Ski lovers slide on fur snowboards in Xinjiang

Photo taken on Jan. 16, 2019 shows pieces of horsehide soaked in hot water at Silanbek Sahshi's workshop in Altay, northwest China's Xinjiang Uygur Autonomous Region. Silanbek Sahshi, a 65-year-old man of Kazak ethnic group, is an inheritor of traditional fur-snowboard-making in Xinjiang. As the fourth-generation inheritor of his family's craft, Silanbek has been engaged in the handicraft for almost 50 years.The fur snowboards are made of pine or birch wood and covered with horsehide. The horsehide can provide friction when skiers go uphill, as the graining of the horsehide provides friction to help to climb mountains, while also helping to slide down the mountain smoothly. It takes Silanbek about half a month to make one pair of snowboards by hand. At present, he is imparting his skills to his son Huanshbek Silanbek. An ancient rock painting that depicted people hunting with skis, dating back more than 12,000 years, was found in Altay Prefecture. This discovery has provided solid evidence of the area's long tradition and culture of skiing. By now, three ski fields have been built in Altay, where the snow season lasts for more than half a year, attracting tourists from home and abroad. The fur snowboards, which have evolved from the travel tools for hunting into sports equipments, enriched the winter tourism projects. The vigorous development of winter sports has brought the ancient craftmanship "back to life". (Xinhua/Sadat)