YongPyong Resort has slopes, scenery and much, much more

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YongPyong Resort has slopes, scenery and much, much more

YongPyong Resort, located at the foot of Mount Balwang in Daegwallyeong, Gangwon, now boasts a new Skywalk observatory on its mountaintop that offers a panoramic view of the Taebaek mountain range. [YONGPYONG RESROT]

YongPyong Resort, located at the foot of Mount Balwang in Daegwallyeong, Gangwon, now boasts a new Skywalk observatory on its mountaintop that offers a panoramic view of the Taebaek mountain range. [YONGPYONG RESROT]

 
DAEGWALLYEONG, Gangwon — It’s the ski season and people are flocking to different ski resorts, mostly located in the country’s snowy Gangwon. One of the top five ski resorts that Koreans visited in December is YongPyong Resort, the country’s oldest ski resort that celebrates its 50th anniversary this year.  
 
The resort has 7.4-kilometer-long (4.5 miles) gondola, the longest in the country, that takes skiers and snowboarders to the mountaintop Dragon Castle alpine center to enjoy two slopes, the Rainbow Paradise and Rainbow Olympic, which were used for the Alpine Skiing event at the 2018 Pyeongchang Winter Olympics. 
 
But last week, when the Korea JoongAng Daily visited the resort as part of a media tour, those who were not skiing or snowboarding was also forming a long line to use the gondola, not to sled down the longest slope in the country, but to enjoy Mount Balwang's Energy Skywalk observatory and its trekking course.  
 
When the world was devastated by the coronavirus pandemic, YongPyong Resort that usually sees a lot of skiers and snowboarders from overseas was also hit hard. But the resort’s CEO Shin Dal-soon, who was newly appointed in October 2018, saw it as an opportunity and decided to create a new observatory at the top of the mountain in mid 2020 and then Anifore, a large forest of Norwegian spruce that is home to adorable alpacas from Matchu Picchu the following year.  
 
Energy Skywalk obervatory at YongPyong Resort [YONGPYONG RESORT]

Energy Skywalk obervatory at YongPyong Resort [YONGPYONG RESORT]

 
“What many people don’t know is that YongPyong Resort is located at the foot of Mount Balwang, the 12th highest mountain in Korea,” said Shin. “At the peak, you can enjoy a panoramic view of the Taebaek mountain range, spectacular in its own way in spring, summer, autumn and winter. But this view had only been enjoyed only by the skiers and snowboarders. As a man who is crazy about Mount Balwang, I am determined to turn it into a world-famous mountain that gets visited by people from around the world all year round.”  
 
Shin also established a 3.2-kilometer-long-walking course called the Yew Tree Healing Forest Trail that meanders through some 260 yew trees, some of which are thousands of years old. It takes about one hour and 30 minutes at a slow stroll so as to fully enjoy breathing in fresh air and the scenery 1,458 meters above sea level. 
 
Strollers and wheelchair users can also easily access the trail.  
 
Shin gave names to dozens of trees that look especially unique in hopes to educate younger visitors, or older, about humanity.  
 
One yew tree, which has a branch that stretchers over the trail in an arch, is named “A Tree of Humility.”
 
A visitor bows her head to walk under the ″Tree of Humility.″ [YIM SEUNG-HYE]

A visitor bows her head to walk under the ″Tree of Humility.″ [YIM SEUNG-HYE]

 
“Visitors have to bow their heads really low to walk under this tree. If they act arrogant and think they can walk under it without bowing, they will bump their heads on the branch,” said Shin. “I wanted people to think about being humble and respecting nature because the trail was established not by cutting down the trees, but leaving them as natural as possible. For convenience, I could’ve cut this branch out, but instead, I left it and named the tree.”  
 
There’s also “The Only Mother Tree,” which is the name of a Japanese rowan tree and a Siberian crab apple tree that have intertwined. Shin hopes to show, through nature, what “true mother’s love is and what true coexistence looks like.”  
 
