The Keketuohai International Ski Resort in Altay prefecture, Northwest China's Xinjiang Uygur autonomous region, opened to the public on Oct 1, becoming the country's first ski resort to kick off its new ski season this year. A heavy snowfall greeted the opening.

Ski lovers and snowboarding enthusiasts from across the country have traveled down to Fuyun county in Altay prefecture to experience the snow-covered slopes in the resort.

A newly-built ski equipment hall that covers 4,300 square meters has been put into use, substantially improving the resort's capacity of tourist reception.

"The ski resort provides better service for this new ski season. I find that it has become more convenient for us to buy ticket online and concessionary rates are also offered for us ski enthusiasts," said Meng Nan, a ski lover from Henan province.

"Currently, I can see red maple leaves,bright yellow silver birch leaves as well as snow-capped mountains in Keketuohai. The beautiful sceneries here is another reason for me to travel all along the way from Guangdong province to Xinjiang," said Le Le, a snowboarding enthusiast who has 70,000 followers on the short-video-sharing platform Douyin as she frequently shares video clips of snowboarding.

Liu Cheng, Party secretary of Fuyun county, said that the county aims to further boost its ice and snow tourism.