Korea's ski season doesn't start on a fixed date. Each resort opens when it has made enough snow, so the dates shift a little every year, and the firm date often appears only a week or two ahead. This page tracks what each resort has actually said about the 2026-27 season, right next to the day it opened last season, so you can plan around a realistic window instead of a rumor. I'll update it as the opening notices come in.
Where things stand: Phoenix Snow Park in Pyeongchang is aiming for Friday, November 27, and plans to run until March 14, 2027. Alpensia has set Saturday, November 28 as its target. Mona Yongpyong and High1 have already started making snow and are targeting late November; a Korean daily reported on November 7 that both plan to open on November 27, with Vivaldi Park aiming for late November and Konjiam for the second week of December, but those resorts haven't posted their own notices yet. Nobody else has announced anything. Last season the first two resorts opened on November 21, and the latest date in the table was Oak Valley's December 12.
2026-27 opening dates at a glance
| Resort (area) | 2026-27 opening | Opened in 2025-26 |
|---|---|---|
| Mona Yongpyong (Pyeongchang, Gangwon) | Late November target. Snowmaking started Oct 22. Press report: Nov 27. | Nov 21, 2025 |
| Phoenix Snow Park (Pyeongchang, Gangwon) | Fri, Nov 27 target, weather permitting. Season planned until Mar 14, 2027. | Nov 21, 2025 |
| High1 (Jeongseon, Gangwon) | Late November target. Snowmaking started Oct 28. Press report: Nov 27. | Nov 28, 2025 |
| Alpensia (Pyeongchang, Gangwon) | Sat, Nov 28 target, weather permitting. | Dec 4, 2025 |
| Vivaldi Park (Hongcheon, Gangwon) | Not announced. Press report: late November. | Dec 5, 2025 |
| Welli Hilli Park (Hoengseong, Gangwon) | Not announced | Dec 5, 2025 |
| O2 Resort (Taebaek, Gangwon) | Not announced. Adds 2 slopes this season (10 in total). | Dec 5, 2025 |
| Muju Deogyusan (Muju, Jeonbuk) | Not announced | Dec 5, 2025 |
| Elysian Gangchon (Chuncheon, Gangwon) | Not announced | Dec 6, 2025 |
| Konjiam Resort (Gwangju, Gyeonggi) | Not announced. Press report: second week of December. | Dec 10, 2025 |
| Oak Valley (Wonju, Gangwon) | Not announced | Dec 12, 2025 |
| Jisan Forest Resort (Icheon, Gyeonggi) | Not announced | Aimed for mid-December (opened Dec 13 the season before) |
| Eden Valley (Yangsan, Gyeongnam) | Not announced | December (exact date not confirmed); season ended Mar 1, 2026 |
"Not announced" means the resort hasn't put a date on its website or in a press release yet. Last season's dates are the days the slopes actually opened, taken from the resorts' own releases. Feel free to reuse this table or the chart below; just credit A Korean's Take (CC BY 4.0).
Opening day by resort, 2025-26, with the 2026-27 targets announced so far. Data: resort announcements and press releases, checked November 8, 2026. Chart: A Korean's Take (CC BY 4.0)
Why the dates move every year
Early in the season, Korean slopes run almost entirely on machine-made snow, and the snow guns only work when nights get properly cold. Mona Yongpyong fired up its first snow of this season on its Red slope on October 22, the morning the Daegwallyeong area hit minus 3.3°C (26°F), its coldest reading of the fall so far. High1 started on October 28 and told reporters it might open a little earlier than late November if the weather plays along.
So the pattern is pretty steady. The high-altitude Gangwon resorts (Yongpyong, Phoenix, High1) go first. The resorts near Seoul, like Konjiam and Jisan, sit lower and warmer and usually wait until December. Jisan shows how that has drifted: it used to open in early December, but it opened on December 13 in 2024-25 and was aiming for mid-December last season. The far south comes last. Eden Valley, between Busan and Ulsan, is the only ski resort in that part of the country and opens in December.
What opening day actually looks like
Don't picture the whole mountain on day one. Last season Mona Yongpyong opened with just its Pink slope (beginner to intermediate) out of 28, Phoenix opened two slopes, High1 opened one beginner run (Athena 3-1) plus its sledding hill, and Konjiam started with three slopes. The rest follow over the next few weeks. Yongpyong said it planned to have all 28 slopes open by the end of December.
