Participant numbers surge

Ski resorts have been benefiting from the surge in participant numbers, and not just in areas close to the Chinese capital but also in remote regions such as Xinjiang, where skiing has long been a crucial part of nomadic life.

In 2014, the Silk Road Ski Resort, in a southern suburb of Urumqi, turned its first profit in 11 years as annual visitor numbers rose by 87 percent, according to Li Jianhong, the managing director.

"Thanks to the promotion of winter sports by the successful Olympics bid and the National Winter Games, I believe the future of my business will be prosperous," he said.

In 2006, archaeologists in Altay, an ethnic prefecture in northern Xinjiang, discovered rock paintings of "skiers" from the late Paleolithic era, around 12,000 years ago. The paintings, depicting hunters skiing on long rectangular boards with poles in their hands, are cited as evidence that Altay was probably the birthplace of skiing in China.

"From a traditional way of life to a modern sporting fashion, winter sports are seeing a new dawn in Xinjiang," Li said.