on how long you ski, either two, three, four hours or the full day.
For ski lovers, you can buy passes that let you ski 10 -different times or for the whole season. This resort is quite famous among young people because it is one of the best places for snowboarding, which is -rapidly gaining a huge fan base in China.
Additionally, since it is a short distance from Beijing, it can be visited often without hassle.
If you are considering a -weekend getaway, then you can travel a little further and reach the coldest areas of the -country: the Heilongjiang and Jilin provinces where the largest ski resorts in China are located.
Perhaps you may not have heard of these areas but I'm sure you've heard about this icon of the ice world: Harbin.
Heilongjiang is also home to the most famous and one of the oldest ski resorts in China - Yabuli.
The resort offers the option to combine a trip to the resort with one to Harbin, which is famous for its annual ice festival and a Siberian tiger reserve.
Yabuli is an extremely large enclosure with ski runs for both beginners and experts.
The comfortable rooms may have you questioning whether you really want to go outside.
The resort also has family suites for those traveling with children.
And best of all, it has a ClubMed that has spa, activities for children, a swimming pool and many -other accommodations.
In Hebei Province, Zhangjia-kou is one of the cities where the Winter Olympics will be held in 2022, as such there are an increasing number of ski resorts there.
The Genting Secret -Garden -Resort in Chongli county of Zhangjiakou-, where Chinese President Xi Jinping also paid a visit earlier this week, is one of them and it offers first class services so families can enjoy more than just going skiing.
In the end I decided to go to Nanshan, mainly because it was closer to the city, which meant I could enjoy -skiing without -investing much time and money.
I enjoyed the skiing and the weather there. My first foray into the world of skiing was fun, although I'm sure I will not be a world champion anytime soon.
Nanshan had -restaurants, cafeterias and several stores, so you can find anything you want. It is a great place, especially for beginners.
Recommendations
Before venturing out, it will be -necessary to do a little bit of research. As I explained, there are a wide range of ski resorts around Beijing. A quick search will help you make a better decision.
Especially for beginners, it is -necessary to try to be -realistic when it comes to skiing -ability, because one of the most -common comments is that it is very easy to get injured if one does not take appropriate precautions.
Each ski resort has different slopes with different levels of -difficulty, so my -recommendation is to try to be as careful as possible and use the slopes appropriate for your ski level.
Because these are famous ski resorts, they are also very -popular, -especially -during -weekends and holidays.
Hence, as much as possible, it is best to go during weekdays when ski passes and accommodations are cheaper.
And if don't have time for a daytrip to a ski resort or are just looking for a couple of hours of fun without having to move from Beijing, it might be best to go visit some of the frozen lakes around the city, such as Shichahai or the Summer Palace.
Taking advantage of these days off for Chinese New Year, I invite you to leave the city and enjoy these panoramas.
