Live from Korea — PyeongChang 2018 Blog
That’s a wrap. Thank you everyone for following me around PyeongChang & Gangneung in the run up to PyeongChang 2018. Look for my upcoming Ultimate Guide to PyeongChang 2018 in just a couple of weeks and continue following me on Medium and Twitter to stay up to date on the latest.
Note: This live blog has the latest content at the top. Scroll to the bottom and then work your way up to experience the entire week!
5:45pm: Finally, we arrived back in Seoul!
2:00pm: Back on the road and heading to Seoul, the Highway 6 into Jinbu and Jeongseong is quite windy with steep inclines and declines. If this will be the path for those staying in Sokcho, it could be very challenging in winter and for larger transports like buses.
12:45pm: Our way back takes us to a connection of the Olympic Aribaugil hiking trail that connects the 3 major regions. The Odaesan National Park and specifically Guryong Falls are worth the stop and 5-mile hike. In addition, it is off the highway on the main artery that connects Sokcho, where TeamUSA and Cosport have several hospitality areas and hotels.
12:15pm: Time to head back towards Seoul where we will make one stop to see on of the Olympic landmarks.
11:50am: After visiting hotels, made a quick stop to see the progress on the Gangneung Train Station where the high speed KTX will drop passengers off and the buses will take visitors to Olympic Park. The Olympic Park might be considered walkable from here, depending on the weather. Still, while the building looks to be done, quite a bit of work remaining to be done on the parking lots, bus center, and park and ride areas.
11:30am: We’ve spent most of the morning visiting various hotels and asking about availability for the upcoming 2018 PyeongChang Winter Games. Every single one that we visited stated they do no have availability, both resorts and smaller boutique hotels here in Gangneung. All of this begs the question of course, given the low ticket sales and visitors expected, who is staying in all of these rooms? Check out this unique resort, which also had no availability.
7:15am: Sunrise from SEAMARQ is beautiful as expected, but what was unexpected was the surf. Anyone visiting Gangneung may want to consider packing their surfboard and their wetsuit.
Thursday, November 9th
5:10pm: A view of Gangneung from the SEAMARQ hotel where you can see the Gangneung Olympic Park in the background.
4:45pm: Scenes from around Gangneung Olympic Park, where the main venues of Gangneung Oval, Gangneung Ice Arena, and Gangneung Curling Center are mostly completed. The support buildings and fan areas are still in the process of being constructed.
3:30pm: On our way to Gangneung Olympic Park, made a quick stop at the PyeongChang 2018 House. It is a pop-up location that provides locals with some information on the history of the Olympic Games, PyeongChang 2018, and includes the opportunity to experience Olympic events in virtual reality (VR) powered by Samsung. I took a spin on the Bobsled which was entertaining to say the least.
2:35pm: We have arrived in Gangneung and two immediate observations. 1) This is not a “small coastal town” as myself and many others may have the impression of. With a reported population of 225,000 it feels much larger than that, clearly a resort town with many hotels. 2) There is quite a bit more promotional material up around the city. We did not see a single set of Olympic Rings in PyeongChang, but have seen multiple sets here in Gangneung in our first 5 minutes.
1:50pm: We are officially off for Gangneung, approximately 45 minutes from our hotel there, the SEAMARQ which was one of the hotels committed for PyeongChang 2018’s bid and opened in 2015. Of note as we head out, in just the 3 days we have been here in PyeongChang we have seen siginificant changes and progress as this sign (among many others) just popped up.
1:15pm: Dropped by the local POCOG offices here in PyeongChang. Had the opportunity to ask a few questions about rooms and transport. The team there was kind, helpful and took the time to speak with us, which we greatly appreciated. Located inside isa McDonald’s restaurant as well as additional areas by sponsors Coca-Cola and The North Face.
12:54pm: Made a quick stop at the Olympic Village, most of the building appear to be nearing completion with the focus on the hardscape and landscaping.
12:04pm: Tried out the #1 ranked Trip Advisor restaurant here in PyeongChang, Korean BBQ. Choose your mean from the refrigerated section, then go sit down and cook it. This location is in the middle of the YongPyong resort area, which means it is likely to have massive crowds during the Olympic Winter Games.
11:30am: Back at the Intercontinental Alpensia resort to check out and head towards Gangneung. This hotel, is the IOC hotel for the Olympics and where the IOC, support staff, and the media will be located right across from the IBC (International Broadcast Center). Built several years ago and at the base of the Olympic Sliding Center, this location is clearly ready to go and everything is in order. The staff and team were very helpful during out stay. At the edge of the property an additional 300 temporary rooms are being constructed to house the media. With a duty-free shop on location, this could be popular for those looking for discounts on certain items or alcohol during their stay.
11:20am: Kellogg’s special edition Olympic boxes of Special K, Corn Flakes, and Frosted Flakes have been with us throughout our journey. Here is a great shot of them in the middle of the Alpensia town here in PyeongChang. This location is sure to have hundreds of thousands of photos taken at it during the games. #GetsMeStarted
10:50am: No Megastores are open yet, but several of the hotels do have PyeongChang 2018 merchandise available.
10:45am: YongPyong resort is in full Olympics preparation mode with most of the accommodations closed right now. It is a massive area with a large number of resorts, condos, and villas. As of now, they are all “booked” for the Winter Games, many of them taken by NOCs, sponsors, and tour operators. Both Team USA and P&G’s Family home will be located here. Snowmaking is already in early operation despite the warm weather.
