Spending decades imagining the Great Wall or the Forbidden City, it never once crossed our minds that our very first family visit to China would be a winter ski trip.
Located north of Korea and south of Russia, Beidahu completely smashed our expectations. China is clean, safe, forward-thinking, and sophisticated, seamlessly blending a world-class winter environment with the modern, practical conveniences a travelling family needs. We simply can’t wait to go back, write Benjamin and Erin Tuffy.
Getting to Beidahu Ski Resort
Mid-January saw us departing for a two-week trip. Our family travel rhythm to a new country is simple: dive into the city culture first to find our feet, then head to the mountains. To make it entirely stress-free, we booked an all-inclusive package with the team at Summit Ski Tours, who expertly handled our transits, bullet trains, and private mountain transfers.
The flight route:
- Brisbane (BNE) to Guangzhou (CAN): A smooth daytime flight with China Southern taking roughly 9 hours and 5 minutes.
- The Gateway Connection: A brief stress-free transit before our domestic connection with China Southern up to Beijing (PEK). This was a quick 3-hour flight landing us right in the heart of China.
We spent our first couple of days finding our rhythm in Beijing, standing on the Great Wall, exploring the immense scale of the Forbidden City, and tracking down traditional hot pot in local spots far off the tourist path.
From Beijing, we travelled north by fast train to Changchun in Jilin province, guided by Povler from Summit Ski Tours. The 5-hour journey flew by at 280 km/h, offering a great snapshot of regional China.
Before hitting the resort, we spent a night exploring Changchun’s Snow and Ice World. It was a massive eye-opener featuring insanely fast toboggan runs (think Mario Kart rainbow slide meets Frozen), ice caves, and massive snow sculptures that blow Mt. Rushmore away in scale. The next day, a comfortable 2-hour private bus transfer brought us directly into Beidahu Ski Resort at night, greeted by a mountain lit up like Christmas. Okaaay, there’s some unexpected energy here… let’s go!
Essential Apps & Logistics Guide Before You Go
WeChat & Alipay: Non-negotiable. China is virtually cashless; international physical credit cards are rarely accepted. Set these up and link your Australian card before departure to pay for meals, shops, and hailing “Ubers” via the Didi mini-app.
Taobao: Download on arrival. It’s a lightning-fast domestic version of Temu. Extra gloves, beanies, or helmets will be delivered right to the resort cheaply and rapidly.
VPN (Virtual Private Network): Mandatory to access Google, Instagram, and Facebook. Must be downloaded and active before you leave Australian airspace.
Visa Rules: Australian ordinary passport holders enjoy 30-day visa-free entry for tourism. No online portal required; simply fill out an arrival card at immigration.
Where to Stay: Shanhuju Hotel
We stayed at the Shanhuju Hotel, which perfectly blends full-sized apartments with ski-in, ski-out convenience on Beidahu’s west side. The hotel runs dedicated transfer buggies for luggage and a 10-minute regular shuttle to the main hub. However, you only need the hub for lift tickets; the hotel sits just an 800-metre walk from the Suide and K gondolas, featuring its own internal supermarket and restaurants.
Independent Booking Hack: For families wanting to run the trip themselves, booking the Shanhuju Hotel independently via major platforms like Klook Australia or Trip.com is the best approach. Room rates range from $200 to $320 AUD per night for a full family apartment or Superior Twin room. Crucially, these booking options almost always include 2x adult daily lift passes and hot spring tickets bundled right into the room rate.
Alternative Stay: Club Med Beidahu sits right in the main resort footprint, completely dialled in for families with premium all-inclusive childcare packages starting around $1,700 to $2,500 AUD per person for multi-day stays.
