It's barely the beginning of winter and the ski slopes are already full of tourists! Some resorts say their business has soared 70 percent from last year.

The fast rise of this icy sport comes thanks to heated popularity in the lead up to the 2020 Beijing Winter Olympics. More than 12.5 million people participated in skiing last year.

What's worth noting is that this year many people from southern China are travelling to the north to experience the fun of skiing and snowboarding.

"I flew from Chengdu, Sichuan province. The snow here is so great! I really want to challenge higher slopes but I can't. I'm still learning the basics," a ski tourist said.

"The enrolment of our students in November doubled from last year," said Yin Shiwei, headmaster, Songhua Lake Ski School.