Ebinur is a saline lake near the Kazakhstan border, cold and windy and overlooked. It makes a quiet winter ski base with some of the best road food in northern Xinjiang. Notes from a windy stay.
Qiongkushitai is a wooden Kazakh village deep in Tekes county, reachable only by a rough winter road. The backcountry temptation is real — and so is the danger. A cautious, honest account.
Guozigou is the dramatic pass between Yining and Sayram Lake. In winter it is a frozen spectacle — and the natural gateway to the Ili valley’s snow. A photographer’s winter field notes.
Tangbula’s ‘hundred-mile gallery’ is a summer postcard. In winter it is a quiet, frozen forest road that makes a perfect self-drive run-up to Ili valley skiing. The route I drove, in detail.
Kalajun is famous as a summer grassland. In deep winter it turns into a silent white plateau — and it sits one valley away from some of Xinjiang’s most underrated skiing. First-hand winter notes.
Most foreigners rush past Kucha (Kuqa) on the way to hotter sights. In winter it is one of the calmest bases for combining Silk Road history with a Tianshan ski day. Here is how I used it.
Almost every ski blister is preventable. Boot fit, sock strategy, and the hot-spot rule that saves your week on Xinjiang snow.
Board after dinner, wake at the slopes. Why the overnight sleeper is my favourite (and cheapest) way to reach Altay-country.
Skiing trains like a sport. A no-gym, six-week strength and mobility block that cuts sore days on long Xinjiang seasons.
Altay’s cold smoke rewards looseness and punishes muscle. The powder technique that turns Xinjiang snow into pure fun.