The Yabuli Ski Resort (Yabuli huaxue chang) is located in Shangzhi city, a county city about 150km east of Harbin. As a subrange of the Changbai Mountain Range (Changbai shan), the resort is one of the best natural skiing resorts in China. The area enjoys an average annual temperature of minus 1 degrees C., the freezing period of the region being often as long as six months, from October to April. The snow depth averages 39cm and gets up to 60cm in high altitude regions.

The Resort is currently not only the biggest but also the best established and facilitated skiing resort in China. The 3800m long main skiing trail here is located at an altitude of 1300m. Cable car lifts are available. The whole resort is surrounded by imposing mountain ranges lavishly covered with pine forests. Besides the spectacular view, wild animals are also frequent sights on the resort. In February 1996, the Yabuli Ski Resort hosted the third Asian Winter Sports Games, the biggest winter sports event ever held in China.

The Heilongjiang International Ski Festival takes place from December 5th to January 5th and at this time the resort is filled with skiiers and tourists. Get your skis on!

How to get Yabuli Ski Resort : There are a number of tourist trains daily to the resort from Harbin, taking about 3 hours. The return ticket costs RMB60. After arriving at the town, mini tourist buses will transfer you to the tourist resort.
Cost: Cost for the resort can vary greatly. It is generally a RMB300-500 for use of the resort (depending upon your skill level). It is then around RMB100 for ski and equipment rental. A standard double room in the resort will cost RMB540 (Windmill Villa, Tel: 0451-3455168). You may also be able to stay more cheaply in the Yabuli town. Hotels here range upwards from a lowest price of RMB70, although these will be hard to reserve prior to arrival and not all take foreigners.