Haute couture house Dior has recreated its famous Paris store at 30 Avenue Montaigne out of ice at the Songhua Lake Ski Resort in Jilin, China.
Images of the ice store, which incorporates a light show at night, are reported to be trending high on China’s social media channels.
Songhua Lake is one of China’s best resorts with about 30km of runs and eight lifts, mostly hi-spec Doppelmayr quad and six-seater chairlifts, plus a gondola. It is popularly regarded as an up market destination, with its beginner slopes sponsored by BMW.
Other western luxury brands have also been targeting China’s limited number of destination ski areas for promotions. The country has seen a massive growth in skiers in the Beijing Olympics build up with hundreds of small ski fields created with limited facilities but relatively affordable prices for the average Chinese citizen. However going on an actual ‘ski holiday’ is limited to the wealthiest Chinese.
It does get cold at Songhua Lake though, current highs are -10C, lows -30C.
Chinese media report a big jump in January business at the country’s ski resorts after the latest lockdowns with Jilin reporting business up 433 percent compared to a month ago.
A real Dior pop-up shop has been erected next to the ice shop. It sells the company’s ski wear collection and serves coffee.
We have a regular Podcast called The White Out where we review the latest gear, talk about the latest snow forecast and updates on where is best to ski now, as well interviews with absolute ski legends AND we spotlight a resort every week and so much more. You can check out our regular podcast here Apple | Spotify | Podcasts or search The White Out on your chosen podcast directory.