Due to its high altitude, at Pyeongchang, Gangwon-do province, winter comes early and stays late. The cold is noticeable in October and can linger on until April. Amid rugged mountains that extend from north to south, the Taebaeksan and Charyeongsan mountain ranges form a break, wherein Pyeongchang is nestled.
As such, Pyeongchang-gun includes far more mountainous terrain than flat plains. Overall, the area experiences a continental climate, while the upland region of Hoenggye records an average temperature of only 6.1C during the year. The average altitude of Pyeongchang-gun is over 500 meters, with 78.9 percent of the land area being mountainous and cold terrain, thereby limiting agricultural activity to cattle-raising and highland farming.
Wonderland for Winter Sports
Yongpyong (Yongpyeong) Resort in Doam-myeon, Pyeongchang-gun, covering an area of 17 square kilome¬ters, has long been known as an ideal venue for enjoying winter sports. Having opened in 1975 as Korea's first ski resort, today it is highly regarded not only in Korea but throughout Asia and the world beyond.
Yongpyong Resort successfully hosted the 1999 Winter Asian Games as well as the 1998 and 2000 finals for World Cup Skiing. It has 31 slopes of various standards, all with an ample width of 180 meters, six of them sanctioned by the Federation Internationale de Ski (FIS). The resort operates 15 ski lifts and a 3.7-kilometer-long cable car system. From the two-story Swiss-style chalet on Mt. Barwangsan (1,458m), the wintry mountain scenery is truly breathtaking. From this vantage point, you can also take in memorable views of the sunrise over Mt. Odaesan and the Gyeongpodae area of Gangneung. In addition, the resort features two 18-hole golf courses and one 9-hole, a swimming pool, and first-class hotel accommodations.Phoenix Park boasts 12 slopes approved by the FIS, along with 8 ski lifts for beginners and an 8-passenger gondola system. There is also Snowboard Park, an area reserved exclusively for snowboarding, which has surged in popularity in recent years, as evidenced by an ever-growing number of snowboard enthusiasts these days. Overall, 15 routes have been developed on the slopes of Mt. Taegisan, with a specially designed base area of 500 meters in width that is visible from any point.
With all these winter sports resources, Pyeongchang¬gun officials launched a campaign in 2000 to host the 2010 Winter Olympics. Now that hosting of the 2010 Olympics has been awarded to Vancouver, Canada, Pyeongchang is busily preparing to submit a bid to host the Winter Games of 2014. Pyeongchang has already been selected as the venue for the 2005 Snowboard World Cup, 2005 competi¬tion of the International Biathlon Union, 2006 Alpine Ski World Cup, 2006 Disabled World Cup Ski Contest, 2008 Biathlon World Cup, 2009 Snowboard World Championship, and 2009 Biathlon World Championship.
As for Pyeongchang, which organizes a variety of winter sport programs for young people, it has already shown what it can do by successfully hosting a number of large-scale international events. If its bid to host the 2014 Winter Olympics should be accepted, this would mark another high point for Korea.Local Festivals and Events
About 65 percent of Pyeongchang is highlands situat¬ed over 700 meters above sea level. At this altitude, high pressure converges with low pressure, creating an ideal air pressure for animals, plants, and people. Historically, Pyeongchang's geography served to hinder its access from other areas, enabling its environment to remain natural and unspoiled by pollution.
Hence, Pyeongchang continues to preserve its clean environment under the catchphrase "Happy 700." Because the cold winter weather lasts so long here, Pyeongchang is perfect for hosting winter festi¬vals. Particularly noteworthy is the Daegwallyeong Snow Festival.
The Daegwallyeong Snow Festival events are held around the middle of January throughout the Doam¬myeon area. Initiated and developed by local residents, the festival seeks to display the uniqueness of mountain vil¬lages. Held this year for the 13th time, it has grown each year in terms of the number of activities and programs offered, as well as festival participants and visitors. With a variety of activities, including an exhibition of snow and ice sculptures created by ice artists, an ice slide for thrill-seekers, traditional sledge riding, Daegwallyeong International Topless Marathon, snow trekking, and hands-on ranch experiences, it is a festival to enjoy by doing and seeing.
Nearby the Snow Festival is Daegwallyeong Ski Museum, which is well worth a visit. The two-story muse¬um houses some 300 rare photographs, along with tradi¬tional sledges and about 30 pairs of skis dating back to the 1930s, as well as skiing-related medals and trophies. Perhaps most eye-catching are the traditional sledges from more than 100 years ago. From the word "sledge," you might imagine something that children ride on, but it is actually more like a kind of ski.
