Xinjiang Skiing

The UV bounce off Xinjiang’s snow is stronger than it looks. Here is how UV keratitis sneaks up, what gear actually blocks it, and how I recovered from a bad day.

Cold, wind, and exhaustion are a dangerous mix on Xinjiang’s high slopes. Here are the warning signs, the layering fixes, and the decisions that kept my group safe.

A bluebird day in Xinjiang is cold, clear, and perfect. Here is how I read the forecast, plan the line, and make the most of the few calm windows our winters allow.

Whiteouts turn familiar Xinjiang slopes into a blank void. Here is the gear, the mindset, and the hard-learned rules that kept me safe above the tree line.

A hockey stop is the fastest, most useful brake you can learn, and the easiest to do wrong. Here is how I drilled it safely at crowded Xinjiang resorts.

Edging is what turns a skid into a confident carve. Here is how I went from washing out on Koktokay’s steeps to linking clean turns, with drills that work on Xinjiang’s variable snow.

How I keep skiing hard Altay winters with exercise-induced asthma — pre-warm routines, medication timing, and the signs that mean stop.

After years of chemical warmers, I switched to rechargeable ones in Altay — runtime, cold-weather battery truth, and which features actually mattered.

How the longest night became my favourite time to ski — solstice traditions, the cold-light photography, and why resorts empty out exactly when conditions peak.

A coeliac skier’s field notes on gluten-free eating across Xinjiang ski towns — safe dishes, hidden wheat traps, and which resorts helped.