“Get fit”, advised the Club Med‘s Skiing for Beginners webpage. After years of pilates and toning classes, I had become more mobile and flexible, but skiing demanded a whole new level of balance and spatial awareness.
Thankfully, after two days of lessons at Club Med Beidahu, I could glide down a gentle five metre slope. Determined to improve, I asked my instructor, dubbed “Red Power Ranger” Peng, “How can I do it better and faster? ” His advice: “Keep looking in front.”
“In front” was an Arabica cafe and a zigzagging array of powder players who had descended on Beidahu Ski Resort in Jilin, China. One of Asia’s most popular winter holiday destinations, it offers 64 ski trails with a total length of 72km sprawled across 239ha—nine peaks here offer an altitude of more than 1,200m each. So while I expected to bump into strangers, most managed to scurry out of my path.
There are lessons for all skill levels, and instructors didn’t hesitate to relegate anyone to a Beginner class like mine. In each 90-minute session, warm-ups preceded drills on ski basics: putting them on, maintaining posture, balancing, falling and rising safely, walking uphill, controlling speed, and stopping naturally.
Noobs may need some time to adapt. All at once, how can one flex the ankles, tilt the shins forward, keep weight centred, and “keep looking in front”? Gliding downhill gave me a thrilling rush, while side-stepping uphill (a solid 10m or more) gave me a strenuous core-and-
glutes workout.
CARTE BLANCHE
Of course, Club Med Beidahu offers more than skiing. I rode one of its 24 cable cars to a landscape of rime ice and powdery snow that would make a fairy-tale come true. In awe of the surreal beauty, I whipped out my still-functioning phone from my ski jacket and starting clicking.
Opened in 2016, Club Med Beidahu is the French hospitality chain’s second outpost in China, following Yabuli in 2010. A two-hour drive from Changchun Longjia Airport, this 176-room retreat offers accommodations ranging from 323 sq ft to 5,705 sq ft in the Presidential Family Suite.
Club Med Beidahu
Club Med’s all-inclusive package includes skiing, snowboarding, hiking, and other activities. Options range from yoga, mahjong, and karaoke to evening shows, alongside buffet dining at the Main Lodge and a hot pot dinner at the Le Petit Bus Rouge Specialty Restaurant.
I didn’t have time to visit the Club Med Spa by Ahava for one of its “moisturising, revitalising and invigorating” body or face treatments, but I did pop in at Gokurakuyu Spa across the street. Guests of Club Med Beidahu enjoy one free entry per day to this Japanese-style public bath, so it was a perfect place to soothe the body and mind on a quiet afternoon.
With a wide range of customisable activities, the resort makes winter holidays memorable. Its app keeps you updated on the calendar, which runs from 9am to nearly 10pm each day—essential, especially as climate change increasingly affects seasonal patterns.
A second winter destination I explored was Club Med Changbaishan, also known for its adaptability. There are four intermediate trails, four advanced trails, three magic carpets, two cableways, and a terrain park, making it a great choice for beginner and intermediate skiers. Winter had arrived late, however, and despite snow machines blasting throughout the day, the slopes still resembled cookies and cream.
Club Med Changbaishan
Located 40 minutes from Changbaishan Airport, Club Med Changbaishan offers 107 rooms. Open since 2022, it also boasts a 3,000-sq-m natural hot spring oasis with 29 pools for play and pampering.
The resort lies in the Changbaishan Biosphere Nature Reserve, a Unesco World Heritage Site and home to Mount Changbai (literally “everlasting white” in Mandarin). One of China’s most famous peaks, it stands at the border between the nation and North Korea.
The dormant volcano dominates China’s largest, deepest, and highest alpine lake, Tianchi (“heavenly lake”). Club Med Changbaishan offers excursions to Mount Changbai (West Slope). Lauded for “the nearest and broadest view of Tianchi”, the mountain’s opening days and hours can vary depending on the weather. For the FOMO-afflicted, well, the mountain is visible only 90 days a year.
The mountain’s 1,442 stairs require adequate fitness, just like skiing. Navigating this crowded path through the sub-zero weather, snow, wind, and ice was tricky business. For better balance, I relied mostly on the squat pose to avoid slipping and falling.
It took me slightly more than the two hours estimated by locals to reach the top where my resilience was rewarded with the awe-inspiring landscape of Mount Changbai and the marvellous panorama of Tianchi.
It was allegedly reported more than 15 years ago that Loch Ness monster-like creatures swim in the lake, but on this day the water was still and calm. The residents may have been watching the west summit thronging with exuberant intruders and decided to take a break.
For the other 275 days, they would have the waters to themselves anyway.
Book your snow escapade at Club Med here.
