Gear: rent there or bring your own?

Chongli (Thaiwoo, Secret Garden, Wanlong, Fulong): modern fleets refreshed for the Olympic boom — current-generation piste skis and boards, decent boots, helmets standard. Figure ~¥150–250/day for a standard package, less on multi-day deals (exact 2026–27 rate cards: TBC — they shift seasonally). Performance/demo tiers exist at Thaiwoo and Secret Garden.

Northeast (Beidahu, Lake Songhua, Changbaishan): similar standard at the Vanke/Wanda/Club Med operations; Club Med and many Changbaishan hotels bundle rental into the rate. Yabuli varies by operator — inspect before you accept.

Altay: Jikepulin's list price (~¥490) includes rental, and the fleet carries wider skis than you'd expect. But if you ski powder on 105 mm+ boards you own and love, this is the one trip where bringing them pays — selection thins fast at the width you want.

Chinese rental stock runs small and narrow. Up to about US 10 / EU 44 you'll be fine at the big resorts; at US 11+ / EU 45+, bring your own boots — availability gets patchy even in Chongli and close to zero in Altay, and wide-last options barely exist at any size. Boots fly as cabin-friendly hand luggage in a boot bag, weigh ~4 kg, and turn any rental ski into your setup. If you bring one thing, bring boots.

Gloves, goggles, base layers and socks — rental shops either don't carry them or you don't want the ones they do. Add a buff or balaclava for the Northeast and Altay (−20 °C lift rides) and chemical warmers, though those you can buy at any Chinese convenience store. Helmets are rentable everywhere and fine.

Airline ski-bag handling is the weak point of a China trip: China Eastern publishes the friendliest rule (one ski set can ride in your free allowance, 203 cm/32 kg limits with approval), Air China's standard 158 cm limit needs a phone call and an exception, and China Southern publishes no ski-specific policy at all — fees by route, TBC. Full details and the high-speed-rail luggage situation are in the getting-around guide.