“A seed of a Japanese rowan tree fell inside the hollow trunk of a Siberian crab apple tree that was dying,” said Yu Yoo-seon, YongPyong Resort’s guide who specializes in introducing the Yew Tree Healing Forest Trail. “Both the trees could survive because they had each other.”  
 
“During winter, the trail is great to take photographs of snow on the branches, foliage during autumn and of course, for a cool breeze and some decent exercise during summer,” Yu added.  
 
Those who are avid climbers can start from the foot of the mountain and hike to its top. This course was established by Korea’s renowned mountain climber Um Hong-gil, therefore, the course itself is called Um Hong Gil (gil in Korean means ‘road’). It takes about two and a half hours to reach the peak.  
 
Towards the end of the trail, which brings visitors back to the gondola station, there’s a natural spring water station to quench your thirst. According to Shin, he was confident that there ought to be mineral water underneath “magnificent mother nature.”  
 
“After digging just 300 meters, the mountain gifted us with natural mineral water that is rich is silicon, a chemical element that is known to improve osteoporosis, diabetes and skin aging,” said Shin, adding that the “secret to YongPyong Resort’s famous food and beverages as well as its kimchi that people order from across the country, lies in this water.”
 
A forest of Norwegian spruce inside Anifore [YONGPYONG RESORT]

A forest of Norwegian spruce inside Anifore [YONGPYONG RESORT]

Visitors can try feeding alpacas at Anifore [YIM SEUNG-HYE]

Visitors can try feeding alpacas at Anifore [YIM SEUNG-HYE]

 
Those who are visiting the resort with young children should consider making a stop at the resort’s Anifore. 
 
With a short monorail ride, which costs 18,000 won ($14.60) including the entrance fee, visitors can access the forest of Norwegian spruce. As the trees are best known for being used as Christmas trees, Yu said many photographers visit during winter. It’s also a great location to take wedding photographs, says Yu.  
 
Though not many people could participate due to Covid-19, Yu said the resort has been holding various wellness programs inside the forest, such as yoga and meditation, since September 2021. The resort plans to increase the number of programs when the weather turns warmer.  
 
The resort also has a waterpark for visitors during the ski resort’s off season, but Shin believes the trend is changing and he is confident that the resort, with the new Energy Skywalk and Anifore, will change the landscape of how global visitors enjoy the resort over the next 50 years.  
 
Explaining how the name Mount Balwang comes from a legend which claims it has so much energy that it is where eight kings are to be born, Shin said he wants to think of this location as where “great things are born.”
 
Korea's hit drama "Winter Sonata" (2002) starring Bae Yong-joon and Choi Ji-woo was filmed at YongPyong Resort and the resort makes sure visitors are aware of the fact, two decades later. [YIM SEUNG-HYE]

Korea's hit drama "Winter Sonata" (2002) starring Bae Yong-joon and Choi Ji-woo was filmed at YongPyong Resort and the resort makes sure visitors are aware of the fact, two decades later. [YIM SEUNG-HYE]

 
“In fact, many foreign visitors visit the resort not just to ski, but because it’s known as the filming location of hit drama series ‘Winter Sonata’ [2002], which is regarded as a Korean drama that began the true Korean wave,” said Shin. “I think more great things can be created here on Mount Balwang with such good energy, like becoming a tourist hotspot for wellness tourism in Korea. People now travel overseas in hopes of finding physiological and mental tranquility while maintaining or enhancing their personal wellbeing. In that sense, I am very confident that YongPyong Resort will appeal more and more to visitors from across the globe who are eager to take a long, relaxing vacation surrounded by a natural environment all year round.”
 
A roundtrip ticket to the peak on the gondola costs 25,000 won for adults and 21,000 won for children. 

For more information, visit www.yongpyong.co.kr
 

BY YIM SEUNG-HYE [yim.seunghye@joongang.co.kr]
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