Beijing Wanlong Ski Resort
 Wanlong Ski Resort is one of China’s newest and biggest ski resorts. It is considered one of China’s best ski resorts, and the facilities are new, but it isn’t crowded. Over a thousand skiers come each weekend during ski season. It is less than a 4 hour drive from Beijing. It is at an elevation over 6000 feet, and has one of China's longest ski seasons from Nov. 1 to April 1. There is a new 3 star hotel, 4 chair lifts, and a trails starting from a peak with an elevation of about 2110 meters or about 6900 feet; and the quad chairlift goes all the way to the top. There is no problem with lack of capacity on the lift to the top. Good quality snow boards and skis can be rented. For all the features and amenities, you might be surprised at the comparatively low prices and the inexpensive transportation in China. Skiers seeking new mountains, a place to practice on a mogul field or for Nastar, interesting sites to visit nearby like the Great Wall and ancient sites in Beijing, and lower prices than in the US or Europe can find all that here.
Wanlong Ski Resort is having 14 trails in total, including beginner intermediate and advanced trails, covering more than 47 million square meters of which advanced jinlong slope is 1900 meters long, yinlong slope is 2050 meters long, intermediate yulong slope is 2500 meters long, feilong slope is 1,300 meters long and wolong slope is 540 meters long. There are 2 double-seated lift with a unit time capacity of 1950 / hour, 2 four- seated lift with a speed of 2.25 m / s and time capacity of 3100 units / hour, and a specialized Magic Carpet for the beginner skiers which avoid skiers from frightening of to cable car in their initial skiing! Huge artificial snow making system is equipped with each trail and the abundant natural snowfall make Wanlong ski Resort become the first ski course opened in China, It is a ski course with the longest snow period and the best snow quality.
On the aspect of snowfield hardware facilities, there are a number of snow making machines, snow pressing vehicles and snowfield motorcycle imported from Canada and Japan, which guarantee the best environment for ski.
There are the latest Carbene (CARVING) ski and the brand new Salomon advanced ski (SALOMON) equipments for rent. Snowboards, ski clothing are also available for hiring. The advanced electronic toll collection management system in the ski resort, The 1400 square meters with mountain view fast-food court which can accommodate more than 400 people eating could provide convenient, fast and comfortable service for skiers.
 Shuanglong Hotel, which was invested and built in accordance with the 4-star standard in 2005, has 101 guest rooms and is equipped with Chinese western restaurants, bar, business center and conference room and other service function areas. A newly built wanlong house in the same year was situated on the top of the Honghualiang, which makes the space of offers ski ancillary services.
As an international standard positioning ski resort, Wanlong Ski Resort has a considerable quality and certain scale accepted by the society and its profession, and some of trails have been authenticated by FIS. Wanlong Ski Resort held successfully the third and sixth China. Chongli International Ski Festival from 2003 to 2006. In the 2004/05 ski season, Wanlong Ski Resort also held "Wanlong Solomon Cup Mountainsski International Friendly Match " and "Lenovo Cup National Popular Mountainsski Series (the 8th station)" and other matches; In the 2005/06 and 2006/07 ski seasons, it successfully organized four races of " 2005 and 2006 FIS Mountainsski Salomon Series "of of FIS, TThe first, second Mellow-Wanlong snowboard Tour Match ", "Snow Flying National Popular Skiing Series " and four races of "The second and third Wanlong-Salomon Cup Series ".
"Nokia Wanlong Mellow Park " is a specialized sliding space for snowboard skiers. Meanwhile, there will be a number of international and domestic snowboard, ski competition held in Wanlong Ski Resort.
There will be four new trails opened in 2007-2008 ski season (youlong slope, zhonghualong slope, xuanlong slope and tenglong slope); The width of the lower section of jinlong slope will be widened to 100 meters. Meanwhile, in order to enhance the speed and the number of skiers going up to the hill, there will be a four-seated lift beside No.2 lift, and the time capacity will be 1,500 units / hour which greatly improves the efficiency of cable cars; No.3 lift wolong slop will be replaced by magic carpet, which is a intimate and humanistic design for the beginners to ease the fear from cable car to a certain extent and enjoy the skiing fun. There will be a number of international and domestic important matches held in Wanlong Ski Resort during the 2007/08 ski season!
Wanlong Ski Resort makes more people to enjoy the health, happiness, well-being and wonderful life from skiing!
Getting to Wanlong is a 4 hour trip by car or bus. The area's web site lists commercial transportation options including a van they run themselves if you have a minimum of 3 people signed up. Not a problem on weekends, but if you have less than 3 people on a weekday, it might not be available. Cost for the resort's van was 160 RMB/person round trip last year. You could also rent the van for 1-10 people for 500RMB each way. The public bus to ChongLi is cheaper at 60 RMB, but will take you most of a day from Beijing to Wanlong with no time left to ski. When you arrive in Chongli, a car can be hired for 50 RMB to take you to the resort. For the adventurous, a night train leaving Beijing at 2:30 AM gets you to Zhangjiakou about 6 AM and a 180-200 RMB cab ride takes you to the slopes in time to catch the first lift when it opens. You can also try to hire a Beijing car and driver. This might cost as much as 800 RMB each way. Unless you are comfortable traveling on your own in China it is best to know someone with a car or join a group.
Renting it all at Wanlong
Costs at Wanlong during the 2007-2008 season are up with a weekday Lift ticket - $42/8 hours, Rentals - Regular $20/day, Premium (Solomon skis and boots) $27/day, ski suit - $4/day and a locker is $1.25/day. Weekends are about 10% higher while multiday tickets knock about 20% off the single day prices. Note that a 500RMB cash deposit is required to rent the equipment. The hotel rates was 498RMB/night weekdays and 658RMB/night on weekends.
Choices for food are limited to the hotel and ski area base lodge. A good combination Western and Chinese breakfast is included in the room rate. Lunch is at the ski lodge for 40 - 80 RMB per person and dinner is in the hotel dining room at 100 - 180 RMB for a meal for 1-3 people (unless you go for the premium dishes like Shark's Fin). Hotel food was actually quite good, ski area less so but no real problem.
Nearby Attractions
Hebei Province has the longest, the best preserved and the best built sections of the Great Wall. Places to see well preserved sections include the Jiaoshan Great Wall, Shanhaiguan Pass, Xifengkou Gateway, and Zijingguan Pass.
Ski resorts close to Beijing include: Badaling, Lianhuashan, Jundushan, and Yuyang.
Tips
Of course, you can find less expensive lodging and restaurants in the town of Chongli.
- It is best to travel with people who are experienced traveling inland. Beware of pickpockets, counterfeit money especially from taxi drivers, and people offering phony tickets.
- The peak crowds on the slopes come during the two week Spring Festival national holidays that start on the lunar new year; that is, during the two weeks after February 13, 2010. The area will be unusually busy on these days, and transportation is more difficult and more expensive. You may not be able to get a train ticket or a bus ticket during those holidays.
 Beijing Attractions
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