Chills and thrills

Chongli county near Beijing is gaining a reputation among a growing number of avid Chinese skiers who know their slopes.

Beijinger Li Zhong has been to some of the best ski resorts in Europe, the United States and Asia. But when he decides to spend his winter breaks closer to home, the 38-year-old business consultant heads for the nearest slopes to the Chinese capital that can adequately give him his "ski fix". "The best way to enjoy winter is to ski," Li says. "And Chongli is the closest ski area to Beijing with slopes that can satisfy serious skiers."

He is just one of a growing number of avid Chinese skiers in Beijing and major cities in the area who swear by Chongli, a county in northern Hebei province.

Chongli residents say vast winds sweeping the area's lower plains come up against the county's northwestern highlands near the Inner Mongolia plateau, creating a front that brings valuable snowfall of more than a meter for the ski season.

Winter visitors to Chongli are faced with expansive vistas of pine-covered mountains, blanketed with snowfall that helps blur the ranges as they stretch toward the horizon.

Still, abundant snowfall is not guaranteed in this dry northern region, and ski resorts typically need to generate more than half of their snow from Hebei's waterways. Cold winters can also see temperatures dropping to lower than -10 C.

But the number of ski options in Chongli, which is about three hours' drive from Beijing, still raises it way above the competition near the capital.

There are now three major ski resorts nestled in the county's mountain ranges that help it boast some of the country's longest and widest trails, fastest lifts and most comfortable facilities.

Wanlong Ski Resort offers more than 20 trails snaking all over its 2,110-meter-high mountain. More than half of them are at the intermediate and advanced levels. The resort is also known for its off-piste options. All this means it is one of the few Chinese resorts large enough for skiers to slightly plan or "navigate" their way through its ski slopes.

Wanlong's boss Luo Li says he built the resort after catching the ski bug in 2003.

"The snow here is good, the mountains are pristine and it's close to Beijing. The higher altitude also means lower temperatures that allow us to open in early November, making the ski season longer than most other resorts. We have Japanese ski teams that come here to take advantage of that to start their training earlier," Luo says.

Wesley Deklotz, who is originally from the United States and now lives in Singapore, was in Wanlong for the first time as part of a weeklong teaching stint at a ski camp in the resort during Christmas.

"This is a great ski area. The snow is beautiful, the people are really nice and helpful, and the equipment is good," says Deklotz, who is 49 and took up the sport when he was 3 years old. The California native has skied in states across the US, Canada and Argentina.

Japanese educator Oba Junji was in Wanlong for the fifth time and was helping to train 19 skiers from Japan's Gifu prefecture.

"The snowfall in Japan is not adequate as temperatures are still not cold enough. Our new snowfall in December is not sufficient for training," says the 53-year-old, who often stays in Chongli for weeks to train his students.

"We get a good variety of slopes here for our training. The facilities, food and service here are also improving, so we intend to come every year."