To clarify, we are the lazy people in question. Hopefully, our laziness helps others follow in our footsteps. Here is our favorite Yongpong ski resort itinerary. About this Weekend Itinerary Recently we took a ‘housemates trip’ to Gangwon-do in order to get back into snowboarding after two of us had to take a few years off due to injuries. That means this ski trip itinerary was tested by intermediate snowboarders of varying levels of physical functionality. We were terrified the trip would end in disaster (more injuries) but nothing like that happened. We were all able to comfortably snowboard within our abilities and the trip was perfect. We HIGHLY recommend that anyone thinking about hitting the slopes in Korea takes this as the sign to give it a try. Trip Plan by Winter Friend Sometimes our house doesn’t have the energy to plan things for our group. During such times, Winter Friend and the associated travel planners save our butts. We do a bank transfer and they send us the plan for the day or a weekend. If you are like us, we recommend using a company like Winter Friend as they have connections with the right places. We gave them money and they made the magic happen. Plus, they also have some pre-planned trips with leaders that you can join. Seriously though, they have some great deals including a bus that goes from Seoul to Yongpyong if you don’t have a car. For us, we usually mix and match the Winter Friend plan with our own journey. That means we will let them organize the hotel, lift tickets, tell us where to rent gear, etc. Then we coordinate our own transportation and meals. That’s because we need the flexibility to research the area for our South of Seoul community. Here is what our mix and match Winter Friend snowboard weekend looked like. DAY 1: Departure + McDonalds or Starbucks Since this trip was about being lazy, we didn’t make breakfast. Instead, we went to the drive-through on the way out of town. Both McDonald’s and Starbucks offer breakfast sandwiches and coffee. You are about to spend all day on the slopes so you don’t need to be cutting calories today. DAY 1: Grab a Hearty Lunch Gangwondo is filled with great places to grab lunch. We usually go with Korean food since our favorite meals come from Gangwondo, on this trip we didn’t break with tradition. We also didn’t plan ahead. Instead, we took the back roads through the mountains and found a place along the way. Not the fastest way to the resort, but certainly the most beautiful. All I wanted was a handmade tofu meal on a cold winter’s day. Tofu in Korea is not seen as a vegetarian dish. It’s simply delicious food. That means most tofu meals will also include meat. In this case, it was elements of seafood. As soon as I saw this spot I was like, “Stop the car and go back. That place is going to be unique and delicious. ” As always, I was right. I have a six-sense for fabulous Korean food. However, if you aren’t obsessed with Korean food like we are, Gangwondo also has many wonders such as White Crow Brewing. This is a perfect spot for beers and lunch. DAY 1: Arrive Near YongPong Ski Resort and Rent Gear Before going to the resort we needed to get your snowboard pants, jacket, goggles, etc. (Assuming you don’t have any) We had Winter Friend set this up for us so that we didn’t need to spend time choosing a gear shop. The costs for our outfits included 15,000 won for pants and jacket, googles 15,000 won, and helmet around 4,000 won. We also didn’t have gloves right for snow and ended up buying some at the shop for 18,000 won. The great all worked great. Quite happy. In the future, we will also rent our boards here because they have 24hr rentals (on this trip we rented from Yongpyong Ski Resort) which means you can keep the gear all night for morning skiing. Also, the gear rental shop gave all of us bags to hold the gear which made the whole day MUCH easier. This thoughtful addition to the experience was a welcome surprise. DAY 1: Check-in at Dragon Valley Hotel Keep in mind, actual room check-in isn’t until 3:00pm. However, Dragon Valley Hotel will let you check in early and then text you when the room is ready. That way you can get on the slopes as soon as you arrive and go straight to your room after you finish. We like Dragon Valley Hotel because you exit right out into the lifts, they have an affordable breakfast buffet (19,00 won), and comfortable beds. We like things to be simple and easy. DAY 1: Get Your Lift Tickets The ticket office is only a one-minute walk out the door of Dragon Valley Hotel. You can purchase lift tickets from either an automated ticketing kiosk or a human-assisted one. The automated ticketing kiosk is in English. DAY 1: Get Your Board and Boots If you decide to rent boards at the ski resort, you can also pick these up before or after you lift tickets. Give yourself about 1 hour to go through this whole process. You will need to store your shoes and adjust your gear. Also, the resort boards and boots were in surprisingly good shape. The guards on the snowboard tips were a little annoying while riding. You will need to write your Korean shoe size on a piece of paper in order to get your boots. Thankfully they have a nice easy way to measure your shoe size. You also need to know your height in cm. Don’t judge my socks. All of the shoe lockers were full when we arrived so we put our boots on top of the lockers. Nobody stole them. You can also put them in