← Ski Ski resort · Kangwon-Do, South Korea

용평리조트, Yongpyong Resort

Korea's original mountain, Olympic and on screen

Kalatpadai / Wikimedia Commons (CC0)

Yongpyong is South Korea's oldest and largest ski resort, set high in the Taebaek Mountains of Gangwon province and part of the 2018 PyeongChang Winter Olympics. Famous as a filming location for the drama Winter Sonata, it blends a long spread of pistes, a summit gondola and a lively, well-equipped resort base.

  • 760 m Base
  • 1,424 m Top lift
  • 664 m Vertical
  • 23 Pistes mapped
  • 10 Lifts

Best known for

  • 2018 Olympic slalom
  • Balwangsan gondola
  • Winter Sonata filming
  • long groomed runs

Après & vibe

The resort base is a full-scale complex with hotels, restaurants, shops and spa facilities, and Korean ski culture means busy, floodlit night skiing and warm late-night dining rather than a Western-style bar scene.

The resort

Yongpyong opened Korean skiing to the world and remains the country's largest and most complete resort, spread across the high slopes of the Taebaek range in Gangwon. It played a central role in the 2018 PyeongChang Winter Olympics, hosting the technical alpine races, and it carries genuine sporting pedigree alongside broad appeal. The terrain ranges from wide beginner areas to long, satisfying intermediate cruisers and steeper pitches, served by a gondola that climbs towards the summit of Balwangsan for sweeping views. Beyond the sport, the resort is woven into Korean popular culture as a key location for the beloved drama Winter Sonata. It is a polished, full-service destination that suits families and mixed-ability groups.

Go for the scale, the pedigree and the ease of a modern, all-inclusive resort. Yongpyong offers the widest spread of terrain in Korea, from gentle learning slopes to Olympic race pitches, all within a self-contained complex of hotels and amenities. Its gondola and summit views add a scenic dimension, and its cultural fame gives it a distinctive draw. It is ideal for families, first-timers and intermediates, as well as travellers combining skiing with a wider trip through Korea.

The season leans on cold, dry conditions and highly efficient snowmaking, which is the backbone of Korean skiing. Natural falls are supplemented by comprehensive artificial snow and meticulous grooming, keeping the long pistes in consistent shape through a reliable winter. Floodlit night skiing is a central part of the experience, extending the day well after dark on illuminated slopes.

Snow & weather

Live conditions from the mountain, plus the average snow you can expect month by month.

Conditions now · 용평리조트, Yongpyong Resort
Fetching live mountain weather…

Live data © Open-Meteo.com

Snow reliability is dependable through the core winter, resting on cold temperatures and extensive, high-quality snowmaking and grooming rather than heavy natural snowfall.

Average monthly snowfall

Snowfall climatology unavailable.

Terrain & aspect

7% beginner 49% inter. 42% expert
N · green: 2% N · blue: 2% N · red: 18% N · black: 22% NE · red: 9% NE · black: 5% E · red: 2% E · black: 1% E · unknown: 0% SE · green: 0% SE · red: 2% SE · black: 1% S · red: 1% S · black: 1% SW · green: 0% SW · red: 0% SW · black: 0% SW · unknown: 0% W · green: 0% W · red: 1% W · black: 3% W · unknown: 2% NW · green: 0% NW · red: 4% NW · black: 24% NESW
Downhill runs only
  • Novice
  • Easy
  • Intermediate
  • Advanced
  • Flat / ungraded

Slopes mostly face N — 94% on snow-holding, poleward-facing slopes.
Aspect derived from run bearings · OpenSkiStats / © OpenStreetMap (ODbL).

Skiing & terrain

Beginners

Wide, gentle nursery slopes and a strong learning setup make Yongpyong an excellent place to start.

Intermediates

Long, well-groomed cruising runs, including the resort's celebrated Rainbow slopes, give intermediates plenty of enjoyable mileage.

Advanced

Steeper pistes and the Olympic technical-race terrain provide advanced skiers with a proper challenge.

Experts & off-piste

The focus is groomed performance rather than off-piste, but the steepest race pitches still test strong skiers.

Skiing the Olympic slopes

Yongpyong hosted the technical alpine events, the slalom and giant slalom, at the 2018 PyeongChang Winter Olympics. Skiing terrain shaped by top-level racing gives the resort a sense of occasion, and its steeper race pitches remain a highlight for stronger skiers looking to test themselves.

The Balwangsan gondola and summit views

A gondola carries skiers high towards the summit of Balwangsan, opening long descents from near the top and sweeping panoramas over the Taebaek Mountains. The ride and the view are a signature part of a day at Yongpyong, and the vantage is a draw in its own right.

A Winter Sonata pilgrimage

Yongpyong is one of the key filming locations for Winter Sonata, the drama that helped spark the global Korean wave. For many visitors, skiing the same snowy setting seen on screen adds a cultural dimension that few resorts anywhere can offer.

On the map

용평리조트, Yongpyong Resort
Legend

Run difficulty

  • Novice
  • Easy
  • Intermediate
  • Advanced / Expert
  • Freeride / Extreme
  • Unknown

Run types

  • Downhill — groomed
  • Downhill — ungroomed
  • Downhill — gladed
  • Nordic (groomed)
  • Ski tour
  • Lit (night)
  • Not patrolled
  • One-way
  • Snowmaking

Lifts

  • Operating
  • Operating (private)
  • Non-operating
  • Lift station

Slope-gradient grading

Downhill / ski tour

  • Flat<3°
  • Easy3–14°
  • Intermediate14–22°
  • Advanced / Expert22–45°
  • Freeride / Extreme>45°

Nordic

  • Easy<6°
  • Intermediate6–9°
  • Advanced>9°

Aspect (sun exposure)

  • N — least sun
  • E — morning
  • S — most sun
  • W — afternoon

Legend after OpenSkiMap

Map & ski data © OSM (ODbL) via OpenSkiMap · basemap OpenFreeMap · terrain Mapterhorn
See the official piste maps on Skimap.org →
Where you'll stay

Stay in 용평리조트, Yongpyong Resort

The resort is a self-contained complex with a range of hotels, condominiums and apartments on site, letting most visitors stay slope-side with full amenities close to the lifts.

Ski-in / ski-out

Lifts and pistes from the door — the point of a high, purpose-built resort.

Apartments

Self-catering residences, the bulk of the beds and the flexible-budget option.

Chalets

Catered and self-catered chalets for groups wanting the whole place.

Hotels & spa

From simple to high-end, with pools and spas to thaw out in.

How to get there

By air

Yangyang (YNY) is the packet's nearest gateway, serving the Gangwon ski region; many international visitors instead arrive via Seoul Incheon (ICN) and travel east to the mountains.

By rail

High-speed rail from Seoul towards the PyeongChang area, followed by a local shuttle, makes a largely car-free approach straightforward.

Transfer up

A road transfer through the Taebaek Mountains reaches the resort, with shuttle services connecting the airports and rail links to the base.

Best time: December through February brings the coldest, most reliable conditions and the fullest terrain.

Nearby resorts

Other resorts within reach.

Complete your trip

Getting to 용평리조트, Yongpyong Resort

Book an airport transfer up to the resort, or pick up a car at Yangyang (YNY) — search and compare without leaving the page.

Ski data © OpenStreetMap contributors (ODbL), via OpenSkiMap & Skimap.org. Basemap © OpenFreeMap / OpenMapTiles. Editorial: mynext.holiday. Accommodation via Stay22; transfers via Kiwitaxi; car hire via Travelpayouts.