First snow season for ski resort in Xizang

LHASA — The vast land of Southwest China's Xizang autonomous region celebrated the opening of its first ski resort this snow season.

Established at an elevation of 4,500 meters and located in Lhalung village, Maizhokunggar county, the ski resort is 120 kilometers away from the regional capital of Lhasa.

Tashi Doje learned to ski while studying in Beijing several years ago and has since become a passionate skier. "Every winter I yearn for chances to ski. Now I can finally enjoy skiing without having to leave Xizang. It's just that the ski runs are a bit too short for me to get enough fun," he said.

The ski resort broke ground in August 2023 and entered trial operation on Nov 28. The current highest number of single-day skiers is 350 while the resort is designed to handle a daily maximum of more than 3,000 people.

Blessed with mountainous terrain and a long winter season, Xizang has major potential as a snow sports hub. The new resort boasts a ski season of more than six months, with lifts opening in October and closing in April, noted Chen Jundan, general manager of the resort. Chen has more than 10 years of experience running ice-snow tourism projects.

"We plan to open it to children regularly for free to give them more exposure to the fun of skiing," Chen said, adding that the resort will be used for camping activities in summer to fully tap into its economic potential.

Xinhua