Tiger Ridge Terrain Park
With the increasing excitement around the 2022 Beijing Olympics, there has been a steady demand for facilities available for public access across China. China has obliged and ski resorts and indoor facilities have been opening nationwide, with the South China Morning Post reporting that at present China has 700 ski resorts. One such project is Tiger Ridge Terrain Park, found in the North East of China close to the border with North Korea. Tiger Ridge is a purpose-built facility aimed at freestyle skiing and snowboarding during the winter months and Mountain Bike and Skating in the summer.
TIGER RIDGE TERRAIN PARK FIRST IMPRESSIONS
I didn’t know what to expect when arriving at Tiger Ridge. There was not a lot of information online regarding the ski resort or accommodation but a Youtube video had piqued my interest and I decided I had to go. All inquiries and my booking had taken place via WeChat, a Chinese social media app, where I had found that Tiger Ridge had a very personal customer service. This was the case on my arrival, where despite a very delayed flight and arriving extremely late, I was met by Fred who showed me to my accommodation. The accommodation was an on snow chalet big enough to host around 10 people comfortably and there were no other guests for the week. I was keen to get as much sleep as possible after a long journey especially as my flight delay had been caused by a snowstorm. Tomorrow was going to be an April powder day!
Rising early I got my first look at Tiger Ridge with a blanket of fresh snow. The base facilities are modern with a reception area, ski rental department, cafe, and more accommodations. I collected my lift pass and headed up the first chairlift. The chair from the base takes you up to the resorts main intersection. From here you have the option to ski back down to the base along with a fairly steep pitch or down the backside. The backside of Tiger Ridge Terrain Park is where the fun is found, three alleys (pistes) all with a varying range of freestyle features. This was going to be fun.
TIGER RIDGE TERRAIN PARK SKI AREA
Tiger Ridge Terrain Park is a small ski resort with only four trails or pistes. These runs are accessed via two chairlifts which run on either the front side or backside of the resort. The resort itself only has a vertical drop of 220m with its base area at 950m but given the nature of the resort, this is not an issue.
The resort calls its trails ‘The Alleys’ with each alley offering something a little different and being suited for an ability level. Despite only having four trails I was never bored at Tiger Ridge during my visit and this is thanks to the Park Crew who crafted some great facilities and there was a clear progression.
Frontside
The frontside of the ski resort is where you will find one steep pitch and a mini-park. The steep run that leads back to the base was a really nice groomed run that led down to a large jump complete with an airbag. The jump and the airbag were not open to everyone but that was probably a good thing in my case as I may have pushed my boundaries too far. However, it was great to see future Olympic hopefuls practicing their tricks on the airbag and it goes some way to demonstrating the quality of the facilities at this ski resort.
Backside
The backside of Tiger Ridge Terrain Park has three alleys, Small, Medium and Large. On these Alleys, you will find a progression of features and all of the Alleys lead down to the same chairlift. For a full ride through off the resort check out the video below.
LIFTS AT TIGER RIDGE
Tiger Ridge Terrain Park has two chairlifts and a magic carpet but there is a more interesting way to access the slopes, skidoo. At Tiger Ridge it is possible to hire your own sled driver and sled so that you can quickly lap the resort without needing to rely on the slow chairs.
TIGER RIDGE SNOW RECORD
Tiger Ridge is not blessed with mass amounts of snowfall. The benefit of skiing and snowboarding in the Changbaishan region is the cold temps tend to keep the snow in good condition for longer. Tiger Ridge also does a good job of snowmaking with snow stored for lean periods.
SEASON DATES
The Ski Season at Tiger Ridge runs between December - April. The majority of the snow at Tiger Ridge is man-made although there is natural snowfall. I was fortunate to have fresh snow during the first week of April but if you want to be certain of conditions I wouldn’t leave it this late in the season.
TIGER RIDGE VIDEOS
TRAVEL TO TIGER RIDGE TERRAIN PARK
WHERE IS TIGER RIDGE?
Tiger Ridge ski resort is found in the North East of China near the Changbai Mountain and the border with North Korea. The resort itself is situated in-between Erdaobaihe and the Changbai Mountain.
HOW TO GET TO TIGER RIDGE
INTERNATIONAL
If accessing Tiger Ridge Terrain Park from outside of China you will first want to enter via one of the large international airports. It is possible to get a connecting flight via Beijing or Shanghai which are probably the most suitable entry points.
DOMESTIC
Once on the mainland, you will need to take a connecting flight to Changbaishan Airport. Internal flights are reasonable in China and from Shanghai, the journey was only a couple of hours. From the airport, in Changbaishan you will need to head towards the town of Erdaobaihe where it is possible to stay if you are not staying directly at the resort. Prior to your flight contact the team at Tiger Ridge via the website and they will be happy to arrange a taxi transfer to the resort for you. The journey from the airport is around two hours of weather dependant.
TIGER RIDGE ACCOMMODATION
At the resort you will find varying accommodation options, from large Chalet-style residences to double or single rooms in the base area. The standard of accommodation at Tiger Ridge was very good. If you do not want to stay in the resort, which can be quite quiet after hours, you can focus your accommodation search around the town of Erdaobaihe where you will find hotels and guesthouses. The town of Erdaobaihe has a bit more going on with restaurants and shops to keep you occupied in the evening.
Consider using the link below to look for your Tiger Ridge Accommodation.
TIGER RIDGE PROS
Purpose-built facility with great freestyle terrain with a focus on progression.
Mostly quiet ski resort and if you discount the athletes there were barely any tourists skiing here.
Ideally located to add on a day trip to Heaven Lake which is absolutely stunning and marks the border of China and North Korea.
On snow accommodation possible meaning you can head straight to the lift from your front door.
TIGER RIDGE CONS
The resort pretty much shuts down after the lifts close meaning there is not a lot to do in the evenings.
Lifts can run slow which can cause queues at the bottom of the Small, Medium, and Large Alleys.
Mostly man-made snow means conditions need to be right to ensure good snow coverage.
TIGER RIDGE GALLERY
TIGER RIDGE TERRAIN PARK FINAL THOUGHTS
I really enjoyed my visit to Tiger Ridge but I visited with one aim in mind, improving my freestyle snowboarding. I wanted to visit a resort where I wouldn’t be tempted to ride any other terrain so I could focus on progression and for this purpose, Tiger Ridge exceeded my expectations. During my week here my freestyle riding progressed and my confidence grew which is a reflection of the facilities on offer and why China are using this resort as one of their training bases for their winter sports athletes.
