Nanshan

Accessibility is the main thing reviewers applaud: about forty-five minutes from Beijing, with a dedicated shuttle and a city bus route, so people come for the day. Skiing is cheap, with tickets and rental both described as inexpensive. Visitors note the tidy operation and the number of lifts and magic carpets. Beginners are happiest here, freestylers get a park with a halfpipe and kickers, and the dry, freezing winter keeps the snow guns working.

Short runs are the standard complaint: the vertical is tiny and the longest descent takes a couple of minutes. At weekends that becomes a real problem - one visitor reckoned he spent seventy per cent of the day queueing, twenty per cent riding lifts and only ten per cent skiing, and the chairs are slow as well. Natural snowfall is minimal. Experienced skiers find the terrain thin, and pushy instructors touting lessons grate on many.