20 October — Koktokay, Xinjiang
Opened first in China for 2026–27. Summit around 3,100 m, 1,350 m of vertical. The previous season ran 12 October to 28 April, 199 days, with 640,000 reported visits.
Our adventures / Skiing / Season board / Opening dates
The opening dates.
China's ski season does not open on one day. It opens in a staggered sequence from 20 October to late November, and a November trip to the wrong province can arrive before the lifts turn. Here is the 2026–27 sequence as published.
Explore the guide ↓China · 2026 – 2027 season · published 24 Oct – 10 Nov 2026
- First in the country
- 20 Oct 2026
- The Chongli start
- Late Oct – mid-Nov
- The Jilin ladder
- 7 – 21 Nov 2026
- The caveat
- All dates are plans
Six weeks of openings.
The national opening table published by China Tourism News on 24 October 2026, with reporting collated from Altai tourism authorities, resort accounts and local tourism bureaus, gives a clear sequence. Koktokay in Xinjiang opened on 20 October, the earliest in the country. Wanlong in Chongli followed in late October. Beidahu in Jilin began trial skiing on 7 November; Changbaishan Wanda was scheduled for 21 November. The Altai's other big mountains — Jikepulin, Jiangjunshan and Qinggeli Wolf Mountain — were slated for mid-November.
Two reporting details are worth keeping straight. Chongqing Daily on 21 October reported Wanlong opening on 30 October, while the China Tourism News table and other listings reported 23 October; we treat it as "late October" and confirm with the resort. Likewise Yabuli: the resort recorded its first autumn snow on 14 October, one listing gave an opening ceremony on 6 November, and the tourism bureau described a late-October first slide subject to weather. These are plans and reports, not a single authoritative calendar.
The practical consequence is simple. If you want to ski in October or early November, the Altai and Chongli are the viable answers; Jilin and the north-east are not. From December to February every region is normally operating, and that is when the choice becomes about terrain, cold and travel time rather than availability. March trades powder for kinder temperatures, and Koktokay's previous season ran all the way to 28 April — 199 days. All dates on this page should be re-checked against your exact window before anything is fixed.
The 2026–27 opening table.
As published in late October 2026. "Trial" means limited lifts and terrain; full opening follows.
Late October — Wanlong, Chongli
Snowmaking across the valley began 12–13 October. Opening reported variously as 23 or 30 October; treat the last week of October as the window and confirm the exact day.
Late October to 6 November — Yabuli, Heilongjiang
First autumn snow on 14 October 2026, an announced opening ceremony on 6 November and an official description of a weather-dependent late-October first slide.
7 November — Beidahu, Jilin
Trial skiing from 7 November, with full opening through mid-November. Note the Winter University Games alpine and freestyle events scheduled for 15–25 January 2027.
Mid-November — the Altai four
Jikepulin above Hemu, Jiangjunshan in Altay city and Qinggeli Wolf Mountain in Qinghe county were all slated for mid-November, with Jikepulin running latest into spring.
First half of November — Genting and Thaiwoo, Chongli
Chongqing Daily reported Genting on 6 November and Thaiwoo on 13 November, with the valley fully open by mid-to-late November. Eleven new floodlit night runs were added across three resorts this season.
14 / 20 / 21 November — the rest of Jilin
Changbaishan Huamei Shengdi trial skiing on 14 November and formal operation on 21 November; Lake Songhua around 20 November; Changbaishan Wanda on 21 November.
Late November to early December — Beijing satellites
Smaller ski areas near Beijing typically open last of all, often from late November into early December.
How to read an opening date.
Four things the table does not tell you on its own.
Trial skiing is not a full mountain
An opening-day report often means the upper section of one run and two lifts. Koktokay's 2026 opening was described exactly that way. Plan a first trip after full opening, not on it.
Made snow versus natural snow
Chongli and the smaller Beijing-area hills can open early because they make snow. The Altai opens on natural snowfall and closes when the mountain says so.
Opening is not snow quality
December to February is the cold, dry core in the north; January is coldest almost everywhere. An early opening is a longer season, not a promise of powder in October.
Events and holidays change availability
Competition weeks close runs and fill beds. Spring Festival and the early-January festival opening are the two busiest periods of the Chinese winter calendar.
Which journey fits which window.
A rough first pass — the current resort status always decides.
October to mid-November
The Altai ski week or the Chongli weekend. Jilin and the north-east are not yet reliably open.
Late November to December
The full range becomes available, with cold, dry conditions in the north and the first ice-city construction in Harbin.
January to February
Powder in the Altai, the ice city at its peak, rime dawns in Jilin — and the busiest weeks of the season.
March to April
Kinder temperatures, longer days and the Altai's long season still running. The best window for anyone who dislikes extreme cold.
Check before you book.
Send us your intended week. We will confirm which resorts are actually turning, what terrain is open, and shape the journey around the season as it stands.
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