A person competes during the Ski Open of the 3rd China Datong Ice and Snow Festival on Dec 12. [Photo/Datong Daily]

The Open Ski Tournament of the 3rd China Datong Ice and Snow Festival opened in the city of Datong in North China's Shanxi province on Dec 12. 

In recent years, skiing has been gaining in popularity, with young people and the elderly being the primary enthusiasts. 

The competition, sponsored by the Shanxi Sport Bureau and Datong municipal government, aims to develop winter ice and snow sport, provide a platform for competition among ski lovers, and promote winter tourism in Datong. 

The competition was open to the general public, and there were preliminaries and finals for alpine skiing giant slalom and veneer parallel giant slalom. 

The city's 200 ski enthusiasts which ranged in age from 6 to 55 took part in the tournament.