Bring the Kids and Have a Blast – This Winter, Southerners Can Finally Ski Freely!

When it comes to the most anticipated winter sport, skiing always tops the list. What could be more addictive than the near “flight experience” of skiing? It’s the kind of love that, once you catch it, flares up every season until you absolutely have to hit the slopes – so much so that many enthusiasts jokingly call skiing “white opium.” But for a long time, geography meant skiing was pretty much reserved for northerners. If you lived in the south and wanted to try it, you had to trek all the way north. And if you were traveling with the whole family, you might well have given up before you even started packing.

Great news! With technology and the sport’s growing popularity, the south is finally getting its own decent ski resorts. Tonglu Shengxianli International Ski Resort is one of them. It saves time, effort, and travel, and the whole family can have fun together! If you’re into skiing and want to take the kids this winter, read on. This is all first-hand, useful info from a real weekend trip.

Getting there – practical transport tips

Tonglu Shengxianli International Ski Resort is located in Shengxianli Scenic Area, Hecun Township, Tonglu County, Hangzhou. At over 900 meters above sea level, it’s about 90 km from downtown Hangzhou and 280 km from Shanghai. Driving from Shanghai takes around 4.5 hours. If you drive yourself, head to the scenic area’s transfer center first, then take the shuttle bus to the ski resort.

Opening hours – practical tips

8:45–17:00 (The resort opened for the season on December 12 this year.)

Ticket prices – practical tips

Prices vary by time slot. An all-day open-slide ticket on weekdays is 150 yuan per person, 240 yuan on weekends. During Spring Festival it’s a little steeper – you can opt for a “2-hour open-slide ticket” at 440 yuan per person.

Equipment rental – practical tips

Skis and boots are included in the ticket. Ski suits, helmets, and goggles can be rented on-site, ranging from 15 to 35 yuan. If you’re a total beginner, it’s best not to buy your own gear right away – ski suits are pricey, after all. Wait until your skills reach a level where you want something more personal and stylish; there’s no rush.

A really nice touch: Tonglu Shengxianli International Ski Resort has kids’ ski suits and boots in a full range of sizes and colors, all high quality – far better than anything you’d randomly buy online.

Oh, and you can also rent anti-fall cushions – choose between little turtle and panda patterns, so even complete newbies don’t have to worry about a sore rear end.

The resort has a medical room to deal with any urgent mishaps.

Food and drink – practical tips

There’s a small shop selling drinking water, instant noodles, and the like, plus simple set meals, xiaolongbao, and milk tea.

Accommodation – practical tips

There are some farm stays near the ski resort, and several hotels are under construction. We stayed at the Zai Shui Yi Fang Container Homestay, about half an hour’s drive from the resort.

Skiing at Tonglu Shengxianli:

Ever since I tried skiing for the first time nine years ago in Yabuli, my partner Tao and I – two thorough southerners – inexplicably fell in love with it. After having our son Yuanbao, Tao dreamed more than ever of flying down the slopes with him, the two of them gliding side by side on their skis over the white snow. That image is just about the coolest winter scene imaginable.

But we didn’t rush. Skiing is a sport where leg strength really matters. A child’s legs usually aren’t strong enough until about age four, and by then their overall comprehension is also pretty good. So this time in Tonglu, we let Yuanbao have his first real skiing experience.

Tonglu Shengxianli International Ski Resort is a panoramic-style resort with a total skiing area of over 100,000 square meters. It has two sets of round-the-clock imported snowmaking plants ensuring a steady supply of snow 24/7. There are two intermediate runs, one beginner run, and one tubing run. Whether you’re a master of the slopes or a complete novice, you’ll find your own fun and shine on the right track.

Even though it only officially opened this year, plenty of enthusiasts and diehards have already shown up. Some race down the hills with poles in hand, others zip along on snowboards as if riding wind-fire wheels. Their athletic silhouettes against the pure white snow are the very image of winter.

It’s totally fine if you’ve never skied before. The resort has professional instructors offering one-on-one coaching at 200 yuan per hour.

Tao and I are both fairly amateur skiers – fine on our own, but teaching Yuanbao was a bit of a struggle. So we hired a one-on-one instructor for him.

This was Yuanbao’s first proper taste of skiing, and he was even more excited than we were, listening carefully to everything the coach said.

Of course he didn’t master it immediately, but he got the basic moves down and could slide a little with poles and skis. More importantly, he experienced first-hand the joy of skiing.

He looked the part during practice.

To our surprise, there were quite a few other kids on the slopes, many even smaller than Yuanbao.

The ones falling over were mostly adults – not yet skilled but eager to challenge themselves.

Kids, on the other hand, have a low center of gravity and find it easy to stay balanced, so technically there isn’t much of a barrier.

Some looked barely six years old and were already skiing the beginner run on their own – impressive. More than just skiing technique, what I value is cultivating a habit of exercise and a sporting mindset from an early age, along with an open, adventurous spirit.

Besides skiing, kids can also build snowmen and play on snow tubes.

Yuanbao went on the snow tube over and over, utterly overjoyed.

At last, us southern kids can really have a blast in the snow!

Zhuxi Adventure Park:

If you’re bringing the family to Tonglu Shengxianli International Ski Resort like we did, you can also fit in a visit to Zhuxi Adventure Park. It’s a large outdoor rope-climbing attraction with a crystal-structure elevated tower, four stories high – fun and eye-catching, perfect for the whole family.

The first level is a kids’ zone. Yuanbao was raring to go. Once geared up, he started climbing, walking on balance beams, navigating plum-blossom posts, and having a whale of a time.

Watching him totally absorbed, I can only say… maybe I won’t have to worry about his P.E. grades in the future…

And so our first snowboard run of the winter came to a happy end. There’s an exhilaration that comes from not wasting winter’s gifts, and I’m already looking forward to rallying the gang and going again.

Yes! This winter, southerners can finally enjoy skiing freedom!

I’ll wrap up with the slogan from a club we ran into that day: Where to go this winter? Shengxianli Ski Resort welcomes you.