Where to ski, when to go, how to get a visa-free entry, how to pay with a foreign card and what to expect on the snow: the basics for a first China ski trip in 2026-27.
China built most of its ski industry in the last twenty years, and much of it is new. Chongli, north-west of Beijing, alone has nine resorts, 219 runs and 178 km of trails, and drew about 5.24 million skier visits in 2024-25. It hosted the snow events of the 2022 Winter Olympics. In the far north-west, Altay in Xinjiang has the country's biggest vertical and seasons that start in October.
For a visitor that means modern gondolas, Olympic courses and, outside holidays, quiet weekdays. It does not mean Japanese powder everywhere, and that is the first thing to understand.
Chongli and the Beijing hills are cold and dry. Their slopes run on snowmaking, so expect firm, groomed runs and sunny days. The draw is access: the high-speed train from Beijing's Qinghe station reaches Taizicheng, the station for Genting, Thaiwoo and Wanlong, in about an hour.
The northeast gets more natural snow and much colder air. Yabuli near Harbin hosted the 2025 Asian Winter Games and had 56 linked trails in 2025-26. Jilin has Beidahu, Songhua Lake and the Wanda resort at Changbaishan.
Altay is for skiers who travel for snow. Jikepulin at Hemu has 1,466 m of vertical, and Koktokay ran from 12 October 2025 to 28 April 2026. The trade-off is long transfers and January lows around -20°C.
Our best ski resorts in China page compares them side by side.
Most resorts run from November to March. Wanlong and Koktokay usually open in October. The weeks to avoid are New Year (1 to 3 January) and the Spring Festival; Chinese New Year falls on 6 February 2027, and the official holiday dates are usually published late in the previous year. Weekends fill with city skiers. Weekdays in December, January and March are the best value.
2026-27 opening dates had not been announced when we checked on 20 October 2026. We track them on the opening dates page.
Passport holders from around 50 countries, including the UK, Canada, Australia, Japan, Korea and most of Europe, can enter China visa-free for up to 30 days until 31 December 2026. A renewal for 2027 had not been announced by 20 October 2026, so check before booking a January to March trip.
US citizens are not on that list. They can use 240-hour visa-free transit if they fly on to a third country, and Beijing plus Hebei (which includes Chongli) are inside the permitted area. Jilin and Xinjiang are not. The full rules are on our China travel essentials page.
Set up Alipay or WeChat Pay before you leave and link a Visa or Mastercard. WeChat Pay charges 3% on foreign-card payments over 200 yuan. Bring some cash too; resort hotels take international cards more readily than small guesthouses.
On Chinese Wi-Fi or a Chinese SIM, Google and WhatsApp are blocked. Roaming on your home network or a travel eSIM installed before departure usually avoids the problem.
Every resort rents skis and boards, and many sell lift-plus-rental packages. Some ask for a deposit; Thaiwoo listed 2,000 yuan in 2025-26. English-speaking instructors are reliable at Club Med resorts such as Club Med Yabuli; elsewhere ask before you book.
Lift tickets are cheaper through official channels than at the window. In 2025-26 Genting's discounted day tickets ran 288 to 468 yuan against a 580 to 710 yuan rack rate.
Fly into Beijing, spend a day in the city, then take the train to Taizicheng and ski Thaiwoo, Genting and Wanlong over three or four days using the free resort shuttles. It needs no car, works on 240-hour transit for eligible passports, and gives you a feel for Chinese skiing before you commit to Altay or the northeast.