Where to stay when skiing in Muju

Muju resort is the closest ski resort for us here in Jeollubok Province and so Farmboy and I have spent most of this and last ski season there. The last time we went, we camped (it was horribly cold but an adventure to say the least...click here to read more about camping in Muju). 

This time around we wanted to go with a group of friends and find a warm place to stay. There is accommodation at the resort itself, but you need to book before hand and it is quite expensive (we paid W150 000 a night for a tiny box of a room at one of the resorts) and so were looking for something a bit more budget friendly.

Muju town (where the bus terminal is) is a W25 000 taxi from the resort itself (you need to bear that in mind when making your way to the ski slopes). The resort area (ie where the actual slopes are) has a number of hotels around it which need to be booked in advance. Click here to read more about these hotels and to find information for booking. A short drive down the hill towards Muju Town and you'll find lots of ski rentals shops and Minbaks (a basic form of Korean guesthouse). If you drive to the bottom of the hill away from the slopes you'll come to a big intersection (there is a big CU convenience store on the corner). If you turn right and drive (or taxi) along that road you'll find a whole selection of much cheaper accommodation. There are also lots of restaurants (mostly Korean type food) and then eventually you'll come to Deogyusan National Park and the camping grounds. 

The day before our trip to Muju, we found this great webiste (click here) which lists a good selection of Pensions to stay at in Muju. The first one we called  (Dasup Pension) had space for the 6 of us and the owner spoke quite good english. It was as easy as that. It was clean and even had self catering facilities so you could take your own food and make your own meals.

The room we stayed in was Ondol style (so we slept on the floor) but there was enough bedding and blankets to ensure we at least were semi comfortable. It cost W130 000 for the night and so ended up costing us each W22 000. There are other style rooms for less people that include an actual bed. The owner was very friendly, had all the ski rental equipment needed and also offered lift passes. We rented our equipment from him (it was much cheaper than hiring at the resort) and he also offered to drop us off at the resort and fetch us again at the end of our ski session. The costs for rental were:

Skis & Poles W5 000

Jacket & Ski Pants W10 000

Here are some (terrible) snaps of the prices for this pension. You can call the owner, Mr Cheong Euk Shim on 063-322-3379 and find his website here: www.dasup.kr.

If you have any other recommendations for places to stay (or places you think people really should avoid!) please do let me know in the comments below.

Muju Ski Resort & Camping in the snow

Muju is the closest ski resort in our province (Jeollabukdo) and is a 2 hour drive from Buan. If you travel bus bus you need to get to Jeonju and from there take a bus to Muju. Then there are local buses and shuttles, or even taxi's which will take you the rest of the way to the resort where the slopes are.

We decided it would be a great idea to camp (trying to be as spend thrifty as possible) and while we all survived the cold, it was pretty darn freezing. We were no where near equipped to deal with the sub zero temperatures, and felt rather ashamed when we looked at our neighbours setups. When Koreans camp they camp properly, with no messing about. Luckily, our neighbours were such kind people and offered us tent pegs and a hammer to get our tent set up. We were also brought steaming hot citrus tea in the morning, they really must have felt sorry for us during the night. BUT it was an adventure and that's what we were after (dog included!).

There are about 7 camp sites, 6 of which you have to reserve online or by calling (click here for more information...the website is in Korean so you may need a co-worker/friend to help you). BUT the site we camped at was on a first come first served bases. Here is a map of the area highlighting the camp site & the resort (left hand side: 무주 리조트):

It cost us W13 000 to camp for the night. The camp site also has caravans (auto homes) to rent out and camp sites with electricity if you need it. The bathrooms were great, had showers and most importantly had heaters all over the place to keep you toasty when you have to leave your tent in the middle of the night.

Another thing to bear in mind is that the slopes are closed in between sessions for the snow ploughs to do their thing and get the slopes ready for the next session. Each session is between 3 & 4 hours long. Here are the session times, as of February 2015. Please confirm these times with the website by clicking here.

• Early Morning 06:30~08:30 (During the weekends and holidays only, except on Chinese new year’s day)
• Morning 08:30~12:30 
• Afternoon 12:30~16:30 
• Evening 18:30~22:00 
• Night 22:00~24:00 
• Midnight 24:00~02:00 

At the entrance to the slopes there are a few coffee shops and plenty of restaurants. There is also a JimJilBang (public bath house) for you to warm up and shower after your ski sessions. They only offer the baths and a small section for relaxing in, you CAN'T sleep here as they close at 10/11pm.

We did an evening ski session (18h30 - 22h00) which was amazing! Farmboy and I have skiied a few times all over Korea and we love the night sessions the most. It's cold, but there are fewer people.

Click here for more information on the ski session prices. If you have an NH or KB card you automatically get up to 50% off the prices...so for the 3 of us to ski one session, lift passes & equipment included it only cost W53 000 each. Ski jackets and pants are available for rent at about W10 000 a day each. The only things you can't rent are gloves & goggles so make sure to remember to pack those.

Here are some more photographs of the area around our camp site, including a photograph of me standing in front of the most amazing Korean camp set up. And yes, that is a chimney to the right of the roof top tent. It was really beautiful in the early morning, and we will definitely be going back for Summer.

Address:

Muju Resort: 185, Manseon-ro, Seolcheon-myeon, Muju-gun, Jeollabuk-do (Manseon-dong)
전라북도 무주군 설천면 만선로 185 (만선동)