Skiing / The Beidahu & Changbaishan week
Private ski and winter journey
The Beidahu & Changbaishan Week: 8 Days in Jilin
Jilin is where Chinese skiers go when they have more than a weekend. Beidahu publishes 870 metres of vertical and has led the country in skier visits for several consecutive seasons; a hundred kilometres away, Changbaishan rises as a volcanic massif with hot springs at its foot. Between them, on the coldest mornings, warm outflow keeps mist rising above the Songhua River until every willow is cased in rime ice — usually gone by ten. This week puts three full mountain days, one dawn and one volcano into a single line.
Ask about this itineraryJilin in winter — the province where a ski trip and a natural phenomenon share the same week
Beidahu: around 74–81 published runs, 13–15 lifts and a national-level ski resort designation on Nanlou Mountain
Lake Songhua has roughly 50 runs and 55 km of piste with a large share of beginner and intermediate terrain — a separate ski area, reached by its own transfer
Changbaishan Wanda: just over 30 runs, a ski village and hot-spring hotels under the massif, 17–18 km from the airport and high-speed station
River mist freezing onto willows overnight — a forecast, not a booking, and usually gone by mid-morning
Why this week
A mountain and a phenomenon.
A good Jilin week has two centres. The first is the mountain: arrive, fit equipment, take a lesson or orientation day, then two full days of practice and exploration. That four-night shape is what lets a mixed-ability group actually progress — and it is why we do not try to squeeze Beidahu, Lake Songhua and Changbaishan into four days. They are separate ski domains with separate lift passes, and moving between them needs its own transfer.
The second centre is the rime. On the coldest, stillest mornings the Songhua River's warm outflow keeps mist rising, and by first light the willows along the bank are white. It needs the right conditions and it melts by ten, so the alarm comes before dawn and the ski day starts afterwards. We hold a second morning where the schedule allows, because no honest operator promises rime. For 2026–27, Beidahu began trial skiing on 7 November, Lake Songhua was scheduled around 20 November and Changbaishan Wanda on 21 November; Beidahu also hosts the Winter University Games alpine and freestyle events in mid-January 2027, when the mountain and its beds will be busy.
Route Briefing
Into Changchun or Jilin, four nights at Beidahu for three full ski days, a pre-dawn rime morning near Jilin City, then the road to Changbaishan for the volcano, hot springs and a final ski or rest day.
- Day 1Arrive → Beidahufitting
- Day 2Beidahulesson / orientation
- Day 3Beidahufull day
- Day 4Beidahufull day
- Day 5Jilin Cityrime dawn
- Day 6Jilin → Changbaishantransfer
- Day 7Changbaishanvolcano / springs
- Day 8Departfly or rail on
Day by day
Eight days, three on the big mountain.
The mountain days are deliberately consecutive; the rime dawn and the volcano sit either side of them.
-
Day 01
Arrive and fit
Changchun / Jilin → Beidahu
Meet at Changchun Longjia airport or Jilin railway station — they are not the same place, so we confirm the exact one at booking — then the 1.5 to 2-hour road transfer to Beidahu. Boot and board fitting at the resort, an itemised rental quote, and an early night. A direct airport car avoids a second train connection and repeated ski-bag handling.
-
Day 02
The orientation day
Beidahu
A first full day with the instructor or guide. Beginners stay in the learning area; confident intermediates work the longer pitches and the mountain's fall lines. We set the group split today rather than discovering it on day three.
-
Day 03
The long laps
Beidahu
A full day on 870 metres of vertical, with the guide choosing aspects by wind and grooming. Night skiing is available at the resort on some evenings — a shorter, quieter second session for anyone with the legs.
-
Day 04
The third day
Beidahu
The day the four-night shape pays for: familiar lifts, no rental fiddling, real progression. Stronger skiers can work the steeper terrain; anyone who wants a gentler morning can transfer to Lake Songhua as a separate, pre-arranged day.
-
Day 05
The rime dawn
Beidahu → Jilin City
Pre-dawn to the Songhua riverbank, where the power station's warm outflow keeps mist rising through the coldest hours. By first light the willows are cased in white rime ice. It melts by ten, which is why the alarm is early. Late breakfast, a short city walk, then an afternoon transfer south.
-
Day 06
Into the volcano country
Jilin → Changbaishan
The road south-east to the Changbaishan resort area under the volcanic massif. Check into a hot-spring hotel; the afternoon is for the pools and an early night. Winter roads and park access here change with weather — the day holds margin.
-
Day 07
The volcano and the springs
Changbaishan
A morning on the resort's gentler 370-metre terrain for anyone who wants a last ski, or the massif and crater-lake approach where roads and daily park notices allow; snowmobile access on the west slope is weather-dependent and never assumed. An outdoor hot-spring soak in the afternoon — a regional winter tradition.
-
Day 08
Out through the snow
Changbaishan → depart
A slow breakfast, the short resort bus to the airport or high-speed station, and onward. The Harbin ice city and the Jilin rime can be combined from here for a longer winter.
What's included
What is included, and what is not.
The transfers are the part that is easy to get wrong: three separate ski domains, two provinces' worth of winter roads, and one dawn that has to be placed precisely.
Included
Arranged and paid in your price.
-
English-speaking trip leader throughout and a local ski guide at Beidahu
-
Three Beidahu lift days, plus a Changbaishan Wanda day where the group wants it
-
All ground transfers: airport or station to Beidahu, Jilin City rime dawn, and on to Changbaishan
-
Four nights at a Beidahu resort hotel and three nights at a Changbaishan hot-spring hotel
-
All breakfasts and selected dinners
-
Equipment fitting coordination and an itemised rental quote
Not included
Either yours to arrange, or a question we will gladly answer.
-
Flights and high-speed rail to and from Changchun, Jilin or the Changbaishan area
-
Ski and snowboard rental, lift pass at Lake Songhua if added, and private instruction
-
Rime Island or riverbank admission where a ticket applies
-
Changbaishan park entry, snowmobile or other summit access charged by the park
-
Lunches, remaining dinners and travel insurance
Season reality: Beidahu trial skiing from 7 November 2026, Lake Songhua around 20 November, Changbaishan Wanda 21 November — trial openings may mean limited lifts and terrain. The Winter University Games events at Beidahu were scheduled for 15–25 January 2027. Changbaishan winter road and summit access changes with weather and daily park notices. Some resort deposit desks are reported not to accept foreign cards, so carry cash or a UnionPay-compatible card.
Enquiry
Ask about the Jilin week.
Tell us your level, whether the group splits, and how much you want the rime and the volcano. We will confirm resort status for your dates and come back with a written outline and a price.
- Difficulty
- Intermediate and up · beginners on request
- Season
- Nov – early Apr
- Group size
- 2 – 8, private departures
- Cost guide
- From ¥16,800 per person, twin share
Enquiry sent
Thank you — your enquiry is with us.
We reply within one business day. A copy of what you sent has gone to your inbox.
Need to add something? Write to inquiry@chinadventure.com.
Back to the itineraryRead next