Korea in Winter Day 11: Snowfall and Snow-Play

It's winter in Korea, but we did not see any snow in Seoul. Mummy had the priviledge of experiencing snowfall during her solo stint weeks earler, but by the time we joined her, all the snow had cleared up. When we got to Alpensia, we finally touched snow for the first time! But even then, it wasn't the 'white-out' we see in postcards or photos.

Imagine how our eyes widened when we looked out the window this morning and saw snow covering everything, from the grass, to the treetops to the streets. There was still the tail-end of a snowfall, but it had fizzled to a light sprinkle of tiny speckles.

The roads were white!

The sunrise pierces the fog and soon the tiny flakes will melt away. In the centre is ski jumping tower and the silhouetted building on the right is the Intercontinental Hotel.

Savouring the sight of a frozen lake up close for the first time in my life!

Even the flowers and grass were painted white.

Time to write the names of our loved ones on the snow covered bench!

Grass is white!

The lake's surface was a layer of ice and snow, but we could still see the lily pads frozen in place. A backdrop of shrubs and a small island completes this picturesque lakescape.

The snow covered pagoda on the island was illumated by a patch of sunlight.

A bird-house on the mini-island by the river.

Outside our apartment, the flowers and plants were painted with a layer of white powder.

The snow on the ground was fluffier and finer that the previous days, and the kids figured out right away that playing in the snow today would be a little more fun. We were also looking forward to how the finer snow would feel on our sleds and skis. But first, we got some microwavable sets from the GS25 convenience store to fuel our fun. The meals were quick and cheap, and had a variety of dishes to satisfy our various preferences. The 24-hour store is like a 7-Eleven complete with tables and chairs, and even had a corner with microwaves and hot water for instant noodles.

Microwavable bento sets cost between 2,000 and 3,500 won and the instant noodles were freebies that came along with our purchases.

Now that we had our brunch we were ready to head out into the sun. Our cousins opted for afternoon and night passes with rides on the ski-lift, and we had afternoon passes for sledding. The younger ones were happy just playing around in the snow!

The weekend crowd comprised tourists from around Korea and neighbouring countries. The increase in numbers was evident from the ticketing booth.

You know the weekend has arrived when special mascots suddenly appear to entertain the crowds.

The queues for the sledding travellator were very long in the morning. The travellator also broke down a number of times, perhaps due to the strain of carrying a larger than usual number of visitors.

On the our way on the travellator to the sledding start-line.

Even at the sledding staging area, there were many people waiting for their turn.

The crowds did dissipate once lunch time came around. Perhaps there was a morning tour group today.

And in between our sled runs we had fun playing around in the snow.

Crowded ski-slopes. Check out the queue for the ski-lifts!

One time we don't mind being dragged around.

Going tandem on the sled.

That was fun. Let's go again! We lost count the number of runs we had.

Another attempt at a snow-angel.

Igloo?

Loading up the sled, one block at a time.

At 4.30pm, the afternoon sledding and skiing sessions come to an end and we decided to eat dinner out today. We had to keep our ski gear with us as we booked night passes as well, and while the skis and ski-poles could be locked in special lockers outdoors but we had to bring our ski boots and helmets with us to dinner.

We decided on a nice Japanese restaurant called Teriyaki. The restaurant is only opened for dinner and we were given a nice Japanese style room for our group. The food was delicious, and came in sets that were reasonably priced between 10,000 and 17,000 won each.

Clockwise from top-left: Mini Udon and Cutlet Set; Dragon Roll Set; Pork Cutlet Set Chicken Teriyaki Set; Salmon Sushi Set; Udon Set.

After the hearty meal, it was more skiing for some and the rest of us headed back to the apartment to warm up. Tonight is our final night at Alpensia, and we will miss the cold, snowy winter till the next time we have the chance to visit again. Next up is a couple of days in shopping paradise - Myeongdong, here we come!

Korea in Winter Day 10: Sledding and Skiing Alpensia

The kids bunked in together in a single room on their mattresses last night. They chatted, joked and laughed together till Daddy advised them at 1am that they ought to try to settle down for some rest so that they could have enough energy to do everything we wanted to. We obviously underestimated how much energy these little ones had as they were the first to get up in the morning. The original plan was to sled and ski the afternoon away after our pizza brunch. However, the kids got carried away playing in the snow and decided that's all they wanted to do for now! 

Staying cool while in a hole!

If there is a next time, we will bring along waterproof boots instead. These were comfy but soaked through by the end of the day. 

The Mummies decided to go ahead without them. Since it was only two of them, they bought tickets for three rides at 8,000 won per person (after the 20% guests discount) and had a ball of a time!

Sled timings and prices.

All set and ready to go!

Making our way back to the start point with the sled slope in the background.

Here we go again! Staff at the entry point to the travellator punch our coupons each time we got on.

Scream! You know when the mummies are coming because they have the loudest screams.

Temperatures were hovering between -9 and -5 degrees Celcius today but there was still no snow falling. We could feel the chill and had to layer up a little more. When we were done sledding, there was still a lot of time and we suggested renting skis for the next couple of hours. Our two oldest daughters and Daddy came along. All the adults were skiing for the first time in our lives, and we were in the good hands of the two primary school girls who had two days of training. They did our best to give us proper instruction, but let's just say the experience left us with a huge respect for everyone out there that actually made this look easy.

