The skiing fervor is shaping a new winter economy (original) (raw)

Tourists take photos at the Lvcongpo Ski Resort in Badong County, Hubei Province, on December 26, 2024 (XINHUA)

Skiing has seen a tremendous surge in popularity in China since the Beijing 2022 Olympic and Paralympic Winter Games.

The China Ski Industry White Paper, compiled by Wu Bin, Deputy Director of Beijing Ski Association, and released in November 2024, brought some exciting numbers. It revealed that skier visits soared to 23.08 million during the 2023-24 season, a 14.49-percent increase from the previous year. The 2023-24 snow season, running from November to March, marked the first full skiing season after Beijing 2022.

For this season, it's predicted that domestic skier visits will exceed 26 million.

Where there are people, there's money to be made. This booming ice and snow industry offers a wealth of opportunities.

Beyond the slopes

The snow industry's boom is fueling growth across many sectors—not just skiing itself. As more people turn to skiing as their go-to vacation activity, everything, from hotels and restaurants to photography services, is seeing a rise in business.

Ski resorts are riding high on the wave of this winter sports roar. According to Trip.com, a leading Chinese travel service provider, domestic ski resort bookings have jumped nearly 20 percent since last November (compared to 2023). The popularity of "hotel plus skiing" packages has made them the go-to choice for most skiers, giving a nice boost to the hotel industry as well. In fact, major group-buying platforms report that hotels near ski resorts are often sold out three days in advance.

Take Wanlong Ski Resort in Hebei Province, for example. When it opened on November 7, 2024, it was flooded with over 1,000 eager skiers on its very first day. According to Meituan, a major Chinese booking and delivery platform, ski resorts like Heilongjiang's Yabuli, Wanlong and Beijing's Jundushan are now trending search terms. The rise in popularity has also sparked a 90-percent increase in searches for ski training, while searches for ski equipment shops have surged by 43 percent. Even ski waxing has become a hot commodity, with group-buying deals for it taking off at lightning speed.

Data from the General Administration of Sport of China indicate that the number of people participating in ice and snow sports in China has continued to climb. During the 2023-24 winter season, some 57.35 million people participated in ice and snow sports, including skating, skiing, curling and ice hockey, with the total number of visits surpassing 100 million.

For ski enthusiasts, snow quality, resort size and service are the top factors when choosing a destination. However, domestic ski resorts still have room to improve in terms of both scale and service.

According to the China Ski Industry White Paper, the number of skiers increased in early 2024, with the average skier taking 1.8 trips—almost back to pre-pandemic levels (1.79). But it's still shy of the 2020-21 peak of 1.91 trips, showing that repeat visits remain low.

The popularity of skiing is expected to drive up demand for and investment in better skiing facilities. Building a top-tier ski resort is a huge investment. Just one advanced cable car can cost millions, with long payback periods. As ski aficionado Xie Zidi, who is from Guangzhou in Guangdong Province of south China, pointed out, many resorts still lack essential facilities, and there's plenty of room to improve transportation and dining services.

Skiing enthusiasts enjoy a fun day on the slopes at the Beidahu Ski Resort in Jilin City, Jilin Province, on November 23, 2024 (XINHUA)

In the spotlight

The public's growing love for ice and snow sports is largely due to the spotlight on ice and snow events. Harbin is set to host the ninth Asian Winter Games in February, featuring a stunning 148 events across four categories, drawing even more attention to the winter sports scene.

This winter, the city of Hulun Buir in Inner Mongolia Autonomous Region is also heating things up, with 16 high-profile events, including the Snowmobile Cross-Country Grand Prix and the National Mass Skiing Challenge, sparking excitement and enthusiasm for all things ice and snow.

In Shenzhen, Guangdong, the Huafa Ice and Snow World project is taking shape and, when completed in 2025, will feature the largest indoor ski resort in the Guangdong-Hong Kong-Macao Greater Bay Area, covering a massive 100,000 square meters.

Meanwhile, in southwest China's Guizhou Province, mountain skiing has become a popular draw, attracting adventure-seekers with its unique combination of high altitudes, low latitudes and frequent fog.

Over in Shanghai, the Yaoxue Ice and Snow World, which opened in September 2024, has become a hotspot for trendy youths and families looking to embrace the winter wonderland.

As ice and snow sports continue to captivate enthusiasts, they're driving a booming ice and snow economy—one that's only getting hotter.

Carving up the powder—in style

In the world of winter sports, a new generation is creating both value and wealth. Most new skiers were born after 1990. Ski instructors, photographers, vloggers, club founders and entrepreneurs are carving out their own paths—many juggling multiple roles.

For ski enthusiasts in Beijing, weekends are a dedicated escape to the slopes. After a week of work, they're quick to jump into carpools or high-speed trains bound for Chongli in Zhangjiakou City of Hebei Province, famous for co-hosting the Beijing 2022 Games. They tend to ski all day, even skipping lunch to maximize every minute on the slopes.

These passionate skiers use words like "freedom," "speed," "airtime" and the ever-popular "you have to experience it to understand." Their commitment to the sport is truly unparalleled.

As more newcomers flock to the slopes, ski resorts are offering beginner programs to attract them. Becoming a ski instructor has become a popular seasonal career, as teaching is now a key selling point. Skiing is more than just strapping on equipment—it's a skill that takes time to master. For example, snowboarding requires mastering the art of edge transition and making clean S turns. Advanced techniques like freestyle and carving often demand expert instruction.

Lin Rui, a coach with five years of experience at a Beijing ski resort, knows that most senior ski instructors are not graduates of professional sports schools but rather elites coming in from very different industries. Whether they come from finance, law or graphic design, when transitioning to ski-related careers, they exhibit strong determination and execution. These individuals often earned good salaries in their previous careers and continue to bring skills from other industries into the skiing sector.

After advancing in skill level, acquiring one's own set of ski equipment becomes essential. For Xie, the long-distance travel to ski resorts is not the biggest expense. Each snow season, she spends over 20,000 yuan ($2,728) updating her gear. Skis, boots and clothing have become the hot trio for skiing enthusiasts. "It's common for a seasoned skier to own several pairs of skis worth tens of thousands of yuan (thousands of U.S. dollars) each," she told Beijing Review.

Moreover, capturing and sharing images of themselves carving up the powder on Xiaohongshu, a wildly popular lifestyle and e-commerce platform, and other socials, is a cherished commemorative practice among skiers.

As skiing increasingly becomes a social skill, outdoor sports cameras like GoPros have also become must-haves for enthusiasts, whether handheld or mounted on their heads.

After all, those photo-worthy cool moments on the slope come with business opportunities. BR

Printed edition: Snow, Speed and Spectacle

Copyedited by Elsbeth van Paridon

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