Korea Ski Season: Dates, Access from Seoul, Lift Tickets

There is no national opening day for skiing in Korea. Every resort decides when its slopes open and close, and within a resort the slopes open one after another as snow and grooming allow. Lift tickets are sold by the hour or by session, and most resorts run a day session, an evening session and sometimes a late-night session on the same slopes.

The resorts cluster in three areas: eastern and central Gangwon Province (the biggest names), Gyeonggi Province close to Seoul, and one resort in Yangsan, Gyeongnam, in the south-east. This guide explains timing, access, ticket types, hours, weather and safety numbers. Gear, lessons and slope manners are in the guide called Ski basics, and each resort has its own profile in the resort list guide.

Every date, hour and price here was read on each resort's own pages on 2026-10-11 (as of 2026-10-11). Because the 2026/27 price tables are not posted yet, the prices shown are the latest tables the resorts still carry, mostly for the 2025/26 season, and each one is named by resort so you can see the pattern. Expect the 2026/27 figures to differ.

What the 2025/26 calendars show (as of 2026-10-11): Alpensia in Pyeongchang posted daytime-only operation from its opening day to 19 December 2025, night sessions from 20 December 2025 to 17 February 2026, and daytime operation again from 18 February to 2 March 2026. Its ice-sledding area ran from 20 December 2025 until the ski area closed. Jisan Forest Resort in Icheon began its Seoul ski shuttle on 12 December 2025 and ran it to the end of the season.

2026/27 opening status (as of 2026-10-11): none of the pages read gave an opening date yet. MONA YongPyong's notice list has no opening notice and its slope board shows every slope closed. High1's slope board also shows every slope closed and its notices carry no opening date. Jisan's slope page says "see you in the 26/27 season" and has no date. Welli Hilli's snow park shows as closed, with a second season-pass sale notice dated 8 October 2026. Phoenix Pyeongchang, Elysian Gangchon, Vivaldi Park, Oak Valley, Konjiam and Eden Valley had no readable 2026/27 date. Dates are announced each year and this guide is updated when they are confirmed.

Sales before opening show how early the season starts for the business side: High1 sells 2026/27 winter season lockers from 30 September to 8 November 2026, and Jisan announced its X6+ season pass on 4 September 2026 (as of 2026-10-11). For a first trip, the midwinter weeks, when Alpensia ran full night sessions in 2025/26, are when resorts run their longest schedules.

Resorts publish a slope-by-slope status board that is split by session. MONA YongPyong lists each slope for the day session (09:00 to 17:00), Evening I and Evening II. High1 and Jisan show day, night and late-night columns. On 2026-10-11 every slope on those boards was closed (as of 2026-10-11). In season the boards switch to open slope by slope, which is why a resort can be "open" while only its beginner slopes are running.

The resorts' own terms say the same thing in legal language: High1 states that slopes open and close in sequence depending on weather, snowfall and grooming, that hours can change with season, weather or maintenance, and that use can be restricted during bad weather, grooming, competitions or disasters. High1 also warns that its Mountain gondola and the Hera lift may stop taking riders early for grooming. Alpensia notes that its operating status can change with weather and on-site conditions (as of 2026-10-11).

Every day the slopes close for grooming, and tickets are adjusted for it. The daily grooming break is 17:00 to 18:30 at Alpensia and Jisan and 16:00 to 18:00 at High1 (as of 2026-10-11). At High1 and Jisan, a timed ticket whose hours overlap the break is extended by the length of the break, so the break does not eat your hours. Early and late in the season, expect fewer open slopes, firmer snow and more crowding on the ones that are running.

Eastern and central Gangwon holds most of the large resorts (as of 2026-10-11). In Pyeongchang County there are MONA YongPyong and Alpensia in Daegwallyeong-myeon and Phoenix Pyeongchang in Bongpyeong-myeon; High1 is in Jeongseon County (its hotels are in Sabuk-eup and Gohan-eup); Welli Hilli is in Dunnae-myeon, Hoengseong County. Closer to Seoul on the Gangwon side are Elysian Gangchon in Chuncheon, Vivaldi Park in Hongcheon and Oak Valley in Wonju.

