What to expect at Nanshan, Beijing's most popular day-trip ski hill: 30 runs across 181 m vertical, the terrain park, and getting there without a car.
Nanshan sits in the Miyun hills about 61 km north-east of central Beijing, and it is the ski hill that people from the city go back to most often. It is small in vertical terms (about 181 m from base to summit), but it makes up for that with variety: 30 runs, a terrain park, three quad chairs and night skiing on several evenings a week. It is also the easiest sizeable resort to reach without a car, because the Beijing–Harbin high-speed line stops at Miyun station 3 km from the base, and the resort runs its own shuttles at weekends in season.
The 2025-26 season opened on 8 December 2025. The 2026-27 opening date had not been published when we checked on 20 October 2026, but the season usually runs from late November to early March. Check the Nanshan resort page for the headline numbers and our opening dates page for confirmed dates before you book.
| Stat | Nanshan 2025-26 |
|---|---|
| Lifts | 9, including 3 quad chairs |
| Runs | 30 |
| Vertical drop | 181 m |
| Base / summit | 73 m / 254 m |
| Terrain split | 53% beginner, 36% intermediate, 11% advanced |
| Distance from central Beijing | about 61 km straight line, about an hour by road |
| Rail access | Beijing Chaoyang to Miyun, ~30 min, then 3 km |
| Night skiing | yes, 18:30–22:00 in 2025-26 |
The vertical is honest, not inflated, but with three fixed-grip quad chairs, several moving carpets and surface lifts, Nanshan gives you more usable terrain than 181 m suggests. The 53/36/11 split makes it one of the most beginner-friendly hills in the Beijing area. Runs are short, but the lift network keeps a day moving.
There are separate lift stations: a learning area with moving carpets at the base, intermediate terrain served by the chairs, and a steeper section for stronger skiers. Night skiing runs to 22:00 on certain nights in peak season, lit well enough to ski by. The terrain park sits in its own zone with rails, boxes and jumps. We could not verify the feature list for 2026-27, so check the resort's channels for the current layout. If park riding matters to you, our snowboarding in China comparison ranks it against Genting and Thaiwoo.
If you are weighing Nanshan against the other city-area resorts, our Beijing day-trip skiing without a car puts it side by side with Jundushan, Huaibei, Yuyang and Badaling.
Nanshan had not published a 2026-27 lift ticket price when we checked on 20 October 2026. The resort sells four-hour and full-day tickets, lift-plus-rental packages and night-skiing session tickets through its WeChat mini-program. Prices vary by date, session and sales channel, so check the resort's official channels for current prices before you go. Chinese resorts change prices every season, and we have not seen a 2026-27 announcement.
Rental is on-site: skis, boots, poles, snowboards and helmets. Expect to leave a deposit, returned when you hand the kit back in good order; ask at the counter how much it is and how it is refunded.
Three practical routes, roughly in order of how clean they are for a visitor who does not read Chinese:
The train route is the cleanest. Book on 12306 or Trip.com with your passport, scan the passport at the gates, and you are at Miyun inside the hour. If you bring your own skis, check the 12306 luggage rules before you travel; the dedicated snow-gear service is aimed at the Chongli line rather than Miyun. Chongli itself is on a different line: trains from Beijing North or Qinghe run on the Beijing–Zhangjiakou high-speed railway to Taizicheng, with shuttle buses to the resorts. If you decide you want bigger terrain, our high-speed train guide covers that trip.
Food on the mountain is canteen-style: hot pot and noodles, plus a few simple Western snack stalls near the base. Most stalls prefer Alipay or WeChat Pay, so set up your wallet with a foreign card before you travel; the details are on our China travel essentials page.
Beginners and intermediates get the most out of Nanshan. If you are an advanced skier who cares about vertical, this is not your hill: 181 m is the real number, and advanced terrain is limited to the steeper lower mountain. But for a first or second day on snow, for introducing someone to skiing, for children, or for a few hours after work, Nanshan is the most convenient option in the Beijing area. Stronger skiers should pair a Nanshan session with a weekend in Chongli, where Wanlong, Genting and Thaiwoo each offer roughly 400 to 550 m of vertical.
How far is Nanshan from central Beijing? About 61 km straight-line, or roughly an hour by road on the Beijing–Chengde expressway, depending on where in the city you start and on weekend traffic. The high-speed train reaches Miyun in about 30 minutes.
Can I ski at night? Yes. Nanshan runs night skiing in peak season; in 2025-26 the night session ran from 18:30 to 22:00. Check the resort's session list before you travel.
Do I need a visa? Beijing sits inside China's 240-hour visa-free transit area, and many passports also qualify for 30-day visa-free entry through 31 December 2026. Rules differ by passport and change often. Our China travel essentials page explains.