On a bright day last winter, the managers of Wanlong ski resort in northern China decided it was the perfect time to take aerial photos of the mountain. The bird’s-eye view revealed something strange: the parking lot was packed but the pistes were empty. At ground level, the mystery was easily solved: visitors had ditched their skis to dine on braised pork in the restaurant, play cards in the tea house and go for foot massages in the spa.

On the face of things, the skiing industry has boomed in China. The country had fewer than 10,000 skiers and nine small skiable hills in 1996. That swelled to about 5m skiers and 186 possible destinations at the end of last year, according to the Chinese Ski Association.

Those strong numbers are deceptive. There is still little in the way of a dedicated skiing community in China. So when it comes to selling lift tickets or chalets, it has been a painful decade for the developers of Chinese ski resorts.