your car. DAY 1: Hit the Slopes Two of us are recovering from injuries so we stuck to the easier hills while another went to explore more lifts and routes. We loved the flexibility to play on the bunny hill and work on our skills after our lift tickets and finished for the day. All we could keep saying was, “This is the best day ever” while we struggled through the pain of getting back into slopes shape. The lifts at the bottom of the hill had longer waiting times than the lifts further up the slopes. That said, we never had to wait very long to catch a ride. DAY 1: Dinner in Town The prices for dinner at Dragon Valley Hotel were out of our price range but thankfully we had a car. There is a very cute mountain town near YongPyong Ski Resort that was beautifully updated during the 2018 Winter Olympics. You can find burgers, chicken, pizza, coffee shops, BBQ, Galbi, and more. It’s also stunning during evening snow. We parked and walked around looking for the perfect spot. Since we can’t resist an alley filled with art and snow, we ended up at Donuri. This smalls, cozy Korean food restaurant offers up fabulous samgyupsal and kimchi. We ate way too many side dishes and rolled home. This restaurant will be spot we come back to in the future. Day 1: Go To Bed Early To maximize our weekend wanted to go to bed early. After dinner, we headed right back to Dragon Valley Hotel and get some rest. We regretted not bringing some games to play and will do that next time, instead, we took some time to enjoy the beautiful light display and outdoor fire pit. The Dragon Valley Hotel beds were nice and we slept like babies. Keep in mind, we have lived in South Korea for over a decade (8 years on sleeping on the floor) and have no idea what western beds feel like anymore. These seemed softer than other places we stay, so western folks might like them. Day 2: Wake up Early and Grab a Buffet Breakfast After you wake up and have your hotel coffee, head to the Dragon Valley Hotel Breakfast Buffet. This western and Korean breakfast is heavy in meat and hearty foods that will keep you running on the slopes. The main reasons to eat at the Dragon Valley Hotel breakfast buffet are convenience, price, opening early, and great selection. I actually enjoyed the buffet at YongPyong Resort. I did NOT want to eat there because I deeply dislike buffet food. However, the Dragon Valley Hotel buffet made me eat my words. They had an excellent selection that they maintained the food very well. I will absolutely go here for breakfast when I am in the area. It was 19,000 won when we went, but prices are subject to change. Day 2: Morning Ski Literally don’t sleep on skiing in the morning. You can miss many of the crowds and have some excellent snow. Day 2: Lunch at the Ski Slope Food Court Yongpong Ski Resort has a sizeable food court where you can easily take a break in the middle of the day. Remember that everyone else will also be taking a break at lunch, so allow plenty of time to eat. We chose to eat on the road but also recommend eating at the resort to keep life simple. Day 2: Head home around 12:00 or 1:00 pm to to beat traffic Traffic home on a Sunday can get quite intense if you need to return to Seoul or drive through Seoul. Leaving earlier in the day will keep the day less stressful and allow you to arrive home in time for dinner. Day 2: Grab Dinner Before Getting Back to the House Stop dinner on the way home! After a long weekend, we often go to California Roll & Sushi. Since they also LOVE snowboarding we can enjoy dinner and chat about the weekend. The perfect end to the day. We even order mountain-themed sushi roll to keep on theme. Join the Pyeongtaek Travelers Group You are also welcome to join our Pyeongtaek Travelers. The South of Seoul moderated community of active and friendly travelers (most who live in Pyeongtaek, South Korea) sharing their adventure across the country. Volunteer with South of Seoul Interested in working with a fun team of talented volunteers? The South of Seoul volunteer team is always looking for other like-minded folks to research information, compile blogs, and edit content. Lanae Rivers-Woods, MAITLanae Rivers-Woods moved to Korea in 2011 where she lives in the countryside with her family, friends, and puppies. She holds a BSSW (Bachelor’s of Science in Social Work), a MAIT (Master’s of Arts in International Teaching), and registered by the Pyeongtaek Korean Times with the Korean government as a Cultural Expert. Ms. Rivers-Woods used her 15 years experience as a social architect, UX/UI designer, and technology consultant to found South of Seoul in 2015. South of Seoul is a volunteer organization that leverages technological tools to mitigate cultural dissonance in multi-cultural communities. Through South of Seoul, Ms. Rivers-Woods works with independent volunteers, non-profit organizations, businesses, local & federal government, universities, and US military organizations to develop solutions to support English speaking international residents in rural South Korea. Additionally, Ms. Rivers-Woods founded the South of Seoul smart phone app available for Google Play and iPhone. The app provides information a resources for those living and traveling in South Korea. When she isn’t in South of Seoul development meetings or working her day job, Ms. Rivers-Woods loves to be outside at skate parks, the beach, or playing in the mountains. www.southofseoul.net