By Wang Lin, Mohe, China News Service, November 15 — The Arctic Christmas Ski Resort, located on the China-Russia border in the Greater Khingan Mountains, held its first skiing ceremony on the 15th. Boasting a snow season lasting over seven months each year, it is home to China’s longest-lasting snow cover and highlights features such as “China’s Arctic,” “borderland scenery,” and “Finnish Christmas.”
Heilongjiang Province, a major border province between China and Russia, boasts abundant ice and snow tourism resources, including world-class ski resorts like Yabuli Ski Resort and Yinghongshan Ski Resort, which serves as a training ground for international skiing competitions. The Arctic Christmas Ski Resort, which opened today and will close in mid-April 2016, has the longest skiing season in China and has kicked off the new season of skiing enthusiasm across the country.
At 2 p.m., a group of athletes dressed in blue ski suits skied down from the mountaintop to the base while holding a “First Ski” banner, marking the official start of the new ski season. The Arctic Christmas Ski Resort is situated in China’s northernmost region, characterized by cold weather and heavy snowfall, with snow depth reaching 50 centimeters and natural snow accounting for over 30 centimeters — a feature that distinguishes it from other ski areas.
The Arctic Christmas Ski Resort in the Greater Khingan Mountains faces Russia across the Heilongjiang River and is a border ski resort with distinctive northern Chinese scenery. The Russian landscape across the river can be fully appreciated, and signs within the resort are inscribed in five languages, highlighting its international character. Adjacent to the ski resort is the Arctic Christmas Village, a “sister village” to Finland’s Santa Claus Village, where Santa Claus from Finland resides every winter to promote winter tourism exchanges and interactions between China and Finland.
In addition to skiing, the resort also offers a variety of snow activities such as snowmobiling, snow tug-of-war, and snow football. Currently, Santa Claus from Finland, as the host of the Arctic Christmas Village, is taking photos with visitors, interacting with them, and inviting skiing enthusiasts to enjoy the thrill of skiing in China’s Arctic. (End)