Skiing at Konjiam

If you are looking for some decent skip slopes but not willing to take a trip all the way to Gangwon-do to resorts like Phoenix Park which is some 4 hours by car away, then you might like to check out Konjiam Ski Resort. It is just over an hour away by car from Seoul. We left Seoul around 7am and got there just after 8am as the skiing crowd started to arrive for the 9am – 1pm session.

Main Building

Ticket Office

Konjiam is a relatively new resort and is quite well organized. They have counters for ski and snow board rental which is pretty similar to Phoenix Park which is the only other resort I have been to here in Korea. They even have a pretty decent English website: https://www.konjiamresort.co.kr/index.html

You can choose to rent your skis at the resort itself or the many shops along the way there where you can rent your equipment and ski outfits. On the weekend that we went, there was a promotion so we got 50% off the lift tickets which was pretty nifty.

Ski rental

Snowboard rental

Lockers

Ski school desk

I’m just a beginner so started off at the beginner slope called Hanui which wasn’t as crowded as I thought it would be. The slope was a little icy but manageable. What annoyed me were the snow boarders which all herded around the top of the slope which made maneuvering past them (for a beginner) quite challenging.


Hanui (Beginner)


They are pretty hi-tech at Konjiam using RFID cards to track usage of their ski lifts. You have to queue up and shuffle through turnstiles to get onto the ski lifts. At the turnstiles they have scanners, similar to those that you find in store entrances that go off if you take something out of the store that still has its tag on. So if you have a 9am – 1pm slot, after 1pm you won’t get through the turnstile. This is very efficient as it doesn’t slow down the queue as it would if someone had to check each person.

After a few runs down Hanui, I decided to try the intermediate slope Whistle which was a lot smoother and a lot steeper! Overall, it wasn’t ridiculously crowded and was very enjoyable. The food in the cafeteria was good too. They had a western choice of which I would recommend their Special Set which was a sausage on a stick, pork chop, coleslaw, chips and some other stuff that was deep fried. Their Udon was decent and even had an U-deng (think bean curd pancake) which made me happy.

Whistle (Intermediate)

Another thing I like about this place is the little snack hut just in front of the ski school. They sell Churros! And not your dinky little ones. These were a good foot and a bit long. Having them with a cup of coffee… what a good end to a bit of exercise.

We left just before 3pm and was back by 4pm. Now that was a Saturday well spent.

Here are some useful websites if you are looking for a decent ski resort close to Seoul (I’ve indicated amount of time needed by car):

Gyeonggi-do
Bears Town (1hr +)
http://www.bearstown.com/bt_eng/eng_01.php

Gangwon-do
Daemyung Resort Vivaldi Park (1hr 40mins)
http://www.daemyungresort.com/asp/language/english/vivaldi/accommodation.asp

Phoenix Park (4hrs)
http://www.phoenixpark.co.kr/english/default.html