With the approach of the 2022 Beijing Winter Olympics, ice and snow sports have been gaining steam.

Major ski resorts in North China's Shanxi province have recently opened to the public, holding various events to attract ski enthusiasts.

Here are the recommended ski resorts in Shanxi.

A person skis at the Wulong Ski Resort. [Photo/Shanxi Daily]

Wulong Ski Resort

Located about 11 kilometers from downtown Taiyuan and 18 km from downtown Jinzhong, the Wulong Ski Resort boasts convenient transportation infrastructure, with residents of the two cities being able to access the resort by car in about 10 minutes.

The ski resort has primary ski trails, drag ropes, specially designed practice areas, teaching areas, and children's entertainment areas, which can provide entertainment programs such as skiing, snow cubing, and snowmobiles, meeting the requirements of ski enthusiasts.

The ski resort has also hired a domestic first-class coaching team, providing people who love winter outdoor sports with professional guidance. 

Jiulong International Ski Resort

The Jiulong International Ski Resort at the intersection of the cities of Taiyuan and Jinzhong has an altitude of 900 meters and an open topography.

The ski resort has a number of ski trails suitable for skiers at the beginner, intermediate, and advanced levels. There are also children's ski areas, lit-up ski areas, ski jumping areas, slopes for ski cubing, and dog sledding tracks, which can accommodate 1,000 people skiing at once. Some ski trails can be used as competition routes for outstanding athletes and training venues.

The ski resort is equipped with modern equipment, such as ski lifts and snow generators, to ensure that every skier can ski safely and freely.

Regular ski performances are held at the ski resort every day.

Caiwei Manor Ski Resort

Caiwei Manor Ski Resort in Shuigou village, Xinghualing district, Taiyuan is a four-season ski resort.

It has 100,000 square meters of professional skiing and snow sports venues, six professional ski trails, C-shaped curves and an extreme sports park suitable for skiers at different levels.

There are a dozen types of snow amusement programs for children to choose from, including snow cubing, drift karts, snow tanks, motorcycles, snow cycling, and double ice bumper cars.

Yunqiu Mountain Ski Resort

Yunqiu Mountain Ski Resort, located 1 km from the entrance of Yunqiu Mountain, has an altitude of 700 meters.

Due to its location in a natural valley, sufficient sunshine throughout the day, suitable temperature and excellent lighting, the ski resort is able to integrate skiing, entertainment, and sightseeing.

The ski resort covers an area of over 33,333 sq m and has multi-level standard ski trails such as practice trails, teaching trails, primary trails and intermediate trails.

The ski resort is open from 8 am to 10 pm, with supporting accommodation services. After skiing, visitors can enjoy folk activities, winter scenery and local specialties in the Yunqiu Mountain scenic area.

A person skis at the Li-Ning Snow Park. [Photo/Shanxi Daily]

Li-Ning Snow Park

Li-Ning Snow Park in Wujin Mountain National Forest Park in the city of Jinzhong is a winter tourist resort integrating skiing, snow entertainment, and dynamic leisure sports in central Shanxi.

The snow park has a spacious and bright ski service hall with an area of 7,000 sq m, which is equipped with 2,500 sets of imported ski equipment for tourists to rent and provides catering services.

The overall snow covered area of the park is about 300,000 sq m. There are 15 ski trails with a total length of about 7,000 meters and a maximum steepness of 30 degrees, which can meet the training needs of international competitors and professional skiers.

The park also includes one ice and snow theme park and one snow cubing track.

A rendering of the Wanlong Baideng Mountain International Ski Resort [Photo/Shanxi Daily]

Wanlong Baideng Mountain International Ski Resort

The Wanlong Baideng Mountain International Ski Resort, located 15 kilometers from downtown Datong, covers a planned area of 246.28 hectares. It is the first large-scale professional ski resort in Datong.

The average snow period of the ski resort can reach 120 days, and the highest altitude and vertical drop of the resort are about 1,240 meters and 122 meters, respectively.

It has 16 ski trails extending more than 8,600 meters, which can accommodate more than 3,000 skiers at once.

There is also a snow recreation park and snow cubing area designed for children and snow entertainers consisting of a snow sculpture promenade, a snow carousel, a snow maze, snow castles, and snow motors.

The surrounding ice and snow-themed town, hot spring hotels and RV camps at the resort will offer more winter leisure choices for visitors.