|
Beidahu is waiting to happen! It is in the happy situation of being owned by one company - The Beidahu Sport Tourism Economic Development Zone and a five star hotel is currently under construction. It is in a beautiful location with runs that are all tree lined with oak and birch, and plans to develop what is already a resort with potential continue. Currently though an intermediate can ski all it has to offer in half a morning, but a beginner will have a very satisfactory time. Ski instruction is good and there are no shortage of instructors. Where it lets itself down is that the only accommodation currently available in the resort is the four star Beidahu Asian Games Village and this is the only place to eat too. Unfortunately they do not think it important to provide hot water for the guests. Luke warm was the best the hotel can do and for a ski resort with temperatures in the minus 10 category, this is not good!
To show the route into the resort with the Beidahu Asian Games Village Hotel and base station at the hub. |
Location: The resort is located in North East China in Jilin province. It is about 56km from Jilin city (and 141km from Changchun, the capital city of Jilin province). Located in the county of Yongji at Songhuahu Lake this resort is about a 40 minute drive out of Jilin City.
Beidahu - view down to the ski station and hotel before ascending into the thick cloud! The weather was terrible during our visit with high winds and snow storms.
|
Beidahu - spring Festival lantern.
|
Lifts: There is a good 4 person chair that takes you to the top of a gentle beginners slope, (run 1) then the coldest slowest 2 man chair we have ever been on! It took 15 minutes to get to the top and a lot less to ski down! (run 2). That said it was a very pleasant red run. The bubble is good and run 9 was good fun - unfortunately run 12 was closed which looked a lovely one to do and is popular with the snowboarders. Run 5 also accessed from the bubble, was closed also - it was a pity that two good ones were closed. (The weather was abysmal for the two days we were in the resort, so in fairness to Beidahu, there was little help for it and it was just bad luck).
Altitude: The highest peak inside the resort is at 1400m (around 4600ft). The resort drop is 850m (2788 ft).
Ski season: From 1st November until 1st April. Snow in China can be unpredictable and it is not for lack of cold weather! It is best to travel in China with an open mind to any changes in schedule - however we noticed plenty of snow making equipment and as the overall temperatures in the North East are so cold, once made, it stays. There is very little among the trees though, so off piste is a novelty and doesn’t often present itself.
Recommended time to visit: Despite the fact that the resorts are potentially open for skiing in Nov. it is better to plan for travel from mid December until mid March. Also if you want to see more of China in the winter, try and visit Harbin over the Ice Festival which is during January and February.
Ski standard: This is an intermediates and beginners resort. Despite the form below given to us by the resort, there are no advanced runs here. They are intermediate or beginners. Advanced skiers would tire of this quickly. An intermediate can ski all of this resort in a morning and part of the problem with off piste is all the willowy bits of birch that stick up everywhere, coupled with their not being a lot of snow off the piste. Intermediates will enjoy Beidahu by taking an instructor and practicing their technique. As for beginners it is perfect. There are gentle slopes down to the base station so you can nip in and warm up before sallying forth again. As the temperature is colder than we are used to in Europe, individual instruction and to keep moving are important. If you are in a group, pay the bit extra not to be taught together, but split up and maybe two of you go with each instructor, but no more. This way you will improve quickly and not be waiting around while others are falling over.
Beidahu ski instructors discussing the weather! This resort is not as far south as Yabuli and the weather is a little less predictable! |
Ski Pass: Please check the form below. Basically a full day pass during the week is 380 RMB (£48.00) and a half day pass 240 RMB (£24.00). At the weekends it is a more and a weekend runs from Friday to Sunday.
Ski Hire: The equipment is of an international standard and we were really impressed.
Beidahu - base station for ski hire, warming up in the cafe, and hiring or purchasing ski equipment. |
The Atomic boots were really comfortable and the same for the Nordica boots. The skis were a bit hacked up and needed waxing, but you can forgive a lot with comfortable boots. The ski and boot hire is included in the cost of the lift pass.
Nightlife:The locations for nightlife are totally lacking. With only one hotel in the resort housing everyone, there is no where else to go - so you need to eat in the hotel. The food in the restaurant is very good but you really need to bring a good book or a large group so you can entertain yourselves! Even that can be expensive as beer is not cheap, between 25 RMB (£2.50) and 30 RMB (£3.00) depending on the brand. And if you do not drink Chinese wine at about 130 RMB (£13.00) you will bankrupt yourselves on French wine.
Accommodation:
The four star Beidahu Asian Games Village.
|
4 star Beidahu Asian Games Village hotel
dinning room.
|
The only available hotel, the Beidahu Asian Games Village, is four star - but you have to wonder where the stars come from with the bathrooms. They are the open plan floor drain style that leaves you with a flooded floor if it doesn't drain well, and the water is luke warm. There is a kettle in the room if you need hotter water for a shave.
Food: The breakfast is included in the hotel room and is a buffet.
This is excellent and plenty to choose from - fruits, muselis, eggs, scrambled eggs, fried and lots of different meat and vegetable Chinese breakfast choices.
For lunch and dinner you are reliant on the hotel food, which is actually extremely good.
Beidahu - typical dish of noodles, soya sauce, garlic, spring onion - delicious! |
Beidahu - chillies in this, a delicious salad dish with sliced cabbage, corriander and other herbs.
|
Lots of garlic, noodles, greens and some salad dishes, delicious chicken dishes in bread crumbs and in sauce and the most delicious pudding of sweet maize balls and sugar strands.
Beidahu - Battered Chicken. No spice in this dish. |
Beidahu - Sweet corn balls with sugar hair on top.
|
|
