If it has to be blisteringly cold, you might as well go skiing—or if you’re really cool, snowboarding. We round up the best places for snow-capped hills and serious inclines. Because hibernation is for wimps … and for bears. And neither of those groups go skiing.

Nanshan Ski Village

Nanshan Ski Village: This place is a great spot for beginners. Slopes are geared towards the beginner and intermediate skier and instruction is available in English. Another bonus for Nanshan is the ease of transport: there are daily shuttle buses running from Sanyuanqiao and Wudaokao at 8:30am. If you're an experienced skier, you may find Nanshan a bit underwhelming. Book ahead to get a full-day pass for RMB240.

Snowboarders at Nanshan will find an awesome snowboard park full of kickers, a seven-meter-tall halfpipe, rails and wallrides. Nike Nanshan Snowboard Park is considered one of the best in China, and challenging enough for experienced snowboarders. Although Nanshan Ski Village has been open for a few weeks now, the snowboard park is just opening up this weekend with a jam session at 1pm Saturday.

Wanlong Ski Resort

Wanlong: A bit on the pricey side, but with 24 trails boasting 550 meters of vertical drop, this huge ski mountain resort is a great place for advanced skiers and has a pretty decent snowboard park. It's located several hours outside of Beijing, so getting there is a bit of a pain. If you have a group of three or more, however, Wanlong can help you arrange transport from Beijing. Alternatively, you can catch a night train to Zhangjiakou and take a cab from there. A full-day lift ticket and equipment costs RMB790-980 or make a weekend of it by purchasing a 1.5 day pass (RMB1060) and staying overnight at the Shuanglong Hotel

Duolemeidi Mountain Resort

Duolemeidi: This Italian-backed ski resort is close to Wanlong, though far cheaper. Duolemeidi has gorgeous views with few crowds, but bring all the warm clothes you can—the wind gets pretty intense at the top. There's a weekend shuttle bus, but it only comes back on Sundays, leaving you with no choice but to stay overnight or catch a cab to Zhangjiakou. If you choose to stay, try the I Snow International Hotel in Chongli, as it's fairly new with great facilities. One-day passes are RMB320-500 with equipment.

Sun Mountain Yabuli

For the ultimate winter holiday, go to Yabuli Sun Mountain Resort in Heilongjiang. It's widely regarded as the best ski resort in China, featuring top-of-the-line equipment and well-maintained slopes. Combine this with a trip to Harbin's famed winter ice sculpture festival—there's a dedicated train from Harbin to Yabuli Nanzhan. A range of accommodation is available, from the no-star hostel Windmill Inn to the exclusive ClubMed.

Going with a Group

Nobody in your social circle share your enthusiasm for winter cold and snow? Then arrange to go on a group tour. Nearly all major tourist companies operating in Beijing can arrange ski tours to slopes around Beijing. Just make sure it's a decent ski resort and not something that resembles the little ski hump in Chaoyang Park.

Ole Sports also organizes ski trips from time to time. Currently, they have a Christmas trip to Duolemeidi planned, email oleskiing@gmail.com for more details.

360 Snow Tours is another great option for those who don't want to bother with arranging their own ski trips. They can organize trips to Duolemeidi, Wanlong, Yabuli, even Nagano, Japan.

Conversely, if you want to DIY, check out www.chinaskitours.com for all the info you need to arrange your own ski trip. Also, they can offer weekend group tours to Wanlong with their Chinese partners.