Ski slopes around the country open for business

Skiiers and snowboarders can get their adrenalin rush starting this weekend as the recent drop in temperature has many of the ski resorts in South Korea ready to open their slopes.

Phoenix Snow Park, a popular ski resort in Pyeongchang, Gangwon Province, announced that its slopes will open Friday, almost a week later than last year.

Six of its slopes were used for freestyle skiing and snowboarding in the 2018 PyeongChang Winter Olympics and snowboarders will appreciate the Olympic-standard half-pipe table top, round quarter and rails.

Two other ski resorts in Gangwon Province -- Taebaek’s O2 Resort and Hongcheon’s Vivaldi Park, one of the most visited ski resorts in Korea -- will open their slopes on Friday as well.

High1 Resort, another highly sought-after destination for skiers and snowboarders in Jeongseon, Gangwon Province, will open its slopes Dec. 2.

Kangwon Land, the local casino and resort company behind High1 Resort, shared that fence installation, snow machine inspection and emergency drills for visitor safety are nearly complete.

The resort will reopen its premium ski school -- a program unavailable since the COVID-19 pandemic -- for beginners to learn winter sports.

Prices for ski school vary from 270,000 won to 500,000 won ($192 to $356), depending on student numbers. Private one-on-one lessons as well as couple and family lessons are available.

Eden Valley Resort in Yangsang, South Gyeongsang Province, will start operating its slopes on Dec. 20, the latest opening date among ski resorts in South Korea.

The resort is set to operate two major slopes and a cable lift.

Though Eden Valley Resort is smaller than the resorts in Gangwon Province, it is popular among people in the southern part of the country.

Other popular ski resorts, like Jisan Forest Resort in Icheon, Gyeonggi Province, and Muju Deogyusan Resort in Muju, North Jeolla Province, have yet to announce their opening dates due to the warmer-than-usual daytime temperatures.