Snowboarding in Jilin

China has significant areas of cold climates and snow. The infrastructure for snow sports is not quite equivalent to other countries but they are growing in popularity. Harbin, Jilin, Xinjiang and even Beijing all boast ski and snow sport resorts. I think traveling to Jilin is a great decision to get your snowboarding (or ski) fix while in China as there is a balance of accessibility and good slopes.

There are three main resorts to consider when planning your trip to Jilin.

Changbaishan might be the most popular as it is located right on the border of North Korea. The mountain are 3,000m tall and there is a fair amount of snowfall in winter. It is four hours or so from Changchun, Jilin’s provincial capital. Changbaishan does have an airport with flights to and from Beijing-Daxing, Harbin, Tianjin, Xi’an, Shanghai-Pudong and Dalian. There are also buses running from the Changchun airport. It is highly recommended by people who have gone there but there are limited hotels by the resort which makes it more pricey.

I visited both Songhua and Beidahu in late January 2022. We rented a car which we picked up from the Changchun airport and then drove right to Songhua Hu. Songhua has a great small resort town feel. There is a large walking area at the base of the ski lifts which has plenty of restaurants, shops, and even a few bars. There are a number of hotel options of all price ranges. We rented rooms which were quite large, had two beds, a sitting area with TV, full size fridge and a kitchenette. They were also quite inexpensive and only a ten minute walk or so from the ticket office and ski lifts. There are a number of shops to rent gear from as well. 

Here is the current 2022/23 trail map for SongHua Lake resort. As you can see, there are many lifts and plenty of trails to explore. We stayed in Songhua for three days and the routes never became boring. They also have a decent terrain park if that is your style.

Beidahu is another resort I can write on from personal experience. We took a day off and made the drive over to this resort after three days in Songhua. Beidahu is known to be a top destination for more advanced snow sports enthusiasts. Unfortunately, it does not have a “resort” town feel to it like Songhua. It feels much more remote and there are only three or four hotels operating at the base of the mountain. There is almost nothing else around. Lodging is much more expensive in Beidahu.

Here is a map from Beidahu. It is much bigger than it looks and the location of the different lifts make it fun to explore. The runs are definitely a little more advanced than the average run at Songhua so experienced snowboarders or skiers may enjoy Beidahu much more. The main lodge has a few restaurants, customer service and rentals. There is also a large Commune on the top floor with a lot of space to hang out and have some after ski drinks. The lodges also have direct access to the slopes as pictured above!