Christmas Ski Trip to Lake Songhua in Jilin

 

The last few days have been an amazing experience. I spent time skiing some of the best slopes and enjoying the holiday in quiet reflection. There was a point prior to my departure that I thought I might have to cancel the trip because the airline canceled my flight and denied my initial change request, but the customer service agents at trip.com were very helpful in sorting things out and OKDealTravel was very flexible in accommodating my flight changes.  I ended up having one of the best skiing experiences of my life (so far) and thoroughly enjoyed my first domestic travel experience in China. 

Wednesday Preparation

I did a day of preparation prior to my departure. I printed my itinerary at the school and got some additional supplies. 

I had already purchased most of the ski gear that I needed at Decathlon on Sunday.  You can see my last post for those photos.  I did however check out this mall to see if there was anything else that I might need.  I did not find anything here that I needed for the trip but did end up buying Manuka honey to boost my immunity before traveling and also stopped at the attached Walmart to get light gloves, a hat, and a scarf.   I stopped at Decathlon again to get some more hand and foot warmers. 

I rode the subway home.  One of my goals during this vacation is to get familiarized with the public transit system.  It is very clean and efficient here.   The announcements and signage are in both English and simplified mandarin Chinese which actually helps me to better familiarize myself with pinyin pronunciation

Thursday Arrival at Lake Sanghua Resort

This photo above is at Shenzhen airport just before I left.  The temperature was in the mid teens (C).  The picture next to it is of a statue outside of the apartment hotel where I was staying at Lake Songhua Ski Resort.  

Below are photos from my first night at the resort.  Once the driver dropped me off and checked me into my room, a local guide helped me retrieve my rental equipment. I opted to spend a little extra for night skiing.  I realized quick that this was not as good an idea as I had originally thought.  The temp was -30C at the top of the mountain. I could not see through my goggles because they were frozen and I could not see without my goggles because my glasses were frozen.  I was walking around the resort, and skiing, pretty much blind because it turns out my night vision is pretty shitty.    My go pro was frozen before I turned it on so I did not get any footage.  I still had a good time and got a few runs in before calling it a night. 

My apartment hotel door was decorated as you can see below.

The arch in the photo below is made of ice blocks.  

I took this video, and the other one below it, using my phone.  As explained earlier, and in the video, my go pro froze. 

The squeaking sound you hear in this video is the snow beneath my boots.

I finished off the night with a lot of whiskey.  I ordered a can of coke as well.  I would order a finger of whiskey, take a sip or two, then splash some coke in before finishing it off.  I did this with a variety of whiskeys, working my way through nearly the whole shelf, until the coke was gone and the ice was almost entirely melted.  

Friday 

The photos and videos below are from my first full day at the mountain.  I woke around 6:15, threw on my winter gear, and went to get breakfast at the hotel restaurant.   Then I changed into ski gear at the apartment, retrieved my ski pass, and hit the slopes from 8:30-3:30. 

The temperature was still pretty low but the daytime skiing was much better since I could actually see (mostly).  It was snowing.  My goggles, and literally my whole head, was icing up. I did manage to get 6 minutes of go pro-footage before my go-pro froze again because I kept it in an inside pocket until I got to the top.  You can see the ice forming on my mask, hair, and clothing

These photos show how much ice was accumulating on my hair, eye brows and lashes, mask, goggles and hood.

This view tower was a nice stop on one of the slopes. 

Around noon I got some food on a stick at a kiosk and some coffee at Burberry.  I forgot to take a photo of the food on a stick because I was eating it with ravenous fervor.   I added a splash of bourbon to this coffee. 

I got dinner at a Japanese style restaurant at the hotel.  Then immersed my achy body in a Japanese style "hot spring".  Afterward I visited a bar called D. One Bar and drank a substantial amount of whiskey.  They had a neat wall display featuring marine life. 

Saturday Christmas Eve

Saturday brought some sunshine to the mountain.  It was Christmas Eve and the weather could not have been better.  The skies were clear and the temperature had risen a little. I actually was too warm and had to shed clothing at one point.  I was also finally able to get a decent amount of go-pro footage because I had kept the thing in an inside pocket between runs and the temperature was only 11-15 below 0C. 

It was still cold enough for condensation to freeze on my beard but I was able to enjoy the skiing without the mask because it was warmer and more sunny. 

I stopped at the lodge at the top of the mountain and found this cozy and quiet room in which to chill and sip some whiskey from my flask. 

As the sun was setting on the mountain the pink hue that shown down onto the side of the hill was absolutely stunning. 

I returned my skis, changed clothing, and walked around for while before dinner.  I took pictures of the statuary and some of the light displays. 

I had a fantastic meal of steak and pumpkin soup on Christmas Eve before going back to the hot spring to soak. 

The night ended with fireworks.  Before bed I grabbed a mug of mulled wine and picked up a couple beers which I drank in my room while listening to music.

Sunday Departure 

At some point on Saturday the airline canceled my flight home and I didn't even see it until late that night.  Fortunately, my flight change occurred automatically this time and I did not need to worry.  I ended up checking out late at 1:30pm and catching a 5:20 flight home.  I did not do much on Sunday besides eat, sleep, read, and listen to music/watch youtube videos while reflecting on my experience.  The flight home went off without a hitch and I got home at about 10pm.  This was certainly one of my most memorable experiences.  I look forward to having more.