When most travelers think of winter in Xinjiang, they picture downhill skiing on the powder of Altay or the groomed trails of Tianshan. But the region has built a second winter identity that gets far less international attention: ice sports. From Olympic-grade indoor rinks to national biathlon training camps on snow, Xinjiang’s skiing story is only part of a much larger ice-and-snow economy. This guide covers where to experience curling, biathlon, speed skating, ice hockey and public rink fun across the region — a useful companion for anyone who wants to round out a ski trip with something different.
The best time to ski in Xinjiang also happens to be prime ice-sports season, so the two pair naturally on a single winter itinerary.
Xinjiang Ice Sports Center — The Region’s Flagship Rink
The Xinjiang Ice Sports Center (新疆冰上运动中心), located in Shuixigou town near Urumqi at about 1,650 meters above sea level, is the most important ice venue in the region. Built as the main stadium complex for the 13th National Winter Games, it covers roughly 550 mu and was designed around a snow-lotus motif that fuses regional culture with winter sport. The complex houses three core competition halls — a speed-skating oval, an ice-hockey arena and a curling sheet — along with dining, accommodation, media and operations facilities.
As the first nationally standardized comprehensive ice-sports base in western China, the center anchors Xinjiang’s ambition to host high-level competitions and to train the next generation of skaters. For visitors, it is the clearest place to watch or try speed skating, hockey and curling under one roof.
Burqin Ice Sports Center — Four-Season Training and Competition
In the north, the Burqin Ice Sports Center (布尔津县冰上运动中心) has become a surprising powerhouse. As a high-standard county-level venue, it operates year-round and can host short-track speed skating, figure skating, ice hockey and curling. It has already welcomed provincial training squads from across China for closed-door camps and previously hosted a national figure-skating club league event.
What makes Burqin notable is that a county-level rink competes with far larger cities on quality. Teams that have trained there praise the flat, stable ice, the consistent climate control and the layout, which together support serious preparation. For travelers in Altay, it is evidence that the region’s winter infrastructure now reaches well beyond ski lifts.
Wenquan County and the Rise of Biathlon
Biathlon — the discipline that combines cross-country skiing with rifle shooting — has found an unlikely home in Wenquan County (温泉县) in the Bortala prefecture. The local cross-country ski venue is the only FIS-certified professional cross-country skiing site in Xinjiang, with an 11-kilometer standardized track and full event support. Its altitude and slope profile closely match Olympic venues, which is why the General Administration of Sport’s winter-sports center chose it to host the 2026 national biathlon youth training camp.
Bortala’s winter travel program builds around exactly this kind of elite-but-accessible infrastructure, letting visitors see how a small county became a backbone of China’s winter-sport pipeline. Even if you never pick up a rifle, watching trained athletes switch between skiing and shooting is a compelling spectacle.
Curling and Public Rink Culture
Curling is still young in Xinjiang but growing fast, supported by the curling sheets at the Urumqi and Burqin centers. Public ice culture is broader: seasonal outdoor rinks appear in city parks across the region, and ice festivals add activities like ice dragon-boat races, ice biking and ice hockey demos. These pop-up rinks are where local families actually spend winter weekends, and they are the easiest, cheapest way for a visitor to step onto the ice.
The social side of ice sport is part of its appeal. Unlike a ski lift, where you mostly focus on your own line, rinks are communal — strangers share a sheet, children wobble alongside grandparents, and a cold afternoon turns into an easy social outing. In Urumqi and the bigger prefecture capitals you will also find indoor rinks that stay open well into spring, so the season effectively stretches longer than the downhill window.
For travelers who want speed and noise rather than quiet gliding, Xinjiang snowmobile tours and the snow parks attached to many ski resorts extend the adrenaline beyond the rinks. The point is that “winter sport” in Xinjiang is no longer a single activity.
How Ice Sports Fit a Ski Trip
The practical way to enjoy both worlds is to treat ice venues as day trips alongside your ski plan. Urumqi’s Ice Sports Center sits close enough to the capital’s ski areas to be an easy add-on, and Changji’s Nurga ski area plus the nearby Tianshan Tianchi resorts put world-class ice and alpine skiing within the same short loop. In the north, pairing a day at Burqin’s rink with the region’s famous ski resorts gives you the full contrast of ice and powder.
Xinjiang’s resort map is expanding precisely because the region wants visitors to stay longer and do more — ski in the morning, skate or watch a curling match in the afternoon, then end the day at a winter festival. For families with mixed interests, that variety is the strongest argument for choosing Xinjiang over a single-mountain destination.
Practical planning is simple. Book ski passes and rink sessions separately rather than hunting for a combined ticket, and keep one rest day in a city with a major rink so nobody burns out on the slopes. Pack a second pair of gloves and a thin thermal layer for indoor ice — the temperature swing between a sunny chairlift and a refrigerated arena is bigger than most people expect. Travelers who build the trip this way consistently report that the ice days are the ones their kids remember longest.
Frequently Asked Questions
Where can I watch or try curling in Xinjiang?
The main curling sheets are at the Xinjiang Ice Sports Center near Urumqi and at the Burqin Ice Sports Center in Altay. Both support training and competition, and public sessions or festivals sometimes open the ice to visitors.
What is biathlon and where is it practiced in Xinjiang?
Biathlon combines cross-country skiing with rifle shooting. Wenquan County in Bortala hosts the region’s FIS-certified cross-country venue and national biathlon training camps, making it the center of the sport in Xinjiang.
Is the Xinjiang Ice Sports Center open to the public?
The center was built as a competition base but supports public skating, hockey and curling programming around the winter season. Schedules vary, so check with the venue or local winter-tourism offices before visiting.
Can I combine ice sports with downhill skiing on one trip?
Yes. Urumqi, Changji and the Burqin–Altay corridor all pair major rinks with nearby ski resorts, so you can ski and skate within the same day or two-day loop.
Do I need my own equipment for ice sports?
Most public rinks and centers rent skates and basic gear, and the Burqin and Urumqi venues are set up for visitors as well as training squads. Bring warm layers; indoor rinks are cold by design.