Xinjiang's fur skiers find fame in Asian winter games

Skiing is still an essential skill that the villagers master. Every household has fur skis, said Adalbek, who recently lent his fur skis to a friend who was trying to find his missing horses in the woods.

Azamat said he began snowboarding when he was 14 because he thought it was cool, but he still finds fur skiing, which not many people can master, even more exciting.

"I've decided to spend time this winter learning how to use fur skis from my father and uncle who lives next door," Azamat said. "I will upload videos of me on my own fur skis on social media, so that more people get to know about the cultural heritage that we are so proud of."

Mastering the sliding technique with fur skis and the wooden pole is actually more difficult than skiing with modern skis, said Azamat, who asked his father to give him a lesson the very next day.