4.5 days of skii/snowboard, beautiful road trip and a relaxed OTG crew.
| Destination | China |
|---|---|
| Dates | 24 Dec 26' - 3 Jan 27' |
| Duration | 11D10N |
| Price | S$2,820 per person |
| Deposit | S$1,410 (50% of trip price) |
| Balance | S$1,410 (due before departure) |
| Group size | 8–16 people |
| Age range | Recommended for 21–40 |
| Activity type | ski & roadtrip |
| Status | Full |
Urumqi → Altay → Jiangjun Mtn → Hemu Village → Jikepulin → Kanas → Burjin → Urumqi
Location:
Fly into Urumqi and check into the hotel in the heart of the city. Free evening to explore the International Grand Bazaar and ease into Xinjiang, grab some baked buns (烤包子) and hand-pilaf (手抓饭) from a street stall. Consider it a warm-up for what's coming.
Location: Altay
After breakfast, depart at noon on the S21 Desert Expressway — one of China's most dramatic drives. For 4–5 hours, the landscape morphs from the arid fringes of the Gurbantünggüt Desert into the snowbound valleys of the Altai Mountains. Sand dunes wear thin blankets of white; frozen rivers glint in the low winter sun. This isn't just a transit day — it's a cinematic introduction to Xinjiang's scale. Arrive at Altay by dusk and check into your hotel. Rest well: tomorrow you're on the slopes.
Location:
Depart at 10:00 — Jiangjun Mountain is just 20 minutes away. This is a national 5S-rated ski resort (China's highest certification), sitting at 1,300m altitude with a 460m vertical drop, 72 trails spanning 70km total, and a slope ratio of 30% beginner / 40% intermediate / 30% advanced — genuinely something for everyone. You have the whole day. Ski until your legs beg for mercy, then warm up in the lodge with a bowl of Altay hand-grabbed rice (polo) — lamb slow-cooked in sheep fat with carrots, a golden pilaf that's been feeding Kazakh nomads here for centuries.
Location: Hemu
A 4–5 hour drive through snowy mountain passes to Hemu Village, stopping along the way for rime ice and snow mushroom photos. Check into a traditional log cabin with underfloor heating, then horse riding or a horse-drawn sleigh up to Haden Viewpoint overlooking the entire village. Bonfire at night.
Location: Hemu
Depart at 9:30, 20 minutes to the mountain. Welcome to Jikepulin International Ski Resort — one of Asia's greatest, where the numbers speak for themselves: 1,466m vertical drop, main trail length of 5,328m, and gradients up to 35°. To put that in perspective: most black-diamond runs max out at 25–30°. This is a mecca for advanced skiers, with untouched powder that pros call "Asia's wild snow holy land." On a clear day, ride the Yunxiao Peak cable car to the summit. Four country borders — China, Russia, Kazakhstan, Mongolia — visible in one panorama. Stand there, wind whipping snow dust into your face, and feel like a giant straddling continents.
Location:
A second morning at Jikepulin — depart at 9:30, back on the mountain. Use today to refine your technique, push a harder line, or simply savour runs you didn't get to yesterday. At 16:00, skis go on the car and you head for Kanas (~2.5 hours). Arrive before 19:00 and check into your guesthouse inside the Kanas Scenic Area. Tomorrow belongs to the Three Bays.
Location: Kanas
Set alarms early — this is the day photographers wait for. Depart at 9:30 to visit the Three Bays of Kanas: Shenxian Bay (Fairy Bay), Moon Bay, and Wolong Bay. Geothermal springs keep sections of the Kanas River unfrozen in mid-winter; when that warm water meets Arctic cold, rime ice coats every branch within hundreds of metres — a frozen lace kingdom that exists nowhere else. At 15:00, depart via the S232 scenic highway (~3 hours) to Burjin. Tonight: rest at a designer boutique guesthouse in town.
Location:
Depart at 11:30 after a relaxed breakfast. The S21 Desert Expressway carries you home in ~5–6 hours. You'll cross from the frozen Altai foothills into the surreal contrast of Xinjiang's desert landscape — golden sand dunes dusted with snow, the Sahara meeting the Arctic in one frame. Watch for wild Przewalski's horses, reintroduced after going extinct in the wild, now roaming small reserves along this corridor. By late afternoon you're back in Urumqi, checked into your hotel near the ski resort. Rest and gear up — tomorrow, Silk Road skiing begins.
Location:
One more ski day at Silk Road International Ski Resort, tackle the Awen Run (36° gradient, not for the faint-hearted) or the Xuanzang off-piste route if you're feeling it. Afternoon snow tubing or paragliding, then a final dinner of roast whole lamb with traditional song and dance. Proper send-off.
Location:
Depart at 9:30 for one final day at Silk Road International Ski Resort. This is your 收官冲刺 — the closing sprint. Go back to the runs that challenged you yesterday: Xuanzang Dao and Aven Dao. There's something different about skiing a mountain you already know — you pick better lines, you carry more speed, you feel it click. By early evening, return to the city and check back into the Atour S Hotel in Urumqi. Tonight: celebration dinner. You've skied two of China's best mountains and crossed the entire Xinjiang winter landscape.
Location:
08:00 → Final hotel breakfast. Pack and check out. Depending on flight → Private transfer to Urumqi Diwopu International Airport (URC). Allow at least 2.5hrs before departure — security and immigration at URC can be thorough. Pro tip → Last chance to stock up on Xinjiang dried fruits, walnuts, and nougat at the airport duty-free. End of an epic ice and snow journey.
This trip is both a Ski/Snowboard and Road trip experience! Do expect cold weathers and a unique OTG adventure.
We recommend flying China Southern for this trip. Book the outbound on 23 Dec (Wed) departing Singapore Changi at 21:00 (CZ8048), connecting through Shenzhen, and arriving in Urumqi at 15:00 on 24 Dec — just in time to check in and get settled before the trip kicks off the next morning. For the return, fly out of Urumqi on 3 Jan (Sun) at 16:00 (CZ6798), connecting through Chongqing, arriving back in Singapore at 13:25 on 4 Jan. Both legs are on China Southern with one stop each. Connections are long but manageable — no tight transfers to stress about. As of late May 2026, flights are going for around ~SGD 1,000. Prices will likely rise closer to the date, so we'd recommend booking early.
Off The Grid is a Singapore-based group travel company that curates small-group adventures for people in their 20s and 30s. We handle complex routes, local logistics, permits, and group facilitation — so you can focus on the experience and the people you meet.
This trip is organised by Off The Grid, a licensed travel agent under the Singapore Tourism Board. For questions, contact hello@offthegrid.asia.
To join this trip, visit offthegrid.asia/trips/xinjiang and register your interest. Once approved, you will receive a payment link to pay the deposit (S$1,410) via PayNow or card. Your spot is confirmed once the deposit is received.
Full payment is required if booking within 30 days of the trip departure date.