Xinjiang offers great escape for ski lovers
Print Edition
MOST travelers skip Xinjiang Uygur Autonomous Region during winter when most roads and scenic areas are buried under snow.
The region’s famed scenic sites such as Sailimu and Kanas lakes as well as the Ili Grassland are only available in spring or summer.
But this vast exotic land in northwestern China has far more than just grasslands, deserts, grapes, jade, mutton and passionate Uygur people who are good at singing and dancing.
For the adventurous, winter is the ideal time to enjoy the vast landscape covered in snow — a heaven for ski lovers. Grab your equipment and experience a different world in this tantalizing land.
Heavy winter in Xinjiang usually starts from late November and lasts until the end of March. Statistics show that by 2014 there were a total of 50 ski fields in Xinjiang.
Around the capital city
The Silk Road Ski Resort, which is 38 kilometers from Urumqi, is one of the top three skiing spots in China and can accommodate 100,000 skiers at one time. It hosted the 2016 National Winter Games in January.
The resort takes up an area of 12 square kilometers and boasts the latest equipment and facilities. There are 12 tracks for beginner, intermediate and advanced levels. Four cable car routes lead to virgin forest; among them two 1.1-km-long routes reach the 2,500-meter-high mountain.
There are direct buses from the Urumqi International Grand Bazaar, which takes 40 minutes. The round-trip ticket costs about 15 yuan.
Another ski resort just 42km from the capital is the Baiyun International Ski Resort. It has a natural ski field, a skating rink, a 2-hectare fully equipped training center and a 2-hectare golf course.
It has a restaurant that can serve 300 guests.
This child friendly resort has a vertical drop of 1,000 meters with gently rolling hillsides and few drop-offs. There are 13 tracks, specially designed for high-speed, moderate-speed, novices, elders and children. Besides normal ski activities, you can also ride horses or snowmobile and go parachute jumping.
The Tianshan Tianchi International Ski Resort is at foot of the Heavenly Lake. It is 80 kilometers from Urumqi. Seven tracks, 15 kilometers long in total, meanders down the Tianshan Mountain; among them is China’s best cross-country snow trail. The No. 1 track, 1.8 kilometers, is the longest professional slope in Xinjiang.
Besides skiing, you can also try karting, hot-air balloon, and powered paraglider.
XueLianShan Golf Ski Resort is the closest ski resort to the city center, which is only 6 kilometers away. There are various activities on offer here, including ski-jumping, ski-tubing, snow cart/tank/bike, speed skating, figure skating, hot-air ballooning, and snow sculpture.
Your own ski equipment is not allowed here.
Other parts of the region
The Jiangjunshan Ski Resort in the city of Altay is one of Xinjiang’s best places for skiing, along with Silk Road and Tianshan Tianchi. Here, snow is quality stuff, weather is pleasant, and the wind is not strong. It is the country’s and also the region’s skiing training base.
There are 18 tracks at Jiangjunshan, 17 kilometers long in total. The International Ski Federation has backed No. 2 slope to host international events.
The super long intermediate track, nicknamed “golden boulevard,” is 3,000 meters in length, which is Xinjiang’s longest intermediate track. There’s also a ski school to popularize the sport among students and the general public.
The Nalati Grassland, 10 kilometers from Xinyuan County in the Ili Kazakh Autonomous Prefecture, is the second-largest in China and the fourth-largest in the world. The breathtakingly beautiful spot is far off the tourist radar.
The grassland retains much of its natural and ethnic beauty. In summer and fall, wild flowers bloom in red, orange, yellow, green, blue and purple all through the meadow. In winter, it showcases a fresh new look. Skiing and horse-drawn sledge bring endless enjoyment.
The Nalati Ski Resort has four functional areas: beginner, sledding, snowmobiling and competition area. It also offers alpine skiing and speed skiing.
In the city of Karamay, Dragon Mountain Ski Resort is an ideal place for people to have some fun in winter. It is the world’s only ski field in Yardang landform. Here, two slopes in different levels are available.
The equipment hall is in the north of the 490,000-square-meter skiing field, where people can rent skiing clothes and equipment and leave their baggage.
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