Ice and snow equipment sector sees robust growth in China

A snowmaker developed by Henan Jin'an Machinery Technology Co., Ltd. makes snow at a ski resort. (Photo courtesy of the interviewee)

According to an industry report, China's ice and snow consumption exceeded 150 billion yuan (about $20.69 billion) in the 2023-2024 snow season, with 72.73 percent of winter sports participants reporting expenditures.

The surging ice and snow consumption drives the long-term development of the manufacturing of ice and snow equipment. Statistics indicated that the number of ice and snow equipment manufacturers in China increased from about 300 in 2015 to around 900 in 2023.

Core snow equipment made in China

During the 2025 Spring Festival holiday, Harbin in northeast China's Heilongjiang Province received over 12.15 million tourist visits, a year-on-year increase of 20.4 percent. Similarly, in Chongli of Zhangjiakou, a popular skiing destination in north China's Hebei Province, the streets stayed lively and brightly lit until midnight during the holiday. Learning to ski, opening guesthouses, and driving ride-hailing cars have become new trends in the area. "During the snow season, my daily income is about three times that of the off-season," says a ride-hailing driver.

Statistics showed that during the Spring Festival holiday, 934 ski resorts nationwide received more than 17.23 million tourist visits, a 10 percent increase year on year. The rise in winter sports participation is closely tied to the rapid growth of China's snow and ice sports equipment industry.

For Jiang Qixing, a university student in Beijing, winter is the season he looks forward to most. Every ski season, he eagerly books a high-speed train ticket to Chongli. His wardrobe is packed with ski gear. "I used to only buy foreign ski brands, but since last year, I've found that domestic brands are just as good," Jiang said.

A Chinese athlete competes at the final of the freestyle skiing mixed team aerials event during the 9th Asian Winter Games in Harbin, northeast China's Heilongjiang Province. (Xinhua/Wang Song)

Ice and snow sports gear made in China is gaining popularity not only with enthusiasts but also in professional competitions. On Feb. 10, 2025, Team China won a gold medal in the final of the freestyle skiing mixed team aerials event at the 9th Asian Winter Games at the Yabuli Ski Resort in Harbin. The athletes, soaring through the air like light swallows, were supported by skis made in China.

"We've signed an agreement with the organizing committee of the 9th Asian Winter Games to provide snow sports products including skis and carbon fiber ski helmets," said Hu Zhaohui, general manager of Ice & Snow HuanTeng Sports Equipment Technology (Harbin) Co., Ltd. To break foreign monopolies, Hu's team became the first in China to incorporate aerospace materials and technologies such as carbon fiber, high-elastic fiber, and titanium alloy into ski manufacturing.

From heavyweight to agile

On Feb. 10, under clear skies at the Songding Ski Resort in Gongyi, central China's Henan Province, fresh snow blanketed the slopes as hundreds of children raced down the trails in competition. But with little snowfall in Henan this winter, where did all the snow come from?

The answer lay in the steady hum of 40 snow machines, churning out thick white mist and coating the resort in a pristine layer of powder. Remarkably, more than half of these machines are domestic brands.

Not far away, in Xicun township of Gongyi, sits the main supplier of snowmakers for the resort—Henan Jin'an Machinery Technology Co., Ltd.

"We produce outdoor and indoor snowmakers, snow blowers and other products. Our products are not only used locally but also supplied to top ski resorts in Beijing, Hebei Province, Jilin Province, Xinjiang Uygur Autonomous Region, and beyond," said Wu Fenglin, head of the company.

"This silver-and-red snowmaker played a role in the Beijing 2022 Olympic Winter Games," Wu said.

How did the team ensure their equipment met the standards required by the Beijing 2022 Olympic Winter Games? Working around the clock for nearly a month, the production team upgraded and refined the design, transforming the snowmaker into a truck-mounted one built for high-level competitions. With a built-in water tank, pump, generator, and snow-making system, it can operate independently without external water or power.

Snowmakers create snow by mixing compressed air and water, and their operation requires specific conditions. Most machines on the market can only work at temperatures at or below minus 3 degrees Celsius, limiting their use in southern provinces.

However, in Wu's social media feed, there's a video showing a snowmaking vehicle in Ganzhou, east China's Jiangxi, producing snow. How could this vehicle operate in Ganzhou? One of the company's popular models employs "super atomization" technology, which allows it to efficiently produce snow even at temperatures slightly above freezing.

"It has many advantages—large snow output, dry and fine snow quality, and wide coverage," Wu says. "We've also fine-tuned the water-air mix ratio, allowing snow production at minus 1 degrees Celsius, giving ski resorts an edge during the season."

Expanding overseas

In recent years, some Chinese ice and snow sports equipment manufacturers have set their sights on international markets.

Founded in 1995, Cixi Huaguang Plastic Electrical Appliance Co., Ltd. in Cixi, east China's Zhejiang Province, specializes in snow shovels.

Photo shows a production workshop of Cixi Huaguang Plastic Electrical Appliance Co., Ltd. in Cixi, east China's Zhejiang Province. (Photo courtesy of the interviewee)

"At the time, there were few manufacturers in this niche, both domestically and internationally. Thanks to our high-quality, affordable products, we quickly gained a foothold in the global market," said Hua Weijie, sales manager at the company. "Today, over 80 percent of our products are exported, mostly to developed countries."

The company has also upgraded its production lines several times. In the past, products had to be manually removed from the assembly line, but now robotic arms handle the task, cutting costs and improving product quality.

China's ice and snow sports equipment industry is expanding internationally, not only through export-driven companies but also through businesses that have thrived on domestic demand and are now growing globally thanks to their quality and affordability.

Take Zhejiang as an example. Last year, the province exported 490-million-yuan worth of ice and snow sports apparel, up 13.8 percent from the previous year. Exports of specialized equipment like skis, sleds, and ice blades neared 95.6 million yuan, a 6.3 percent increase from the previous year. Meanwhile, exports of ski resort equipment surged 127.1 percent from the previous year to reach 15.18 million yuan.