It is that wintry time of year again for snowfalls, snowmen, and Everland’s Snow Buster. Korea’s premier snow sledding slope is opening in stages from Dec. 10 to provide thrills and spills to people young and old who want to race downhill for fun.
Apart from the Snow Buster, Everland also offers plenty of other winter activities in and out of the snow to keep visitors amused and warm and make cherished end-of-year memories.
Busting a move
Before 1988, when Everland (then Yongin Farmland) opened the nation’s first dedicated snow sledding slope, people in Korea had to make do, sliding down snow-covered hills on simple wooden sleds, fertilizer sacks, or even cardboard boxes. Everland’s original 1.5-hectare sledding haven was so popular that it attracted 400,000 people in its first year. Since then, more than 24 million people have whooshed down a snowy hill in Everland, almost one in every two Koreans.
Look for the Snow Buster signs at Alpine Village.
The slope was updated and overhauled several times, and in 2000 was renamed Snow Buster to capture the thrill and fun that visitors can feel. There are now different courses at varying speeds and lengths: Family Course, Racing Course, and the Express Course. Of these three courses, the Express Course has the longest slope of 200 meters, and the tube is large enough to seat four people, so the whole family can join in together.
Sledding alone or sledding with family and friends is equally fun.
In the meantime, the snow sleds have improved over the years, from simple plastic toboggans to circular tubes. Also, to eliminate the burden of having to carry a tube all the way to the top of the slope again, tube lifts have been installed to move the sleds back to the starting position.
One of the most exciting innovations is the automatic take-off, a conveyor belt system that gives a safe and quick push-off to each tube at the top of the slope. In a typical snow sled, one usually starts by pushing with the feet or getting someone else to push it from behind, but in Everland Snow Buster, the conveyor moves and starts automatically when customers sit on the sled. This automatic push-start is now available on all three Snow Buster sledding courses.
Conveyor belts give the sleds a push start for an extra thrill.
To bring snow sledding into the digital age, smart queuing is now available, allowing visitors to pre-book their slope time through mobile or on-site kiosks. This reduces unnecessary waiting.
The Snow Buster courses are located in the Alpine Village zone of Everland, and all visitors to the theme park can enjoy it at no extra charge.
Winter Wonderland
Besides snow sledding, there is much more to see and do at Everland this winter. Snowman World, with its 2023 different snow people and one giant snow bunny – because 2023 will be the Year of the Rabbit – is in the theme park’s Four Seasons Garden. Already, young visitors are flocking to Snowman World to take those photos and videos for their social media accounts.
Friends and family making a snowman together.
Snow Yard is a snow-filled plaza where adults and children can play to their heart’s delight, building a snowman or snow ducks, being pulled along atop a mini snow sled, or making snow angels on the ground. Hot food and drinks are available at nearby Snow Yard to keep visitors warm.
The Snow Yard and Snow Playground offer many opportunities to create warm winter memories.
At the entrance to Alpine Village there is a Snow Playground, with an igloo made from real ice and snow, a replica glacier, and more mini-snow sleds, as well as two large trains. These super-sized locomotives were brought to the theme park last fall and are a superb backdrop for taking photos, and also provide momentary shelter from the cold. Visitors can enter the carriages and play board games like ice Jenga.
The opening date of each Snow Buster course and other details can be found on Everland’s website.
