Snowboarding at Elysian Gangchon Ski Resort (엘리시안)

The ski resort closest to Seoul, accessible via the Gyeongchun Railway Line from Sangbong Station to Baegyang-ri Station. Resort is nestled within a beautiful valley with a relatively open layout where all slopes are 1km in length.

There are separate learning slopes for beginners to use as practice grounds. The ski resort has 6 lifts, snowboarding facilities and 10 slopes for beginner, intermediate and advanced skiers. The Dragon course, probably also the more interesting one, starts from the peak with an intermediate zig-zag course before connecting with the beginner course for the remaining one-third of the slope.

The only problem was, it felt more like iceboarding than snowboarding today. Season’s nearly over. Bummer.

Doing the touristy thing.

Hey look!

Snowboarding at Phoenix Resort (휘닉스파크)

With a total of 22 slopes, from beginner to advanced, skiers and snowboarders are naturally spoilt for choice at Phoenix Resort. For snowboarders, the Extreme Park has a half-pipe, tabletop, round quarter and rails. (I mistakenly went for this slope during my first run and subsequently spent my time avoiding all the obstacles. Ugh.) For beginners, the Penguin and Sparrow courses are ideal. And when you’re ready to go for the next challenge, the Hawk1 run has a steeper incline.

Spotted a GALAXY Nexus booth at the resort! So fitting! Ice Cream Sandwich. The panoramic feature on the GALAXY Nexus camera would come in useful at the peak.

Crowds usually thin out in the evening, so if you’re staying over at the resort, it’s best to hit the slopes at night and also in the early morning.

At the starting point of Hawk1 and Penguin, you can find a cafeteria and an aromatherapy shop. Beats me why the latter is there, but it sure feels good to step in after a long day at the slopes. If you can brave the cold, the alfresco area provides a good view of the upper and mid-level slopes.

Oh, and one of the best snacks to have in between runs are these fishcakes. At 3,500 won a bowl, it feels oh-so-good to have something steaming hot in the cold.

Here’s the crowd, or lack of, in the early morning session. Best time to work out the technicalities of your runs.