24 Dec 2009, Posted by Matt in Festivals & Holidays,Seoul,Video, 5 Comments

Video: Seoul Snow Jam 2009

This is my fourth winter in Seoul, and while it does get awfully chilly at night, there’s just something about how this city celebrates the season that makes it a fun time to be here. For example, if you walk by the Lotte Department Store in Myeong-dong or the Shilla Hotel along Euljiro Street, you can always count on fantastic displays of colored lights, and the other day I almost got run over by a horse-drawn carriage lit up like a Christmas tree prancing towards the Cheonggyecheon (청계천) [video].

Another Seoul winter institution was the public ice rink that was installed on City Hall Plaza. For five years, families brought their children to the rink for a special wintertime event. But this year, city officials have other plans for City Hall. But if winter just isn’t the same without ice-skating, don’t fret. The City has simply moved the rink to Gwanghwamun Plaza (광화문관장) [video]. Located in what’s an even more prominent patch of downtown real estate than City Hall, the rink was opened on December 12th as part of the Snow Jam 2009 festival.

Skating in front of Gyeongbokgung Palace (경복궁) [video] with Mt. Bugaksan looming in the distance makes for a pretty impressive backdrop. Which is probably why in September the city offered, and the International Ski Federation accepted, the site for the 2009 FIS Men’s Big Air Snowboard World Cup.

Standing some 34 meters or 112-feet in the air, an alpine jump was manufactured in the heart of downtown Seoul. I watched as crewmembers donning hard hats packed bags of ice to be lifted atop the scaffolding and packed against the ramp. Just hours later after the sun went down, thirty-nine snowboarders competed on the 100-meter-long “slope,” performing spectacular jumps in front of an estimated 300,000 spectators as K-pop music groups performed between jumps.

Some 150 journalists from 65 media outlets took notes as the Swiss Gian-Luca Cavigelli won his first snowboard World Cup title. The 22-year-old captured the title with the help of a crowd-pleasing “backside 1080” – that’s three rotations in the air. Cavigelli told the Associated Press:

“It was amazing, so many people and just a special place,” he said. “I’m really happy to have won here because it’s like a new feeling competing in an Asian country, and definitely Seoul is an amazing city.”

Of course, many Koreans hope the success of Asia’s first Snowboard World Cup event will bring an even bigger international winter spectacle to Korea. Recently, Pyeongchang announced it will indeed make its third bid to host the Winter Olympics, this time in 2018. If Korea’s enthusiasm for winter sports is any indication, maybe the third time’s a charm.

More Information:
→ The skating rink is open 10:00-22:00, and 23:00 on weekends. It is scheduled to remain open until February 15, 2010. Admission is 1,000 won.

Getting There:
→ The Gwanghwamun Ice Skating Rink can be accessed via Gwanghwamun Station on Seoul Metro Line 5 (Take exit 2, 3, 4 or 7) or a short walk eastward from Line 3’s Gyeongbokgung Station (exit 6).

(A version of this text aired on KBS World Radio on December 16, 2009.)