The origin of the sport may lie in remote Chinese mountains, where skiing is still a way of life.
Blasting through powder on wooden, horsehide-bottomed skis with a single pole for balance, an Altay skier shows off the skills and equipment his distant ancestors perfected. Image © Jonas Bendiksen/National Geographic
Image © Jonas Bendiksen/National Geographic
A lassoed elk struggles after Serik demonstrates the age-old technique of capturing game in deep snow. China bans elk hunting, so the animal was freed.
Image © Jonas Bendiksen/National Geographic
Plans for building Western-style ski resorts in the Altay flitter among optimistic entrepreneurs. For now, at least in the high backcountry, skiing remains a way of mountain life.
Image © National Geographic
The images are from the December issue of National Geographic magazine.
source National Geographic
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