Hello! from Hannam: Ski Korea!

Happy Lunar New Year!

What is Lunar New Year? Lunar New Year refers to the beginning of the new year for several different calendars and falls on or near the same day for the following celebrations: Chinese, Korean, Vietnamese, Japanese, Tibetan and Mongolian New Years. The following celebrations fall on other days throughout the year but are still based on the lunar calendar: Islamic, Cambodian, Thai and Lao New Years and Rosh Hashanah. A lunar calendar is a calendar that is based on cycles of the lunar phase which is the appearance of the illuminated portion of the Moon as seen by an observer. The lunar phases change cyclically as the Moon orbits the Earth, according to the changing relative positions of the Earth, Moon, and Sun. One half of the lunar surface is always illuminated by the Sun (except during lunar eclipses), and hence is bright, but the portion of the illuminated hemisphere that is visible to an observer can vary from about 100% (full moon) to 0% (new moon).

Here in Korea, Seollal (Lunar New Year; January 1 in lunar calendar) is one of the most celebrated national holidays. While many observe Sinjeong (Solar New Year; January 1 in solar/regular calendar), most celebrate Seollal, which usually lasts for three days: the day of, the day before, and the day after. This year, Seollal falls on January 23 in regular calendar. More than just a holiday to mark the beginning of a new year, Seollal is truly a special occasion for Koreans. Not only is it a time for paying respect to ancestors, but it is also an opportunity to catch up with other family members. People wear their beautiful hanbok (traditional clothes), perform ancestral rites or play folk games and eat traditional foods.

Despite all the scientific meanings and traditions related to the mark of the new year, what Lunar New Year really means for those of us who already celebrated the the beginning of a new year is a four day weekend! The actual holiday is today (Monday) but Seoul was noticeably quite beginning on Friday as most Koreans leave to visit their families. For some expats, this is also the perfect time to go on week-long vacations to see other parts of Asia. Since we took a big vacation back in September to Malaysia and were just home for the holidays, we decided to stay local but did get organized enough to do the one thing I've been wanting to do all winter: go skiing in Korea!!

Ski Korea!

I have never skied anywhere else but Telluride, CO. Knowing full well that the Korean skiing experience would not even remotely compare to the powder, elevation, and location of our beloved little resort in the San Juan Mountains, I have been lobbying all winter for a ski trip. My persistence finally paid off and got RCP excited enough to coordinate a day trip with our friends Joseph, Hassan and Joseph's friend Jimmy. We then convinced Dave and Agata to join (which took quite a bit of convincing over the last week - Agata loves to ski but Dave apparently had some negative effects from an indoor slope in a mall in Dubai - something about having to do physical therapy post-skiing.....we promised a real outdoor bunny slope wouldn't hurt him).

Given that three quarters of Korea is covered by mountains, skiing is really big here so ski resorts are plentiful and whether you want to go for the day or spend a full weekend, there are many options for each and all are located extremely close to Seoul. The best skiing (the places with the most and longest runs and best snow) are supposedly located three to four hours due East of Seoul and are where the 2018 Winter Olympics are going to be held. The most convenient skiing can be found less than an hour from Seoul, which seams strange considering there's not a drop of snow on the ground here and hasn't been all winter. We decided to stay local for this day trip and try out the man-made snow experience at Konjiam Resort, located about 50 minutes from Seoul.

At an elevation of 497 meters (1,630 feet) the Konjiam Resort (owned by LG) boasts the largest ski slopes in the Seoul area. I think this claim is more for the width of the slopes than the length since due to the close proximity to the city, the mountains are much lower therefore making the runs a lot shorter. The resort is one of the newer ones, built in 2008 and features 467 condominium rooms, a spa, golf course and other facilities. With skiing being so popular in Korea, overcrowded slopes are usually a problem, but the Konjiam Resort has solved this by enforcing Korea’s first maximum occupancy rule (on the website it says that the maximum occupancy is 7000). The website also says that there are 11 slopes, but I think there are technically about four, with four lifts to take you to the top (two go basically to the same place and two go half way up). The longest run is 1.8 km, (1.11 mi.). We went up and skied down 13 times in 6 hours, with an hour lunch break. That's how big (or small) the mountain is.

Americans are truly spoiled by having the skiing conditions that we have back home, but Koreans must be commended for embracing the sport of skiing with such enthusiasm and style, even when there's not a drop of snow anywhere on the mountain, except for what's been man-made on the ski runs. They wear the most colorful and exciting gear, all seem to own their own snowboards (snowboarding is HUGE) and most resorts have "night skiing" that goes on 'til the wee hours (like 4 a.m.). Despite being spoiled by Colorado powder, I did enjoy this first Korean skiing experience because it makes for a pretty great day when you can ski with friends, an hour from home, and be back home by sundown. I also like skiing in Korea because apparently I'm at an "expert level" and my skis don't hang off the edge of a black diamond like they do in Telluride.

For more info on the top ski resorts in Korea click here.