Gyeonggi Province has the resorts nearest to the capital: Jisan Forest Resort in Majang-myeon, Icheon, and Konjiam Resort in Gwangju. In the south-east, Eden Valley is in Yangsan, Gyeongnam Province. The practical rule is that the closer to Seoul, the shorter the transfer and the smaller the mountain; the farther into Gangwon, the longer the transfer and the bigger and colder the terrain.

Resort ski shuttles are the simplest option (as of 2026-10-11). Jisan runs a reserved Seoul shuttle from Seoul City Hall Station (exit 2) and Jamsil Stadium Station (exit 1); in 2025/26 it ran from 12 December 2025 to the end of the season. Alpensia has a dedicated ski bus from Seoul that must be booked online in advance, with no one-way or walk-up seats, at ₩34,000 round trip for an adult and ₩26,000 for a child, departing Myeongdong at 09:30. High1 does not run its Seoul ski buses itself: regional travel agencies run them under agreements, and the season tickets are sold by those agencies.

By public express bus to Pyeongchang (as of 2026-10-11): the bus from Dong-Seoul Terminal to Hoenggye (횡계) takes about 2 h 30 min in smooth traffic, with an adult fare of ₩20,000, teen ₩16,000 and child ₩10,000, and the Alpensia notes say these tickets are bought at the counter only. MONA YongPyong lists the same Hoenggye service from both Seoul South Terminal and East Seoul (Dong-Seoul) Terminal. From Hoenggye, a taxi to Alpensia takes about 15 minutes and costs roughly ₩10,000; a city loop bus costs ₩1,000 for an adult, takes about 10 minutes and runs four times a day (from the terminal at 09:00, 11:05, 14:00 and 15:25).

By KTX (as of 2026-10-11): the Gangneung line has stations at Hoengseong, Dunnae, Pyeongchang and Jinbu (Odaesan). Alpensia runs a free but limited shuttle from Jinbu Station for its hotel guests only (to the resort at 11:00 and 14:10, about 20 minutes, first come first served, no group use), and a taxi from Jinbu takes about 20 minutes for roughly ₩23,000. Welli Hilli names KTX Dunnae Station as one of its access options, alongside a Seoul-area ski shuttle and intercity buses.

From the airports (as of 2026-10-11): Alpensia lists an airport bus that leaves Incheon Terminal 2 at 09:10, Terminal 1 at 09:40 and Gimpo at 10:10 and arrives at the resort at 13:40; the one-way adult fare is ₩34,500 from Incheon and ₩27,400 from Gimpo. MONA YongPyong lists a scheduled express shuttle that boards at Incheon Airport, ground floor, platform 9C, run by Purple Ski Bus (Grace Travel).

To Jisan by public transport (as of 2026-10-11): express buses from Dong-Seoul Terminal to Icheon take about 1 h 20 min (06:30 to 19:15) and from Gangnam Express Bus Terminal about 1 hour (06:30 to 22:00), every 30 to 40 minutes. From Icheon Intercity Bus Terminal, local bus No. 12 takes about 40 minutes to the Jisan Mart stop (06:30 to 21:30), followed by a walk of about 15 minutes.

Jisan is the practical day-trip resort (as of 2026-10-11). A bus to Icheon takes roughly 1 to 1 h 20 min, local bus No. 12 adds about 40 minutes, and its sessions run from 09:00 to 17:00 (day), 18:30 to 24:00 (night) and 24:00 to 02:00 (late night), so you can choose a session that fits the transfer. The resort's Seoul ski shuttle removes the local-bus leg.

In Gangwon the transfer alone is long: about 2 h 30 min by express bus to Hoenggye plus 10 to 20 minutes to the resort (as of 2026-10-11). Arriving mid-morning leaves a short day session, which is why the resorts sell afternoon-and-evening tickets (MONA YongPyong 13:00 to 23:00, Alpensia 13:00 to 21:30). An overnight stay lets you take a full day session plus an evening one, and it spreads the cold exposure over two shorter periods.

Resorts price weekends above weekdays, and that gap is the clearest sign of the busy days. Jisan's 2025/26 lift table shows a 4-hour ticket at ₩75,000 on weekdays and ₩92,000 on weekends, and a 6-hour ticket at ₩79,000 and ₩97,000 (as of 2026-10-11). Weekday public holidays use the weekday price: Jisan applied its weekday rate on Christmas 2025.

