The first skis Meyirbek Xigis of the Kazak ethnic group ever used were nothing like the carbon-fiber racing boards seen on Olympic slopes. They were rough wooden planks, fashioned by his elders during the long winters on the high pastures of Altay prefecture of Northwest China's Xinjiang Uygur autonomous region, their undersides lined with coarse horse-leg fur to grip the snow.

For generations, these fur skis were not for sport, but for survival, serving as essential tools for local herders to tend livestock across deep snow in the prefecture that archaeological discoveries suggest is the birthplace of skiing.

Now 32, Meyirbek Xigis has transformed that ancient necessity into a modern calling. He is a champion in the niche sport of ski mountaineering and a coach for a provincial team, his personal ascent mirroring the country's ambitious goal of kindling grassroots enthusiasm for ice and snow sports that culminated in the Beijing 2022 Winter Olympics.

The prefecture where he once chased sheep on fur skis is renowned for its long snow season of about 180 days a year, abundant powder and steep terrain.

In recent years, the winter sports boom prompted the local authorities to promote skiing culture, hoping to develop the area as a popular destination for skiers and snowboarders nationwide. That ambition has brought resort complexes to slopes once traced only by herders' paths.

It also changed Meyirbek Xigis' life. Since 2018, he has worked at the Koktokay International Ski Resort. Two years later came the turning point, when a visitor to the resort noticed Meyirbek Xigis' traditional fur skis and introduced him to competitive ski mountaineering. He gave it a try, and his native endurance, honed over mountainous pastures, gave him an immediate edge.

"Climbing a mountain on skis felt like how we played in childhood," he says, adding that years of traversing mountains and ridges in the pastoral area built his physique.

He began dominating national races in the vertical climb discipline, where athletes race straight up a mountain. For the past two years, he has been registered as an athlete and concurrently serves as a coach for the Sichuan provincial ski mountaineering team.

He now splits his time training and mentoring younger recruits, many from urban backgrounds unlike his own.

The pace of change in attitude about winter sports still surprises him. "When I started ski mountaineering, a big race might draw just a few dozen people. Now, hundreds line up," Meyirbek Xigis says. "I believe more children from pastoral areas will 'ski' their way into a brighter future."

Photos by Hu Huhu, Yan Linyun
and Ma Kai | Xinhua