by Wang Kai

On a crisp winter morning in Shandong, Yan was not thinking about macroeconomics.

A lifelong snowboard enthusiast, Mr. Yan spent years chasing fresh powder across China's growing network of ski resorts. This year, he took a different leap: he launched his own snowboarding company, SnowRidge, turning a personal passion into a commercial bet. Sales have only just begun, but Yan is entering the market at a moment few would have predicted a decade ago—when winter sports in China were still an elite curiosity.

Today, they are a trillion-yuan industry.

China's ice-and-snow economy crossed the one-trillion-yuan (about $140 billion) mark in 2025, capping a decade of expansion that has few parallels in global sports or leisure markets. What began as a state-backed effort to popularize winter sports has evolved into a sprawling consumer industry—part tourism, part manufacturing, part cultural phenomenon—reshaping mountains from Xinjiang to Hebei.

The numbers tell the story of momentum. In the first month of the ongoing snow season, China's ski resorts logged 35 million visits, up 10 percent year on year. Among them, international arrivals reached 190,000, up 66 percent from the previous season. Over the past decade, China's ice-and-snow sector has grown at an average annual rate exceeding 20 percent. Related consumption surpassed 187.5 billion yuan, a jump of more than 25 percent.

From slopes to resorts

A new generation of destination-style ski resorts—modelled less on alpine Europe than on integrated leisure complexes—has emerged as the industry's growth engine. Though they account for just 4 percent of China's ski areas, roughly 30 such resorts generate nearly 29 percent of all skier visits nationwide.

China's expanding high-speed rail network has helped. Short ski breaks of two or three days have become common, particularly among families and urban professionals seeking an escape. Resorts increasingly pitch themselves as four-season destinations, offering hot springs, hiking, tennis, pickleball, alpine water parks and winter festivals that blur the line between sport and leisure.

"These are no longer places with just lifts and pistes," said Wei Qinghua, chairman of China Mountain Development, an advisory firm. "They are multi-industry complexes—combining accommodation, dining, instruction, retail and year-round activities—driving consumption well beyond winter."

At Taiwoo Ski Resort &Alpine Park in Chongli, the Olympic host zone north of Beijing, this transformation is visible. Of the 2.6 million visitors the resort welcomed last year, nearly 70 percent came during the summer months. A decade ago, annual footfall barely reached 100,000.

"We design for different lifestyles now," said Nie Ningning, the resort's vice president. Large-scale events—often drawing more than 2,000 people—are staged two or three times a month. Night skiing, music festivals, fireworks and even pet-friendly programming have become part of the offer.

The pull of the north

Inbound tourism is rising even faster. This winter, international bookings for China's snow destinations nearly doubled, with growth exceeding 130 percent in Hebei, Xinjiang and Inner Mongolia. Southeast Asia now accounts for nearly 70 percent of foreign visitors, helped by expanded visa-free entry. In the first ten days of January, more than 35,000 airline tickets were booked from around the world for Altay, a remote region in northwestern China once known mainly to powder enthusiasts, marking a 50 percent increase from a year earlier.

For many newcomers, accessibility is part of the appeal. "Compared with Canada, almost everything here can be rented," said Emma Jori-Lazzarini, a winter sports enthusiast living in China. "It makes it much easier for beginners to try."

Ski infrastructure is also being upgraded. According to the 2024–2025 China Ski Industry White Book, the number of drag and aerial lifts has surged 643 percent over the past decade, reaching 119 nationwide. While taking up about a quarter of ski resorts nationwide, they account for more than 60 percent of all skier visits—a sign of rising demand from advanced and professional users.

Indoor ski resorts have become an unlikely gateway for international visitors as well. At Bonski—home to the world's largest indoor ski resort and headquartered in southern China—annual visits by internationals at its Guangzhou flagship surpassed one million in 2024, including more than 100 tour groups from Southeast Asia alone, according to a company representative.

"Chinese resorts are also catering to these guests. We have introduced multilingual instructors and upgraded services across the board, from equipment fitting and storage to dining, film watching, transport coordination, hotel bookings and even gear-delivery services," the company representative said.

A magnet for global brands

As consumer sophistication rises, China is drawing an expanding roster of international suppliers. Demand for equipment from ski resorts has tripled this season, according to Amy, a representative of Hootie Hoo, a Vermont-based children's apparel brand. "Since 2021, the momentum has been building," she said. "Now we're seeing requests for customized and IP-based products."

Brands of traditionally ski powerhouses are following suit. Loop Division, a Canadian ski outerwear company, says Chinese consumers are increasingly focused on performance and quality. "They look for emerging brands and high-end gear," said Kyler Fortney, the firm's marketing director.

Benny Wu, vice president of the Beijing Ski Association, attributes part of this shift to the rapid spread of indoor ski resorts. Of the more than 130 indoor ski facilities worldwide, over half are now in China. Over the past decade, their number has increased twelvefold, with a dozen more under construction. "Each year, indoor resorts convert around five million beginners into skiers," Wu said.

"By breaking seasonal and geographic constraints, indoor resorts have expanded the market well beyond professional enthusiasts to include families and younger urban consumers," a Bonski representative said. Today, three-quarters of the brand's ski resorts are located in southern China, where snowfall is rare. The company is also preparing to develop Australia's first indoor ski resort in partnership with local counterparts and be responsible for its operation and management.

European brands are also betting on an upmarket shift. Danish children's brand ColorKids entered China in 2025, noting that buyers trade up from entry-level gear to more durable, safety-certified products. Italian goggle maker Zaio, newly launched in China, is rolling out both online and offline channels, citing the efficiency and depth of China's manufacturing and supply chains.

Even Chinese manufacturers long focused on exports are pivoting homeward. Savior Heat, a Shenzhen-based maker of electric heated gloves, reported a 40 percent surge in online sales throughout the country this year, driven largely by coaches and resort staff. Younger buyers, the company says, are eager to experiment with tech-enabled gear, from app-controlled heating to Bluetooth integration.