Photo shows snow being artificially produced at the ski resort in Bohu County, Xinjiang. Photo by Wu Dongliang
Urumqi, Dec. 5 (Xu Ping & Zhang Jianxue) — On Dec. 5, reporters at the Egret Islet Ski Resort in Bohu County, Xinjiang, observed massive snowmaking machines operating at full capacity, blanketing the ski runs with glistening snowflakes. To embody the qualities of the world’s first outdoor desert ski resort, the facility has added new ski equipment and extended the length of its ski runs.
The resort is located on the shores of Bosten Lake in Bohu County, Xinjiang, which is China’s largest inland freshwater lake.
In mid-December, the Egret Islet Ski Resort in Bohu County will open to the public, marking the start of the fourth Bazhou and seventh Bohu Ice and Snow Tourism Festival. Currently, three snowmaking machines at the resort are working around the clock, and the snow depth on the three runs has reached approximately 20 centimeters. All pre-opening preparations are complete.
At the resort, some enthusiastic skiers couldn’t wait to hit the slopes early and enjoy the thrill of snow surfing.
The resort began construction in November 2011, completed site development by the end of December that year, and officially opened in January 2012. With a total investment of 10 million yuan, it is the world’s lowest-latitude desert ski resort.
Currently, the resort features beginner ski runs (slopes of 20–14 degrees), intermediate ski runs (slopes of 25–22 degrees), and a recreational run (suitable for activities such as tubing, sledding, and zorbing). The intermediate run is 40 meters wide and 300 meters long, while the recreational run is 50 meters wide and 200 meters long. Between the two runs lies a snow conveyor system used to transport skiers to the runs. The resort is equipped with snowmaking machines, skis, snow tubes, snowmobiles, and more.
Since its opening, the resort has welcomed over 50,000 visitors, generating more than 2 million yuan in revenue and setting a new record for winter tourism in Bohu.
Bosten Lake is China’s largest inland freshwater lake, covering an area of 1,600 square kilometers. Near its southern shore are sand dunes of varying heights, along with shifting and semi-stabilized dunes, pyramid-shaped dune chains, and undulating sand mounds.