Ski resort

A ski resort is a resort developed for skiing, snowboarding, and other winter sports. In Europe a ski resort is a town or village in a ski area – a mountainous area, where there are ski trails and other supporting services such as hotels, restaurants, equipment rentals, and a ski lift system. In North America it is more common for ski areas to exist well away from towns, and the term ski resort is used for a destination resort, often purpose-built and self-contained, where skiing is the main activity.

Types

The ski industry has identified advancing generations of ski resorts:

The term ski station is also used, particularly in Europe, for a skiing facility which is not located in or near a town or village. A ski resort which is also open for summer activities is often referred to as a mountain resort.

Facilities and amenities

Ski areas have marked paths for skiing known as runs, trails or pistes. Ski areas typically have one or more chairlifts for moving skiers rapidly to the top of hills, and to interconnect the various trails. Rope tows can also be used on short slopes (usually beginner hills or bunny slopes). Larger ski areas may use gondolas or aerial trams for transportation across longer distances within the ski area.

Yongpyong Ski Resort

Yongpyong (Dragon Valley) Ski Resort is a ski resort in South Korea, located in Daegwallyeong-myeon, Pyeongchang, Gangwon-do.

In addition to skiing, the resort offers golf in the summer months. It is the largest ski and snowboard resort in Korea. The resort is owned by the Unification Church (the Holy Spirit Association for the Unification of World Christianity), a new religious movement founded by Sun Myung Moon, through the Tongil Group.Yongpyeong-myeon, a nearby township (myeon), is not related to the resort.

The ski season runs from November to early April. It has 31 slopes, 15 different lift facilities, including one cable car lift at a length of 3.7 km (2.3 mi), and Korea's largest ski house (Dragon Plaza).

Events

Yongpyong Resort was one of the three main sites of the 1999 Asian Winter Games which were hosted by Gangwon. It has hosted men's World Cup slalom and giant slalom events in four seasons (1998, 2000, 2003, and 2006) and also the IPC Disabled Alpine World Cup. The resort hosted the 2009 Biathlon World Championships, although the event was marred by lack of snow due to an unseasonable warmth, and criticized for poor spectator attendance.