Some resorts also split the year into off-peak and peak periods. Alpensia lists separate discount rates for off-peak and peak season, for example 40% off-peak and 30% peak for Pyeongchang County residents, and says which dates count as peak is set by the resort (as of 2026-10-11). In practice the busiest times are weekends, the year-end and Christmas period and the Lunar New Year (Seollal) holidays, when families travel; shuttle seats and lessons fill first, so reserve them earlier for those dates.

Korean lift tickets come in three styles. A session ticket is valid for a fixed block of the day (morning, afternoon, day, evening, or a combined block). A timed ticket gives you a number of hours that start counting at your first pass through the lift gate. A single-ride ticket is for one trip on a lift. The same pattern applies to rental, which is usually sold in the same blocks as the lift ticket.

MONA YongPyong sells session tickets; the table it still shows is for 2025/26 (as of 2026-10-11). Daytime (09:00 to 17:00): ₩96,000 adult (14 and over) and ₩78,000 child (13 and under). Morning (09:00 to 13:00) or afternoon (13:00 to 17:00): ₩68,000 and ₩56,000. Evening (19:00 to 23:00): ₩68,000 and ₩56,000. Afternoon plus evening (13:00 to 23:00, with a break from 17:00 to 19:00): ₩96,000 and ₩78,000. A one-time ride costs ₩17,000 for an adult and ₩14,000 for a child. Tickets are valid only on the day of purchase.

High1 sells timed tickets and an all-day ticket, in adult and child rates (child means ages 5 to 13; no lift tickets are sold for children under 5) (as of 2026-10-11). Adult/child prices: 3 hours ₩62,000/₩50,000; 4 hours ₩68,000/₩56,000; 5 hours ₩74,000/₩62,000; 7 hours ₩82,000/₩70,000; all day ₩104,000/₩92,000. The clock starts at your first gate pass. The 16:00 to 18:00 grooming break cannot be used, and a ticket that overlaps it is extended by two hours.

Jisan sells timed tickets priced by weekday or weekend, with one price for adults and children (2025/26 table) (as of 2026-10-11). Weekday/weekend: 2 hours ₩65,000/₩82,000; 3 hours ₩69,000/₩87,000; 4 hours ₩75,000/₩92,000; 6 hours ₩79,000/₩97,000. Online bookings were cheaper: for a weekday, ₩48,700, ₩51,700, ₩56,200 and ₩59,200 for the same four lengths, and for a weekend ₩61,500, ₩65,200, ₩69,000 and ₩72,700.

Lift tickets versus lessons and rental (as of 2026-10-11): Jisan gives lesson customers 50% off the lift ticket and rental, and its beginner group lesson (5 students per instructor, 2.5 hours) is for beginners only and includes no lift ride, and lesson students ride the dedicated moving walkway free. At MONA YongPyong the lift ticket, rental ticket and lessons are three separate purchases.

MONA YongPyong (as of 2026-10-11): day session 09:00 to 17:00, evening 19:00 to 23:00, and a combined afternoon-plus-evening block from 13:00 to 23:00 with a break from 17:00 to 19:00. Alpensia: morning 09:00 to 13:00, afternoon 13:00 to 17:00, day 09:00 to 17:00, afternoon-to-night 13:00 to 21:30 and night 18:30 to 21:30, with grooming from 17:00 to 18:30; in 2025/26 night sessions ran only from 20 December to 17 February.

Jisan (as of 2026-10-11): day 09:00 to 17:00, night 18:30 to 24:00 and late night 24:00 to 02:00, with grooming from 17:00 to 18:30. Online night tickets for a weekday can be collected at a kiosk from 17:00, and the gates admit night skiers from 18:30. High1 lists day, night and late-night columns on its slope board and its lift and gondola accept boarding until 30 minutes before closing, so a "last ride" is earlier than the posted closing time.

Lift tickets are RFID cards that open the gate without a separate check. MONA YongPyong's card carries a ₩1,000 deposit that is refunded at any kiosk, and Jisan abolished its lift-card deposit from the 2023/24 season (as of 2026-10-11). Jisan advises carrying the card on the left side (the reader is on the left gate) and not stacking two cards, which cuts the reading distance from 40 cm to 5 cm. Used tickets go in the collection box.

