On a scale from 0 to 20 (0 = the ski mound in Chaoyang park, 10 = Nanshan)
Huaibei is an 8 – it gets an extra star for the Wall!
Huaibei has scenic surroundings that include a frozen water fall and views of the Great Wall. Advanced skiers will find a nice long run with minimal wait time at the lift and if you don’t like the moguls on Nanshan’s advanced hill this is a good alternative. Beginners, unfortunately, will find it just as crowded as other places. The overall experience fell below the Nanshan standard in a number of other areas. Getting to Huaibei, the first hour of the ride out was quick and smooth until Huairou when the bus switches to noisy, crowded and slow city bus mode. A lot of the ski packages end at 5pm which makes for a big rush to return equipment at that time which kind of ruins the post-ski chill out feeling.
Prices: 10 RMB /person park entry, call ahead to get discounts, reviewer paid 140RMB/8 hours on the weekend.
Equipment: Good selection of skis and snowboards but expect waits of up to 40 minutes during peak hours. The locker area seems to double as a changing room.
Lodge: Attractive lodge had indoor and outdoor seating but gets packed during peak hours. Good range of Chinese food including barbeque and hotpot. Hot chocolate supplies ran out during reviewer’s visit.
Lifts/Runs:
• Three easy hills served by 4 disc lifts and a 2-person chair lift. All had long lines during reviewer’s visit with waits as long as 15 minutes.
• One advanced hill with a two-person chair lift had minimal to ZERO wait time. This hill also has a few rails and kickers for snowboarders.
Getting there: From the DongZhiMen subway exit E, head to the bus station (the old one outside, not the new one) and take bus 936 zhi which takes 2hours to get to the ski resort.
Getting back: The last 936 bus leaves at 5:00 sharp. It pays to arrive early and look for the bus waiting in the parking lot or you could find yourself standing for the whole ride back.
Night skiing: The park is open till 9:30 pm and though there were lights around the bunny hill area, there were none on the advanced slope.
The owners should: Offer a shuttle bus service, get rid of the 5:00 stampede and add more dinning space ideally a western restaurant.
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