According to Kim Young-gyo, curator of Daegwallyeong Ski Museum, the Korean word for sledge, sseolmae, is derived from the Sino-Korean word seolma, or literally "snow horse." The image of a horse making his way through the snow is quite lyrical. Such a horse would be thoroughly at home among the winter wonderland of Pyeongchang. Traditional sledges were usually made of wood from the painted maple tree, which was highly mois¬ture-resistant. For maneuverability, a pole of resilient ash wood was used. The museum houses ten traditional sledges well over 100 years old. Over time, all kinds of modern conveniences are developed, which come to replace traditional items, but this is not the case with snowshoes of long ago that remain practical even today.Attractions of Mt. Odaesan
Rising to a height of 1,563 meters, Mt. Odaesan stands majestically at the boundary of Pyeongchang-gun, Hongcheon-gun county, and Gangneung City. Its highest peak, Birobong, along with Mt. Seoraksan, are part of the Baekdudaegan Mountain Range. Its major peaks include Sangwangbong, Durobong, Horyeongbong, and Dongdae¬bong. These peaks form a circle of hills that includes West, South, and North Hill, with Middle Hill (Jungdae) at the center. On the slopes of Mt. Odaesan, the Woljeongcheon and Naerincheon streams merge to form Odaecheon Stream, which flows southward into the Namhangang River.
Mt. Odaesan is home to several of Korea's most pris¬tine woodland areas. The animal species found there include 17 mammals, 35 birds, 474 insects, and 20 fresh¬water fish. Of particular note, Geumgangyeon Pond at Woljeongsa Temple, which includes such inhabitants as lenok, catfish, and eel, has been designated a special nat¬ural preserve for the protection of its fish.
The iris Odaesanensis, a native Korean plant, was first discovered on Mt. Odaesan, where an abundance of blossoming flow¬ers thrive, whose descriptive names are enough to evoke delightful images, such as oval lily disporum ovale Ohwi, diamond bluebell, raddeana anemone, and liverleaf. Designated a national park in 1975, Odaesan is ranked, together with Geumgangsan, Jirisan, and Hallasan, as one of Korea's most renowned mountains.
Some 800,000 visitors come to Mt. Odaesan each year to enjoy its attractions and natural beauty. Its Manchurian fir forests are among the most impressive in the country. Over a distance of 700 to 800 meters, centuries-old firs extend their treetops as much as 30 meters into the sky. At Woljeongsa Temple, dense fir trees beyond Iljumun (the temple's first gate) create a broad pathway leading up to the temple buildings. Walking along this path, amid the crisp, fresh mountain air and woodsy fragrance, is like a natural elixir that is guaranteed to rejuvenate passersby.
Woljeongsa Temple was founded in 634. Its main attractions include Woljeongsa Nine-story Octagonal Pagoda (National Treasure No. 48) and Woljeongsa Stone Seated Bodhisattva Statue (Treasure No. 139). Interestingly, the Bodhisattva is depicted in an unusual posture, kneeling toward the pagoda as if making an offer¬ing. Another sight to see is Woljeongsa Sarira Repository, built by the monk Jajang (590-658) to enshrine a relic of Sakyamuni Buddha.
Another ancient temple on Mt. Odaesan is Sangwonsa, located on Jungdae (Middle Hill). It was found¬ed in 705 during the reign of King Seongdeok (r. 702-737) of Silla. The pride of this temple is Sangwonsa Bronze Bell (National Treasure No. 36). The upper part of the bell includes a sculpted dragon figure and sound pipe, while the surface of the bell features a relief carving of four musicians playing instruments.
The image of the musi¬cians, as though drifting along a cloud in the sky, is superbly detailed. This bell is the oldest and most charac¬teristic example of traditional Korean temple bells. Known as the sound of heaven, a temple bell produces a kind of auditory offering from the worldly humans to the heavenly beings. It is a powerful advocate of Buddhism, disseminat¬ing the Buddhist teachings to all living things on the earth and in the water and the sky.
If you spend some time at Pyeongchang and talk with the local residents, you can expect to hear colorful stories and legends of the past. If geographical barriers previously limited interaction with other areas, this also helped to preserve the natural environment and people's pure heartedness. The buckwheat flowers that abound in Bongpyeong-myeon are the inspiration for Lee Hyo-seok's (1907-1942) short story "When the Buckwheat Flowers Bloom," a local literary masterpiece born of the area's lovely natural scenery. The fragrance of literature and the traces of tradition remain intact in Pyeongchang.
Source: Koreana Winter 2005
