On the morning of the 16th, the 8th Commemoration Day of the Birthplace of Human Skiing and the 6th Ancient Skiing Competition of Altay, Xinjiang, were held at the General's Mountain Ski Resort in Altay City. The event attracted a large number of tourists.
Around 12 noon, Mr. Shan Zhaojian, China's first national skiing champion, announced the official opening of the event. The competition events were divided into: a 5.8 km individual cross-country race and a 4×2.4 km sled-pulling relay race. A total of nine local civilian teams from the Altay region participated in the competition. At the scene, competitors wearing ancient skis made with horse leg fur sped toward the finish line to the enthusiastic cheers of the audience.
Shan Zhaojian, the advocate of the ancient fur ski race, told reporters that skis made of fur were commonly used as a means of transport by herders in the Altay region in ancient times. When hunting in the mountains, they would secure their feet on the skis and navigate through deep forests in search of prey to support their families.
It is reported that with the improvement of living conditions and the increasing convenience of transportation, the use of ancient fur skis has gradually diminished. In recent years, the Altay region has vigorously developed its winter tourism industry, conducting in-depth and systematic exploration of the ancient skiing culture of local herders and developing it as an important tourism resource.
On January 16, 2007, Altay City was officially awarded the Guinness World Record for "the earliest birthplace of human skiing."