October
Koktokay opened on 20 October 2026, the earliest in the country. Limited terrain, few crowds, a genuinely unusual early-season trip. No ice city.
Our adventures / Skiing / Snow calendar
The snow calendar.
China does not have one ski season. This is the year on one page — which region is actually open, what the weather is doing, when the ice city exists and which journeys belong to which month.
Explore the guide ↓China · late October into spring
- The span
- Late Oct – early May
- The ladder
- Six weeks of openings
- The ice city
- Mid-Dec – late Feb
- The rule
- A planning tool
Read the calendar sideways.
A single date range cannot describe a country this large. In the far north-west, Siberian air crossing the Altai drops dry snow from October, and the upper terrain can still be running when the low resorts have closed. Two hours by rail from Beijing, Chongli can make snow and open on schedule. In the north-east the season is as much about a city built from river ice as it is about pistes. Reading this calendar sideways — across the regions for a given month — is more useful than reading it as one long season.
The dates below are announced plans from the 2026–27 season or stable seasonal patterns, not guarantees. Koktokay opened on 20 October 2026; Wanlong in Chongli in late October; Beidahu began trial skiing on 7 November; Changbaishan Wanda was scheduled for 21 November; the 28th Ice and Snow World was announced for mid-December 2026; the 42nd festival opening on 5 January 2027 is to be confirmed by the organisers. All of them should be re-checked against your exact travel window.
Two patterns do more work than any single date. The first is the opening ladder: from 20 October to late November, the viable region changes every fortnight. The second is the crowd calendar: the early-January festival opening and the Spring Festival holiday move beds, rail seats and lift queues more than the weather does. The season board holds the announcements; this page holds the shape of the year.
The working year.
What is open, what it is like and what to book.
November
Chongli and Yabuli come online, Beidahu trial skiing from 7 November, Jilin around 20–21 November and the big Altai terrain in mid-November. "Trial" means limited lifts.
December
The cold core begins, the ice city was announced for mid-December, and the festival run-up starts. Book beds and instructors ahead.
January
All regions operating, Harbin commonly around −15 to −30°C, the rime dawns at their most reliable, the festival opening on 5 January 2027 to be confirmed. Also the busiest weeks.
February
Reliable snow everywhere and the Spring Festival holiday somewhere in the winter calendar — its dates move each year and need checking.
March
Longer days, friendlier temperatures, thinner crowds. Powder is less likely; almost the whole plate is still usable.
April and into May
Lower resorts wind down; high terrain at Jikepulin can still run in some seasons. Spring snow, long light, soft afternoons.
What to check every year.
These are the four that most often reshape a booking.
Resort opening dates
Announced each autumn, sometimes with conflicting reports. We treat a "trial skiing" date as a planning signal and confirm the open-lift list before flights are fixed. Read more →
The ice-city window
The park is rebuilt from river ice and normally closes in late February as temperatures rise. Opening and closing are announced only weeks ahead. Read more →
The Spring Festival holiday
Follows the lunar calendar; the exact days off and the surrounding travel peak are confirmed for the winter in question. Read more →
Festival and competition dates
The early-January festival opening is to be confirmed by the organisers; competition weeks at resort venues can close runs and fill beds independently. Read more →
The short version.
If you only remember four lines.
Reliable snow, minimum fuss
January to February — Everything is open and the ice city exists. Accept the cold and book the peak weeks early.
Best overall balance
March — Kinder temperatures and thinner crowds across the whole plate, with powder less likely.
Fewest people
Late October to early November — Only the Altai and Chongli, but almost empty pistes. Terrain is limited and the ice city does not exist.
Longest days, spring snow
April in the Altai — High terrain only if it is still operating; a morning mountain and a valley afternoon.
Send us the month.
Tell us when you can travel. We will check which regions are genuinely open in that window and come back with a shortlist and a written outline.
Start my journey brief ↗