The upside is price. Opening days come with deals. Last season Phoenix sold every on-site lift ticket for 30,000 won on its first day, High1 charged 10,000 won for lifts from November 28 to 30, Alpensia offered a 15,000-won day pass on opening day, and Welli Hilli sold its 2- to 4-hour tickets for 10,000 won. For this season, the same November 7 press report says High1 will sell a full-day lift ticket for 2,000 won on opening day to mark its 20th anniversary; wait for the resort's own notice before counting on it. If you're a beginner who only needs one gentle slope anyway, the first week can be the cheapest skiing of the winter. The catch is the crowd of season-pass holders who've been waiting all year, so go early in the morning or on a weekday.
Getting there from Seoul without a car
Elysian Gangchon is the easiest by public transport. The resort says it's about an hour from Seoul on the ITX-Cheongchun train on the Gyeongchun Line. Konjiam markets itself as roughly 40 minutes from Gangnam by car, so it's the usual pick for a half-day trip. For the Pyeongchang and Jeongseon resorts, the usual car-free options are the resorts' seasonal shuttle buses or a tour package. Shuttles usually need booking, and the timetables usually go up close to opening day, so check each resort's transport page before you lock in a date. I'll add the 2026-27 shuttle details here once they're posted.
A few things first-timers should know
Helmets are becoming the norm. Muju Deogyusan made helmets mandatory on its slopes last season, and Eden Valley started a helmet requirement with a grace period. Elysian Gangchon added 1,000 new rental helmets and a separate helmet counter, and Alpensia lent helmets free to preschool and elementary school kids. Bring your own or budget a little for a rental.
Some resorts are making an effort for foreign visitors. Elysian Gangchon renovated a rental house just for foreign guests last season, runs a ski school for foreigners, and put up guide signs in English and Chinese.
Night owls have options too. Most resorts run evening sessions, and Vivaldi Park went further last season with late-night skiing until 3 a.m. (Mondays excluded) from December 19 to February 17. Konjiam, on the other hand, sells lift tickets by the hour and caps how many people can be on a slope at the same time, which keeps it from feeling packed.
How this page stays current
I check each resort's notices and Korean press coverage every week through the season and change a row only when a resort actually announces something. If a date here and the resort's own site ever disagree, trust the resort. Last verified: November 8, 2026 (Korea time).
The sources are the resorts' own websites, notices and press releases (Mona Yongpyong, Phoenix Snow Park, High1 / Kangwon Land, Alpensia / KH Group, Vivaldi Park / Sono International, Welli Hilli Park, O2 Resort and Muju Deogyusan / Booyoung Group, Elysian Gangchon, Konjiam Resort, Oak Valley, Jisan Forest Resort, Eden Valley), as published or as reported by Yonhap, Newsis, JoongAng Ilbo and other Korean media. Every link is below.
Sources
2026-27 season:
- Yonhap: Mona Yongpyong starts snowmaking, late-November opening (Oct 22, 2026, Korean)
- Aju News: Alpensia targets November 28 opening (Nov 5, 2026, Korean) and Sports Seoul (Korean)
- Daily Hankook: resorts' 2026-27 opening plans (Nov 7, 2026, Korean)
- Newsis: High1 starts snowmaking, late-November opening (Oct 28, 2026, Korean)
- Kangwon Ilbo: Phoenix Snow Park 26/27 season, open Nov 27 to Mar 14 (Aug 27, 2026, Korean)
- O2 Resort official site: 26/27 season pass notice, 2 new slopes (Korean)
2025-26 openings and season details:
- Yonhap: Yongpyong and Phoenix open (Nov 21, 2025) and JoongAng Ilbo on the same openings
- Gukje News: Yongpyong and Phoenix opening-day details
- Kangwon Land press release: High1 opens Nov 28, 2025
- KH Group via Central Economy: Alpensia opens Dec 4, 2025
- Asia Business Daily: Vivaldi Park opens Dec 5, 2025 (English) and Law Issue on its late-night hours
- Yonhap: Welli Hilli Park opens Dec 5, 2025
- Newspim: O2 Resort opens Dec 5, 2025
- Newsis: Muju Deogyusan opens Dec 5, 2025
- Yonhap: Elysian Gangchon opens Dec 6, 2025 and Seoul Shinmun on the train access
- Konjiam Resort official blog: opens Dec 10, 2025
- Traveli: Oak Valley opens Dec 12, 2025
- iDaily News: Jisan aims for mid-December (Dec 3, 2025)
- Eden Valley official notices (helmet rule, season end)
More from this blog
- Winter Driving in Korea: Black Ice, Snow Tires and What Rental Agencies Won't Tell You
- Driving in Korea as a Foreigner: IDP, Rental Cars and Local Rules
Are you planning a ski day in Korea this winter? Tell me which resort is on your list.
Top photo: Frosted ridges seen from a ski lift in Korea. Photo: rawkkim / Unsplash
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