south korea - Abigail Butcher

south korea
SKIING
WITH
SEOUL
ABIGAIL BUTCHER visits the slopes
and the capital of South Korea, for a
family skiing holiday with a difference
A
small group of children are carefully
snowploughing down a painstakingly
well-groomed slope, while two
instructors keep a watchful eye over
proceedings. The sun is shining, and
although there’s quite a chill in the air
– even for a ski resort – the kids are clearly having a ball.
An hour later, it’s everyone inside for steaming
bowls of noodles; tasty, healthy and hearty lunches
for around £4 a pop. The base lodge restaurant fills
with chatter and laughter for a while before, as fast
as they filled, the tables empty and skiers of all ages
clatter back to the slopes.
I’m in Alpensia, South Korea, one of the ski resorts
that in three years’ time will host the Winter Olympics,
and I can’t think of a more quirky place to take your
family skiing, nor one that will immerse children in
a culture so different from their everyday life.
There are 17 ski resorts in South Korea, but the
biggest and most suitable for families are the resorts
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LOOKING EAST
Clockwise from top left:
Alpensia from the air;
Gyeongbokgung Palace;
the Seoul district of
Gangnam; downtown
Seoul is a colourful spot;
the manicured slopes of
Alpensia; the buzzing
Gwangjang Market; at the
end of the day, Koreans
‘wash’ their equipment
with pressurised air
a are ideal for
uth kore
the pistes of so
beginners
hosting the Olympics, clustered in the Taebaek
Mountains in PyeongChang, two hours’ drive
north-east of Seoul. Alpensia and its neighbour
YongPyong, the country’s largest ski resort, lie
within a 30-minute drive of each other.
While YongPyong has 32km of pistes, 28 slopes,
15 chairlifts and a long conveyor-belt-type ‘magic
carpet’ lift serving the nursery slopes, experienced
skiing parents looking for steeps and deeps, be warned:
you won’t find it here. While the longest run in
YongPyong is a decent 3km, the skiing here is mainly
equivalent to Europe’s blues and greens, with no
speeding allowed, so it’s perfect for beginners and
less adventurous intermediates. But the Koreans are
good skiers – you’ll see some fantastic carving – and
there are a couple of more challenging blacks. The resort
will play host to the Olympic downhills on Rainbows
1, 2, 3 and 4, which are definitely worth their salt.
For novelty value, there’s night skiing until midnight
(yes, really), and the gondola to the top of Mount
Balwang at 1,458m is an astonishing 2.5 miles long
with stunning views of the East Sea (on a clear day) and
an ice cream parlour at the top. The Koreans like their
ice cream and, come rain or shine, snow or howling
wind, you’ll find them queuing for sweet delights.
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south korea
When you’re teaching kids to ski, convenience is key,
and the accommodation at YongPyong is right at the
base of the slopes. Within the hotel and apartment
complex are souvenir shops, a mini supermarket,
another ice cream parlour with countless flavours, and
a couple of bars. There’s an extensive games arcade and
fantastic waterpark with wave machine, slides, pools
and saunas, as well as several good eateries – including
an excellent Korean BBQ, where you cook your own
food on a hotplate in the centre of the table.
Koreans prefer to lay mats on the floor to sleep,
FACE OFF
but the four-star Dragon Valley Hotel has rooms with
At the border in the
DMZ, North and South
beds – though guests are expected to respect the local
Korean soldiers stare
custom of removing their shoes on entering a room.
each other down
The surprising thing about South Korea is how
orderly it is. I’d expected a rush of Asia – and had
wondered how snow and mountains would stack
displaying the region at its best: clean, crisp and bright.
up against the usual sights and smells of the Orient,
So why bother coming all this way to ski – other
but the Koreans are gentle people and know how to
than ideal conditions for children and beginners? I’d
queue. Everywhere is clean, and the wide roads are
say for something different – it’s not just a sport holiday.
awash with new vehicles obeying the speed limit –
Combine time on the slopes with a few days in Seoul.
it’s rather like America with an Asian language.