All geared up and looking good (in the photograph that is). 

Our daughters try their best to give us instructions. Unfortunately, we were 'old dogs trying to learn new tricks'. One step forward, two steps back! Literally. 

Doing our best to stay on our feet! Let's just say that going backwards is easier than going forward. 

After a while, we found it easier just removing the skis, hiking up the slope, putting them on and then flying down the slope out of control. The slope was relatively crowded today, and there were a couple of split second decisions to intentionally crash out as we were not very good at applying the brakes. The lack of snow fall meant that our crashes were hard. One of our friends recommended that a better time for skiing would be in January or February after most of the snow had fallen so that the ground is covered in fluffy flakes, making falls a lot softer on the body.

In line with the warmer winter and lack of snow fall this year, we got disappointing news that the Ice Festival which begins on 18th December will not have the ice-fishing activity we were so looking forward to as the lakes had not yet frozen. I guess now we have more time to do something else. What would that be? Hmmm ,,, ...

After a whole day of exercise, everyone just wanted to warm up in the room so 2 of the adults went out to pack dinner while the kids stayed in the room to play. The latter had decided to do another round of sleep over. Adults were all tired out so guess it would be early night for the adults then. Again.

Korea in Winter Day 9: Hiking Mount Kalsan and Skiing Alpensia

Last night when Daddy went to sleep, he had no idea that he would climb a mountain in the morning. Some of the best moments in life are those that were not supposed to be.

Daddy woke up this morning unable to go back to sleep due to some unusual aches and soreness. There were still hours before the group arranged to meet up for lunch as we all went to bed past midnight. Everyone was still sound asleep when he left the apartment at 9am for an easy stroll around Alpensia Town.

Just below the Ski Jump Tower, a signboard caught his eye. A large map with some walking trails indicated suggested that just about 2.5 kilometres north through the forested hills was the peak of Mount Kalsan. It didn't seem like an unrealistic target to shoot for and it was a promising opportunity to take interesting pictures. The weather forecast was fair and soon, Daddy found himself bounding up the undulating trail.

Wooden stairs marked the entry to the hiking trail.

Signboards marked the trail at regular intervals.

Some parts of the trail are covered with snow and ice. There were intermittent gusts of wind that made the trail somewhat colder than the -4 degrees Celcius indicated by the weatherman.

It was a priviledge to be alone with nature. There was not a soul on the trail this morning.

This banner and a safety line with 'Danger' spelt out in various languages on it, informing hikers not to stray from the trail as the area is undergoing renovation works, using demolition, in preparation for Pyeongchang 2018 Winter Olympics. 

Parts of the trail were lined with what appeared to be an electric fence.

A steep section of the trail littered with loose boulders meant that I won't be bringing kids and family here for an easy stroll tomorrow.

There were guide rope to mark out the hardest and steepest parts of the trail, and they were helpful for maintaining my balance too.

To the ski jump

About an hour later, Daddy was not quite at the peak but a wrong turn and an extra kilometre put him on another peak nearby. There was time for some photos before back tracking the route.

View of Alpensia Ski Resort from the top. You can see the ski jump tower on the left and mountains beyond the resort.

Snow on the forest floor and going down the north face of the peak.

A wind farm some distance away.

There was time on the return walk for a detour to check out the ski jump tower. Tourists were also arriving in private vans, taxis and buses to enjoy the view from the tower. There is an observatory on the highest floor and visitors were queuing up for the lift.

The walk back down the peak had stretches where it was rocky and easy to turn an ankle, but there was a helpful guide rope along the steepest parts of the trail to maintain balance.

Approaching the entry to the trail, there was a short detour that brought Daddy to the base of the ski jump tower.

There was an observation deck at the base of the tower to watch ski jumping during the height of the winter season. There was renovation works going on, and it did not look like it was in operation now.

View of Alpensia Town from level 1 of the ski jump tower.

The ski jump tower from the entry to the hiking trail.

When Daddy met us past noon for lunch, it was evident from the blush on his cheeks and slur in his speech that it was cold up in the mountains this morning. Perhaps it would have been a little more comfortable if he went prepared, but then would it be as exciting?

Lunch was at another traditional Korean eatery at the ground floor of block 103. We bought tickets for gear rental and were back on the slopes by 2.30pm. Instead of a formal lesson, the kids revised what they learnt from last night and it was good to see the making progress while enjoying themselves.

Yong Woo Dong had a traditional Korean setting, but most of the dishes here were served with rice or noodles, with only a small selection of traditional Korean soups.

Prices were quite reasonable for a holiday resort.

Dragon Noodles.

Spicy soup with meat, vegetables and rice.

Large Dumplings with ddokpokki soup.

Bibimbap.

Heading out to the ski slopes again.

The slopes were crowded and it was a challenge for us novices to establish a clear path down without crashing into a fellow skier.

The kids were giving their dad a private tutoring lesson based on what they learnt last night.

The gear rental for the afternoon session ended at 4.30pm and once the time was up, the Ski House suddenly became packed with skiers returning their gear. We opted to return to our rooms to warm up for a while before getting something to eat.

Tonight the kids will have a mini sleepover. I wonder how it will turn out. If they get carried away and sleep late, we will have another late start to the day tomorrow. Fingers crossed!