The Terrain & Mountain Experience
Beidahu is massive, incredibly well-organized, and very welcoming for Western family travellers. Standing proud as one of China’s absolute premier AAAAA-level scenic spots, it served as a former training base for the 2022 Beijing Winter Olympics and seems to be comfortable to own some of the strongest mountain stats in Northern China:
Elevation & Drop | Base: 530m | Summit: 1,405m | Vertical Drop: 875m |
Infrastructure | 17 lifts total (5 high-speed gondolas, 5 chairlifts, 7 magic carpets) |
The Runs | 64 pristine ski trails covering 72 kilometres of terrain |
Standalone Self-Booking Cost Guide (AUD)
If passes are not already bundled with your hotel room, or you need extra equipment, here is exactly what your out-of-pocket costs look like at the public resort counters:
Lift Tickets: A standard public weekday lift pass sits at ¥380 RMB (~$80 AUD) per day. This moves to ¥480 to ¥580 RMB (~$100 to $120 AUD) per day on weekends and peak holidays. A standalone night skiing ticket costs ¥98 to ¥150 RMB (~$20 to $32 AUD) per night.
Equipment Rentals: Leaving your heavy bags back in Australia is incredibly economical. A full ski or snowboard rental package containing a board or skis, boots, and a helmet is just ¥140 RMB (~$30 AUD) per day. Premium outerwear rentals like a quality jacket and pants combo average ¥80 to ¥100 RMB (~$17 to $21 AUD) per day.
Getting down to it, the resort has a solid mix of terrain to progress on, though it does get chilly. We hit a record-setting arctic blast where it dropped down to -27°C, so packing quality thermal layers is an absolute must. Because we travelled with Povler, navigating the mountain’s expansive layout was easy. The resort utilises a simple-to-follow number system in English, helping you carve your way down wide with consistently groomed trails without any issues, which was great for the kids and their progressive curve. With jump lines ranging from beginner to expert, the sheer scale and variety of runs with minimal crowds was truly impressive.
Night skiing with my daughter Piper and Povler was a real highlight. Big wide open runs with minimal people on the freshly groomed runs was so rad.
But it was the infrastructure and resort operations that caught my eye multiple times. Things move seamlessly. The gondolas are pretty world-class and even come equipped with fresh tissue packs for those frozen, runny noses. Bins are cleaned the moment you depart at the top, and they even provide hairdryers at the summit station for defrosting frosted goggles. On-mountain eating experiences match some of the best alpine scenes I’ve seen anywhere, and with the local culture and community is a neat little moment of reflection to where you are.
Off-Mountain Magic & Dining
Technology makes ordering low-key snacks or high-end meals available at any hour. For non-skiers, the resort features a massive, multi-floor onsen-style SPA. If public entry into the thermal spring isn’t included in your hotel room rate, standard public admission is ¥98 RMB (~$20 AUD) per person, which quickly became our mandatory post-ski ritual.
For dining, we frequented the Commune Bar & Restaurant. Directly underneath it sits a massive food court, an absolute dream for budget-conscious foodies looking to try authentic regional dishes like Old White Meat sauerkraut hot pot. Large steaming bowls of regional noodles, fresh dumplings, or Western child favorites like Spaghetti Bolognese and burgers only cost ¥25 to ¥50 RMB (~$5 to $11 AUD) per meal. If you sit down for a big family hot pot feast at night, it averages out to just ¥150 to ¥300 RMB total (~$32 to $65 AUD) to feed the entire family.
On-The-Ground Total Budget: Managing the entire trip independently means a family of four can comfortably cover premium apartment accommodation, daily lift passes, equipment hire, and delicious mountain meals for roughly $1,900 to $2,600 AUD total for a 7-night stay on the ground (excluding international flights).
Is Beidahu Worth It?
Yeaaaah, for sure! China is on its own unique journey for Western snow travellers, and it feels entirely fresh. We felt safe, welcomed, and consistently surprised. For families looking for a unique, highly advanced, and deeply cultural ski trip away from well-trodden paths, booking an 8-Day / 7-Night package through Summit Ski Tours firmly belongs on your winter bucket list.
He Said, She Said, They Said…
- He said: “We definitely need more time here next time. There is an immense amount of terrain to cover. Having Summit Ski Tours and Povler handle the transit made managing the gear and the kids a total breeze.”
- She said: “As a certified foodie, the food court under the Commune Bar was delicious! Following up a sub-zero day on the slopes with that multi-floor onsen spa while Ben was out night skiing with the kids was pure heaven.”
- They said: “It was so cold! But the giant snow slides at the Ice World were epic, riding the hotel resort buggies was super fun, and the spag bol at the food court was the best ever!”