I’d heard about a ski trip from a friend and decided to join their recent day out on the slopes. The group is called Adventure Korea ? founded and run by Park Seok Jin ? which is a pub that acts as a HQ for Koreans and non-Koreans to build friendships, travel and do sports together. The ski trip was to Bears Town Ski Resort, which is just over an hour’s bus ride from Seoul. It seemed like a chance for some sidesplitting fun, not to mention I hadn’t skied since 1997. Back then, the snowless New Hampshire winter turned out to be more of an ice-capade as the snow makers pumped out ice crystals during the night which as it turned out did a poor job of masquerading as snow during the day. Fortunately my circa 1997 girth was supported on circa ’97 legs so I at least managed to have a little fun slip sliding my way down Mount Monadnock or whatever Vermont’s poor (in skiing terms) neighbor was called. I paid for my reckless bombing down the icy mountain with a hyper extended thumb that I’d used as a form of suspension during a particular nasty and sudden upending. Believe me, there’s nothing heroic about staggering into the aid station halfway down the mountain and informing the bored mountain rescue crew that “my finger hurts.”
Around 20 people enjoyed their day out on the slopes. ⓒ2005 Stephenson
Back to the present. The Adventure Korea crew all met up at Hwajung subway station at 8 a.m. on a Sunday. There were just under 20 of us ? about 12 Westerners and the rest Korean. The early February Seoul weather was kicking in nicely. We took shelter in the warm coach though and were soon on our way. The sub 90-minute journey was a big part of the attraction to me as I’d heard that some in Korea travel up to five buttock-numbing hours to get to their chosen ski resort. The whole trips cost was a mere 55,000 won for skiers and a little more for snowboarders and that included transportation to and from the mountain, all equipment rentals and an afternoon lift pass. Definitely a bargain. We arrived at the mountain around 10 a.m. and were able to get kitted out and settled without feeling rushed. We then had an early lunch in the Bears Town giant cafeteria. I’d had better odeng (fishcake on a stick) before, but the uninspiring food didn’t detract as I was quite excited and eager to get out and do some damage on the mountain.
Life ticket pricing depends on the time of day you want to ski. ⓒ2005 Bearstown
I made it down my first run without a fall and even remembered how to turn to slow my pace rather than grinding to a halt. The first surprise was how comfortable the manufactured snow was. I realized it was down to the thick layer rather than the quality of the stuff. Unlike snow, though, it does tend to form in shallow moguls so the ride can be a bit bumpy. My other surprise was how prevalent snowboarding has become. I wondered how much the young’uns choice was dictated by fashion rather than experiential preference. At the bottom of the mountain my confidence was high, so I decided to glide into the short line for the advanced slope. I had to take the ride up with loosened boots as my seven year hiatus from the slopes had withered my leg muscles and I was experiencing severe muscle fatigue. But it was a small price to pay for what I consider to be the second most wonderful activity known to mankind.
ⓒ2005 Stephenson
The mountain at Bears Town isn’t the biggest or steepest but it’s quite adequate for beginner or intermediate skiers. There are about four jump off points with usually an option to switch routes half way down. I took the steepest this time and though I didn’t fall, the going was tough. Luckily there was a sharp turn half way down where the slope flattened out a little. Here most people took a rest and sat on the brink of the next run. These were mainly snowboarders so I guess it’s harder on the legs than skiing. The line of snowy slackers was stretched the entire width at the crest of the next slope with few spaces between them. I found one and fell into a comfortable position. As I looked down the slope at the lovely countryside I suddenly heard a “Whoooaaaaoooo” and despite the mountains no jump policy felt a rush of air directly overhead. Some idiot on a snowboard had come tearing down the first stage assuming there would be a gap for him to take the 70 degree turn and continue on down. As the slope flattened out for a while he’d had the option of aborting and coming to a stop or hoisting himself three or four feet into the air in the hope that he wouldn’t deprive me of my cranium. I admired his jump but would still have wanted to kick his butt if I’d had the skill to catch up to him. It turned out he wasn’t the only reckless idiot on the mountain that day. I’d taken my trusty old Hi8 video cam into some rough environments like “Paintball games,” on the philosophy that it’s better to get it wrecked after just a few years and have fun footage than be too concerned about it and miss the memorable stuff. So later in the day, despite my mediocre skills, I thought it would be fun get a first person view of my run.
The author, just minutes before breaking a rib.
ⓒ2005 Stephenson
I tested this first on the beginner slope and all went well despite my having to hold two poles in my left hand. I moved on for the last run of the day to the advanced slope. The camera was strapped around my neck so I was holding it in front of my chest with my right hand.
You might have seen some skiers sans poles and wondered how it’s possible. Well, most good skiers don’t use the poles for support or propulsion so they are not necessarily needed. My miscalculation was that first, I’m not a good skier and second, as you are holding the poles with outstretched arms they come in useful for correcting balance. I was skiing with an outstretched left arm but empty space where the right should have been.
This error was only driven home when I snapped a rib in my left side as I smashed to a full stop on a particularly firm piece of ground. It may not have been fun but it was certainly sidesplitting. It also makes hilarious footage. I even managed to grab the camera, check it was still recording, clear the snow from the lens and in my agonized conviction that I was about to die from an internal rupture of some kind, offer the witty observation that “that really hurt a lot.” I obviously lived to tell the tale, as did the camera.
For those with more common sense, I can recommend Bear Mountain as a great day out. Adventure Korea is a fantastic, fun and friendly organization, especially if you want someone else to deal with the headache of organizing the trip or would like some comrades to go along with. They have a ski/snowboard and “crazy ski competition” trip planned for Feb. 19-20; details are on their site.
The Adventure Korea Pub is located to the north of Hwajung subway station (line No. 3). You can call 031-969-5534 or 018-242-5536. There is more info online at www.adventurekorea.com. The Bears Town Ski Resort Web site can be found at www.bearstown.com.
2005-02-15 11:44ⓒ2005 OhmyNews
