Elysian Ski Resort is one of the nearest ski resorts near Seoul. Many locals actually plan day ski trips to this place since it is easily accessible via subway or shuttle buses.
Another tip to save money, DO NOT book directly from the website. Instead, book via travel agents as they are often cheaper, can book all lifts and gondolas for u, and they have instructors to give u a refresher course. We definitely saved a lot from using an agent during this ski trip. Many packages include coach to and fro Seoul, but because we wanted to stay overnight, we decided to get a package with no transport. Our ski package includes
Rental of ski gear and equipments
Instructor
Ski for 8h
Lift and gondolas
As advertised on their website, this is Korea's only resort that can be reached by subway. So we took the following route which has quite a few line changes:
Seoul (line 4) > Ichon (Gyeongui-Jungang line) > Sangbong (Gyeongchun Line) > Baegyangri (Elysian Gangchon)
T-money can be used on the subway. There is also another route where u take the ITX. But that is troublesome as u have to purchase another ticket, so we thought of just using the subway route.
At the Baegyangri Station, there would be a free shuttle bus that takes u to the condominium entrance within a few minutes.
At the Baegyangri Station, there would be a free shuttle bus that takes u to the condominium entrance within a few minutes.
The food at their restaurant was really expensive - close to SGD 20 for this tray of food u see here. Also because the instructor didn't give us the food coupon in time, so we bought it at the original price. If u had the coupon, it would be slightly cheaper. Therefore, I would suggest going over to GS25 to buy some cup noodles, instant rice etc. or some Korean fish cake soup. GS25 is super far from the ski area though...
Or u can walk to Lotteria at the other side of the hill like what we did for the second day and have a meal for less than $10. The cheese sticks from Lotteria were nice!
I had this cup noodle for dinner on the first night.
Because ski is more important than eating, we really spent the first day just skiing, with hardly any rest (other than lunch and minimal toilet breaks). When evening came, the machines would come out to even out the snow and everyone has to get out of the ski area to wait for the staff to do their work. At about 6.30pm, the ski area would reopen again and we can start skiing again.
I really love night skiing, because most of the crowd would have gone by now. It is also less glaring. We were one of the first group of people to get on the lift and ski down the slopes. It was a great feeling when u have the whole slope to yourself, so I highly recommend night skiing!
It also starting snowing heavily then and we were elated! Not for long though, as I realised that heavy snowing causes the snowflakes to poke into my eyes. (we didn't rent any ski goggles cos we were quite seasoned in skiing and didn't feel the need to) The feeling was akin to trying to skate in Singapore when it is raining. The snow was heavy but it didn't dampen our spirits and we continued all the way until almost 9pm.
Because we know how to save money, we went into the free resting rooms for the night. It was really basic with just a water dispenser, beds, blankets and NO pillows. We thought there would be many people using this, but nope, there were only the 2 of us the entire night.
At the time of writing this, I went to their website again to find out more about the room, but alas, I think it has been converted into seminar rooms and are not free anymore. Probably cos of the very small percentage of people using it, therefore it might be more lucrative to convert them into seminar rooms. Oops, which means u have to book a room at the resort if u want to stay overnight now!
Elysian staff warming up for the day.
The next morning, we continued to get a package with the agency but this time, it was snowboarding.
Being new to snowboarding, both of us had a really hard time that day. U have to sit down as a starting position, and because it was really tiring to push yourself up, I spent a lot of time sitting down and didn't realise that the butt would get all wet until I changed out at the end of the day and saw the huge patch of water at the bottoms.
Also, one must learn how to break fall and fall correctly when snowboarding. Because it is really detrimental to your joints if u don't fall correctly. Most of the time, some people just fall on their knees and palms, WHICH IS VERY DANGEROUS. I normally fall on my butt, and avoid touching the ground with my knees or back. And if u think snow is soft and alright to fall, think again. It is like falling onto ice. Not fun at all ok.
Also, it might be useful to rent ski goggles during snowboarding. I realised whenever I fall, it is really a dramatic fall where I skid and snow flies all over the place and into my eyes. hahaha. But because I know how to fall correctly, I still came back in one piece.
However, I would recommend everyone to try snowboarding at least once. Just so u know whether ski or snowboard is more suitable for u. And for me, it is definitely skiing.
Having been to Yongpyong Ski Resort and now Elysian, I would actually prefer Yongpyong due to it being a larger resort, with amazing scenery (u get to sit on the cable car overlooking all the mountains). The snow in Yongpyong is also softer than Elysian and thus much easier to ski or snowboard. However, getting to Gangwon-do is a hassle, with transport and accommodation to settle. So if u want to save time and money, Elysian would be a convenient choice. One thing's for sure, do warm up before u start doing any skiing or snowboarding!
Maybe I would make it a point to go for annual ski trips next time!
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