Yabuli Ski Resort, with over 49 ski trails, hands down, is China's biggest and best ski resort. The skiing season at Yabuli Ski Resort begins in mid-November and runs until the end of March.
There is more than one ski resort in China that claims this distinction, but if one checks out what's on offer, one will quickly realize that Yabuli Ski Resort is in a class by itself among Chinese ski resorts.
Basic Facts on Yabuli Ski Resort:
- Features: the oldest, largest, and best ski resort in China — China’s first Club Med
- Location: 1½ hours by train or 3 hours by car from Harbin
- Skiing season: mid-November – late March
- Vertical drop: 918 m (3,012 ft)
- Trails: 49 trails (7 beginners, 25 intermediate, 10 advanced, and 7 experts)
- Facilities: equipped with high-speed heated gondolas, chairlifts, and magic carpets
- Snowboarding: It hosted the 2016 Snowboarding World Championships.
- Ski-in ski-out: Yes
- Suitable for: all, particularly experienced skiers
- Open: 8am–10pm
Why Yabuli Ski Resort: 5 Reasons
Yabuli Ski Resort is one of the most popular ski resorts in China. Whether you are a beginner or a professional skier, you can enjoy yourself there.
1. An Olympic Level Experience
The very fact that Yabuli Ski Resort serves as the primary training venue for China's national teams (Alpine, Nordic (aka Cross-Country) and Freestyle teams) should give an idea of the quality of the slopes at Yabuli Ski Resort (the 1996 Asian Winter Games, the third such event in the series, was held at Yabuli Ski Resort).
Yabuli's prime advanced-level Alpine piste measures some 3 kilometers (3000 plus meters) with a vertical drop of an impressive 805 meters, which makes this the longest – and most exhilarating – Alpine ski piste in all of Asia (it should be noted that the ski resort is divided into a competition and a leisure section, the former being restricted to domestic and foreign professional (i.e., national-team) skiers).
Alpine ski pistes in Yabuli2. Enjoy Top-Level Skiing Facilities
Yabuli Ski Resort has 49 slopes (including beginner, intermediate, and advanced level routes), a 5-kilometer Nordic trail, and a 500-meter gentle Alpine slope for beginners.
Yabuli Ski Resort employs more than a half-hundred ski instructors, and though not all of the ski instructors are fluent in English, they are all reputed to be knowledgeable, and very thorough in their tutoring.
Yabuli has 9 ski lifts, more than enough to ferry skiers to their various destinations without having to wait in long queues.
Visitors say that the old adage about 'getting there being half the fun' has never been more true than in the case of the trip up Yabuli Sun Mountain in one of Yabuli Ski Resort's ski lifts: the views are spectacular as the visitor ascends alongside ridges and ravines, looking out over a forest of snow-clad trees.
Yabuli Ski Resort is equipped with high-speed heated gondolas.3. Excellent Snow Quality
The northerly location of Yabuli ensures adequate snowfall. However, should mother nature fail to do her part at any given time, Yabuli has recourse to a fleet of 8 snow-making machines.
In addition, Yabuli Ski Resort has 6 snow-grooming machines that ensure an optimal powder consistency on the surface of the various pistes at all times, another factor that puts this particular ski resort in a class by itself.
Excellent Snow Quality in Yabuli4. Plenty of Ski Resort Companies to Choose From
Yabuli Ski Resort has more than a dozen ski resort companies and service providers of different types. The minimum skiing time in Yabuli is two hours and prices begin at 150–300 yuan (for 2 hours), based on the ski resort company you choose. Prices go up on weekends, New Year's Day, and Spring Festival (Chinese New Year holiday).
Ski caps, goggles, suits, etc. are extra. If you bring your own equipment, you only need to pay the basic fee.
Here we select some best ski resort companies in Yabuli suitable for skiers of all kinds of levels.
- Sun Mountain Ski Resort (previously Wind Hill Lodge): offering all levels of runs, especially those for advanced skiers to experience speed and creamy-soft snowfields suitable for beginners; provides ski courses and hotel accommodation
- New Sport Committees Ski Resort: most popular with domestic visitors, advanced equipment; ski trails of primary, intermediate, and expert level; qualified to host Olympic-level snow events
New Sport Committees Ski Resort5. Abundant Recreational Activities
In winter, Yabuli can satisfy your desire for all kinds of snow activities besides traditional skiing and snowboarding: snow tubing, snowmobiling, sledding, snowfield hiking, skating, snowman-making, a children's ski recreation area, and more.
In the off-season, i.e., from late spring to autumn, there are a number of other activities on offer at Yabuli Ski Resort such as "grass skiing", tennis, mini-golf, hot-air ballooning, and para-gliding.
And then there is the stunning nature of Yabuli Sun Mountain itself, as well as that of the greater Changbai Mountain Range, where the stealthy visitor just might be lucky enough to spot bears, deer, leopards, tigers, and wild boars, while just about every visitor will run across hares, pheasants, squirrels – and birds, birds, birds – not to speak of the chance, after-dark spotting of a badger.
Hotels in Yabuli: Yabuli Club Med
Club Med Yabuli is highly recommended for foreign visitors, five-star experience, English-speaking coaches, skiing courses for all levels, diverse snow runs, high-speed cable cars, one-package service including hotel, dining, and other leisure activities like swimming and a spa.
How to Get to Yabuli Ski Resort from Harbin
Yabuli has three railway stations, all with trains from Harbin. The journey takes about 1½–3½ hours.
- Yabuli Railway Station: 30 minutes drive from Yabuli Ski Resort
- Yabuli West Railway Station: 25 minutes drive from Yabuli Ski Resort, it serves the most trains from Harbin
- Yabuli South Railway Station: the closest station to Yabuli Ski Resort — 5 minutes drive
Harbin Daowai Bus Station and Harbin Nangang Bus station have long-distance buses to Yabuli Town, taking about 3½ hours. From there, you'd need to take a minibus or a taxi to the ski resort.
Plan a Harbin Tour with Yabuli Ski Resort
A Harbin tour including a Yabuli skiing trip typically needs 6 days, including two days to explore the main sites of the Ice and Snow Festival and Harbin city and four days for Yabuli Ski Resort. Here's our recommended tour plan:
- Day 1: Harbin arrival and free time
- Day 2: Harbin Ice and Snow Festival
- Day 3: transfer to Yabuli
- Days 4–5: all-inclusive ski holiday at Club Med Yabuli
- Day 6: departure
Alternatively, you could get more ideas from our other tour designs featuring Yabuli skiing:
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