10:12am: Gondola ride at YongPyong Alpine Centre is a must. Great view up to 4600 feet at the top of Dragon’s Peak. Also can see the entire PyeongChang area — Alpensia Ski Jumping Centre, PyeongChang Olympic Stadium, Alpensia Sliding Center and more from up here.
8:53am: Hitting the road on a mild and windy PyeongChang morning.
7:30am: Quite a bit of planning required today, planning stops to POCOG, Sliding Center, PyeongChang Olympic Village, & YongPyong Alpine Center before heading to Gangneung.
Wednesday, November 8th
6:24pm: The Alpensia Ski Jumping Center is lit up tonight as is the Olympic Sliding Center. Quick detours to get photos of both.
5:47pm: Luckily no traffic, but had the opportunity to check out the PyeongChang Olympic Stadium. See for yourself.
5:04pm: Heading back to PyeongChang.4:10pm: What was supposed to be a 40 minute drive turned into an hour due to road work on the toll road. Phoenix Park appears to be the most “ready” for the Olympics with several new hotels and a venue that is progressing both with the snowboard courses and with the spectator stages.
5:02pm: Ashley brought along her Special K cereal box for #GetsMeStarted featuring Kelly Clark who will be competing on these very slopes here at Phoenix Park in a little over 3 months.
3:13pm: Back on the road, headed to the Phoenix Park also known as the Bokwang Snow Park.
2:30pm: Back in PyeongChang. We spotted this pop-up (modular) building restaurant just across from the PyeongChang Olympic Stadium and thought we would give it a try. Ridge 354 is sure to be packed given the location, the view, and what seems to be emerging as a common international restaurant trend here: Italian food.
12:35pm: Finally made it to the Jeongseon Alpine Center. There is a lot of constructions still under way. The competition course which will be used for Alpine Skiing events is taking shape, but at least 1 of the 2 hotels on site still needs quite a bit of work. Of what we have seen, this venue still needs the most work to be ready in just 3 months.
12:10pm: We make a quick stop at the 5-day market and it is quite a site to see and walk through. Will need to take a long trip again here.
11:30am: Our GPS has directed us to the Jeongseon Sports Complex, not the Alpine Center. The good news is that there is a PyeongChang 2018 training happening inside, and the people are super helpful and point us in the direction of the 5-day market and the Alpine Center.
10:59am: We are somewhat off-course, our GPS seems to have taken us on a 45-minute detour on our our way to Jeongseon Alpine Center. Only benefit is that you see scenes like this:
10:12am: Our Hyundai’s navigation seems to have taken us on a “short cut”, taking us up a 1-lane mountain road. Haven’t had this much fun since driving the Road to Hana in Maui.
9:15am: Off to see the various venues today including: Pyeongchang Olympic Stadium, Alpensia Ski Jumping Centre, Alpensia Sliding Centre, Olympic Village, Yongpyong Alpine Centre, Bokwang Phoenix Park, and Jeongseon Alpine Centre. Busy day ahead including a lot of pictures!
8:50am: Spent the last hour calling the Korean Travel Hotline and several other numbers inquiring about hotel availability. At the end of numerous conversations, was directed to HomeStayKorea.com and Happy700.or.kr. These sites and their hotel lists have showed no availability for months. If tourists cannot find hotels for the game, how does PyeongChang2018 expect them to come?
7:15am: Beautiful sunrise this morning in the Alpensia Resort area. Sun over the mountains, with the Alpensia Ski Jumping center towering over the valley. Great time to #GetMeStarted this morning with Kellogg’s Special K.
Tuesday, November 7th.
4:40pm: The PyeongChang 2018 sign greets you as enter the Olympic city on the left side and directly across from it on the right the Tourist Information Center which is still under construction, although appearing to near completion.
4:08pm: The next series of pictures is from around the core town center of PyeongChang, much of which has major construction underway. Most streets have several buildings getting a face lift with Olympic venues and hotels still not complete. With only 3 months to go, it could get tight…
3:47pm: Next stop was the cross country and biathlon venues, both of which seem to require substantial construction in order to be ready for the games. Much of the basic structures are in place, but with no seats quite a bit of work still remains.
3:24pm: Visit to Alpensia Stadium, the home of the ski jumping competition. The venue looks to be well progressed and every seat appears to be a great one to view the competition.
2:10pm: During a tour of the Alpensia Resort, a promotional house featuring Soohorang and Bandabi.
1:28pm: We reach the Alpensia Resort town, and IHC Resorts property include the Intercontinental Alpensia (IOC Hotel), Holiday Inn Suites, and the Holiday Inn Resort.
1:17pm: Many of the tunnels along our drive are marked with various signs for PyeongChang 2018 along with the mascots.
11:00am: We head out from Seoul on our drive which is expected to take 2.5 hours to reach PyeongChang and the Intercontinental Alpensia Resort where we will be staying for a couple of days. Drive is expected to take closer to 3.5 hours when there is snow.
9:03am: First fan in line for tickets completes their order and is willing to let me take a photo of it, without the bar code of course! She was very excited to get a Figure Skating ticket!
8:45am: Approximately 100 people waiting in line with the hopes of getting tickets to their favorite events. Those I spoke with in line were hoping for the Men’s Figure Skating Free Skate, which seems to be the most popular ticket in South Korea.
8:29am: Arrival at Seoul City about 30 minutes before the release of sought out tickets. Here’s a video of what is going to happen:
8:14am: On way to Seoul City Hall for today’s special release of ticket for PyeongChang 2018. All ‘preparing for sale’ and typically high demand sessions expected to have availability. Category A tickets for Men and Women’s free skate as well as Gala session only available online to avoid long lines.
Monday, November 6th
