As the air cools, snow is just around the corner. In the town of Alatai, the workshop of Suo Lan Bei Sha He Shi is filled with piles of red pine and white birch. Here, preparations for making traditional horsehair ski skins began as early as August. Gleaming and ready for use, a row of tall fur skis stands proudly at the entrance.

Compared to mass-produced modern skis, the handcrafted horsehair skis forged by the 70-year-old Suo Lan Bei exude a unique artisan quality that captivates Chinese-language media from Hong Kong, Macau, Taiwan, and Southeast Asia.

Holding a pair of skis, Taiwanese host He Qiong Rong, along with Suo Lan Bei’s son, Huan Shi Bei Suo Lan Bei, gives a demonstration of this ancient craft for the cameras.

They begin by shaping the wood into the ski form, using a furnace to heat and bend the front end of the boards, and soaking the bent sections in hot water for shaping. The main parts of the skis take shape from there. Drilling holes, hollowing out grooves, waxing, polishing, and crafting the skin can take about two weeks to complete.

“In winter, the snow in the Altai Mountains can reach up to two meters deep, making it impossible for horses to traverse,” Huan Shi Bei explains. “These horsehair skis are perfect for getting around. When going downhill, the hair lies flat against the skis to increase speed; while going uphill, the hair is flipped to increase friction and prevent slipping.”

This represents the wisdom forged from the experiences of Altai’s ancestors through long, cold winters. Pulling the timeline back further, thousands of years ago, a group of Altai’s ancestors equipped with ski poles and bows, glided over snowy mountains on horsehair skis, hunting wild buffalo, horses, and elk.

Pigments rich in iron ore and animal collagen captured this scene on sheltered rock faces, and just over 40 kilometers from Huan Shi Bei’s home, visitors can encounter rock art that serves as a living fossil of ancient skiing activities in the Dun De Ba La Ke Valley of the Mongolian township.

The snowflakes that gracefully fell onto the Bird’s Nest in the opening segment of the 2022 Beijing Winter Olympics originated from the snow-hunting rock paintings of Dun De Ba La.

“Stepping out of the Dun De Ba La cave, we are filled with reverence and gratitude for this land,” said Zhao Jing Nan, deputy editor of Thailand’s Xing Xian Daily. “The rock art and ice-snow culture of Altai act as an invisible thread, connecting the ancient with the modern and nature with humanity. Here, we not only witness the beginnings of human skiing history but also recognize the vast potential of the ice and snow industry.”

Renowned as the “Snow City,” Altai sits on the platinum snowline at 47 degrees north latitude, boasting snow resources comparable to the European Alps and North American Rockies, making it one of the best natural skiing areas in China.

With substantial snowfall, the average snow depth in winter exceeds 1.5 meters, and the snow season lasts more than six months. The fine powder snow, cherished by ski enthusiasts and often called the “heaven of powder snow,” along with its high elevation, significant vertical drop, and undulating mountain terrains, represents top-tier natural resources for ski resort development.

In 2015, the “Altai Declaration,” co-signed by over 30 scholars and experts in ski history from 18 countries—including Norway, Sweden, Finland, the USA, and Austria—recognized Xinjiang’s Altai as one of the world’s most significant ancient skiing regions. This declaration not only bolstered Altai’s international status as the birthplace of skiing but also attracted more snow sports enthusiasts and tourists eager to explore this enchanting place.