Discounts follow rules. Jisan's online booking is 25% off lift and rental, a weekday night or late-night booking (18:30 to 02:00) is 40% off lift and 30% off rental, and holders of disability or national-merit status get 50% off, for the holder only and at the central ticket office (as of 2026-10-11). Alpensia gives seniors aged 65 and over 40% off the lift ticket, hotel guests 30%, and lists extra rates for Gangwon residents.

Refunds are tight (as of 2026-10-11). High1 refunds unused lift tickets only within one hour of issue, with the ticket and receipt, and a lost or damaged lift ticket is not reissued. MONA YongPyong's rental ticket cannot be reissued if lost. Items left in a High1 locker must be removed within 30 days after the season closes.

The mountain resorts of Gangwon sit well above the cities and are colder and windier than Seoul, and the night sessions are the coldest part of any ski day. On a lift the wind makes it feel colder than the thermometer says. Slopes can also be icy in the early morning and after grooming has frozen the surface.

Dress in three layers: a thin moisture-wicking base, an insulating mid layer such as fleece, and a waterproof, windproof shell. Add a neck warmer or face mask, goggles, gloves or mittens, a warm hat under or instead of the helmet, and one pair of warm socks. Cotton jeans soak up snow and chill you, so wear snow pants or rent a set. The gear guide covers each item and rental.

Beginners (as of 2026-10-11): MONA YongPyong's foreigner group lesson is for first-timers, aged 8 and over, with four to seven students per instructor and a minimum of four, at ₩70,000 per person for two hours (2025/26). Jisan accepts lesson students from age 4, with children aged 6 and under taught one to one. Alpensia's slope ALPHA is rated beginner and has its own four-seat lift, and High1 lists four beginner slopes in its Zeus area, the longest 2,328 m.

Families with small children (as of 2026-10-11): High1's Snow World sledding area charges ₩40,000 per person for ages 2 to under 65, with sales stopping at 14:30; helmets are required and rented on site. Alpensia's ice-sledding area charges ₩10,000 per 60 minutes, open 10:00 to 17:00 from 20 December 2025 until the season ended, and children from 37 months to 7 years must be accompanied. Sledding is a way to bring non-skiers along.

Discounts and support for people with disabilities (as of 2026-10-11): Jisan gives 50% off the lift ticket and rental to a person with a disability (the holder only) on presenting a welfare card, or an agency certificate with photo ID, and holders of a welfare card can rent a helmet free of charge at the information desk. Alpensia extends its disability discount to the holder plus one companion. Both discounts are handled in person at the ticket office.

This guide could not confirm a current adaptive-skiing program (for example sit-ski lessons) at any resort, so none is described here. Both discounts above are handled in person at the ticket office, so a person with a disability should plan on arriving with a companion who can collect tickets and rental.

In Korea, 119 is the fire and ambulance emergency number, and the National Fire Agency runs its emergency-report service under it. For travel questions, the Korea Tourism Organization runs the 1330 Korea Travel Helpline, which also offers a free online call and chat (as of 2026-10-11). On a slope, though, the first call is to the resort's ski patrol, as the procedure below shows.

Resorts post a procedure for accidents. Alpensia's instructions: move to the edge of the slope, mark the spot by standing or placing gear 2 to 3 m uphill of the injured person, find a patrol on the slope or read the numbered location marker beside the slope, call the patrol control room and say the letters and number on the marker, and do not hang up first. A skier who witnesses an accident is advised to help and to leave their identity, because witness accounts help establish the cause (as of 2026-10-11).

Keep to the marked, open slopes: High1's terms prohibit using closed slopes and say skiers must ski within their own ability. Do not ski after drinking alcohol. This guide does not recommend any insurance product; decide on cover yourself before you go.

Last updated: 11 October 2026. Figures are as of the date shown.

Source: MONA YongPyong · High1 Resort · Jisan Forest Resort · Alpensia Resort · Welli Hilli Park · National Fire Agency · Korea Tourism Organization · Checked 11 Oct 2026

Written by HOLIDAY in its own words from official public information. This is not an official publication of the Korea Tourism Organization or any government body.

HOLIDAY refreshes this article regularly as fares, hours and event dates change.