The capital is a cosmopolitan city, and kids of all ages
At the end of each day, to avoid dragging snow
will enjoy a visit to the district of Gangnam (yes, as in
and water into the buildings at the base of the ski
‘Gangnam Style’. I did, and I’m 40), the technological
area, everyone rests their skis on racks and ‘washes’
wonders of Samsung HQ and the city’s bustling
off the snow using high-pressured air. It’s a sight
Gwangjang market to ogle curious foodstuffs – think
to behold. As are the ski instructors lined up every
chicken feet, and worse – but sit down to warming, tasty
morning doing their warm-up exercises. You can’t
snacks like ricecakes, dumplings, kimchi and chicken
fault South Koreans for effort.
soup. Parents can wash it down with a shot of the local
Nearby Alpensia is a more upmarket offering,
soju — a saki-like drink, hilariously pronounced ‘sod you’.
reminiscent of an Intrawest resort such
When you’re done eating, take a tour of the
as Whistler, but on a smaller scale. It will
temples and the stunning Gyeongbokgung
host the Olympic ski jumping, and you can
Palace, which dates back to 1395 and served as
already tour the jump – brilliant for curious
the main royal palace of the Joseon Dynasty.
children who are able to see exactly how
Let your children live the culture with a stay
high and scary the top platform is. There’s
in a traditional Korean house ((hanok) in the
also a ski museum, with exhibits dating
well-preserved traditional Bukchon village,
BOOK IT
back centuries, including memorabilia from
just a stone’s throw from the UNESCO
BA flies direct from Heathrow
when the Japanese introduced skiing here
World Heritage sites of Changdeokgung
to Seoul’s Incheon Airport (ICN)
during the country’s occupation of Korea
Palace and Jongmyo, a Confucian shrine.
in just under 11 hours.
in the first half of the 1900s.
A more sobering day trip from Seoul is a visit
Most startling is the scenery. From the
to
the
demilitarised zone (DMZ) an-hour-andSeoul to Yongpyong ski resort
top of every mountain there’s a stunning
a-half ’s drive north of the capital. The two-mile
takes 2-3 hours by car, but a
view, and during my trip in January 2015
strip of land separating North and South Korea
high-speed train is being built in
time for the Winter Olympics
we experienced wall-to-wall sunshine,
is startling evidence of the silent war going on
(9-25 February 2018).
between the two countries. Crawling with
troops, guard posts, tanks, tunnels, missiles,
Two operators currently run ski
bunkers, gun emplacements and land mines,
trips to South Korea: Ski Safari
it’s living history, and you can stare across the
(which runs a trip in conjunction
no-man’s land towards the North from the Dora
with Japan) and Different Snow.
Observatory. The virtually abandoned Dorasan
A nine-day trip with Different
railway station is a stark reminder of this living
Snow (differentsnow.com) costs
history – no better way for children to learn.
£5,895 for a family of four, based
Another activity kids will love is a walk
on four nights at the Dragon
down one of the infiltration tunnels – designed
Valley Hotel and three nights at
a traditional hanok guesthouse in
for massive troop movement in a potential
Seoul, including flights, transfers,
invasion of the South – an activity that really
lift pass, ski and boot hire and
hammers home the lengths to which North
DMZ excursion from Seoul.
Korea has gone to infiltrate the South.
A family ski holiday to Korea will be unlike
A two-hour private ski lesson
anything you’ve experienced before, and while
in English for up to three
the skiing itself might not set the world alight,
people in YongPyong costs
it’s a modern history lesson, cultural eye£150; four hours is £200.
alpensia is a
host for the
opener and a thrilling adventure that everyone
2018 winter ol
ympics
will remember for a long time to come. ■
For more, visit gokorea.co.uk
AT THE END
OF EACH DAY,
KOREANS ‘WASH’
THEIR SKIS WITH
HIGH-PRESSURED
AIR HOSES
108
family traveller.com
PHOTOGRAPHS: SHUTTERSTOCK, GETTY IMAGES, ALAMY, REUTERS/JACQUELINE MARTIN/POOL
SOUTH KOREA
THE LOWDOWN
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