Time for Winter Sports
Published: Shanghai Talk December 2008
& Beijing Talk, December 2008.
Author: Robbie Burns
The air is crisp, it hits the lungs before you inhale. Breath vapor hangs around as a silent salute to the ice dragons. Goggles in place, boots creak in their bindings and you stretch for one last time, scoping your line for any potential danger. You can hear your heartbeat. The white frozen water crunches beneath your edges and you push off accelerating down the mountain, feeling 100% alive and absolutely loving it. Yeah baby! Winter is here!!
Winter sports are enjoyable for the whole family. Little ones delight in playing in the snow, older kids outdo each other in learning new tricks, Mum or Dad carve up the slopes and a stealing a nip of whiskey and a kiss or two on the chair lift. Winter sports are a lot of fun!
Winter sports are so popular they get their own Olympics.
Frozen land and water is very hard to cross unless you have some form of device. Not counting Snowboarding (invented in the mid 70’s) and Curling (probably invented by some very bored Vikings), the majority of winter sports evolved out of plain ole necessity.
Whether it be a sled, skates, skis or a board, getting around in winter is made easier. Doing it sure is enjoyable, and great for fitness and health.
To cut a long history short, skis that were originally developed for getting from A to B between farms and villages are now going from Y to Z at Super G speeds approaching 200kmh. Today that skier won’t be carrying much grain on their shoulders, but rather the weight of their nations’ fans.
Ice hockey is an undeclared religion in Canada, Scandinavia, Russia and the Baltic States. Ice hockey and skating forms a winter-long bond in thousands of snow bound small towns and villages, where the ice rink becomes the unofficial center of town.
Big games stop Parliaments, turn mothers into “pit bulls,” pay for dentists’ new holiday homes and raise alcohol sales nationwide. Winning a ‘Cup also means that the happy crowd can proceed on a happy, wild, celebratory rampage and burn the town down as a sign of devotion to the Hockey gods.
China, believe it or not, wants to become a hockey nation too. With a third of the country frozen for half a year combined with millions of very cold and bored citizens it makes sense to develop winter sports. Mr. David Yin, chairman of DK Sports, a skate manufacturer, said “the Government realizes we need to get more people skating. The China Sharks beating the Japanese team last week was a real crowd pleaser, and hockey is a very exciting game.”
Beijing has planned 10 new hockey stadiums to be bankrolled by the Sports Bureau. Shanghai is also building three new stadiums, including a massive new home in Pudong for the national team, the NHL linked “China Sharks.” Another great sign for the future of the red-puck was local crowd attendance last week was 4,000+, already exceeding some A league football games.
For snow lovers officially there are more than 200 so called "ski areas" in China.
However just a handful of resorts that come close to resembling a typical “western” ski area. Remoteness, and lack of basic utilities and infrastructure means despite having no shortage of epic mountain ranges it will be ten years or more before China ski industry catches up with the rest of the world.
It is starting to happen. Regional provinces have seen the potential benefit of “white money falling from sky” on otherwise unused frozen farmlands, and there are at least three major, world class and new ski areas under development all due to open by 2012.
Harbin is the place to go for adventure seekers. December brings the famous ice carving festivals and nearby Yabuli ski resort boasts the longest vertical drop and regularly hosts the China ski team. Changbaishan is nearby the North Korean border and around March is the best mountain for powder. A new development in the spectacular Tianshan Mountains near Urumqi is rumored to open in late 2009.
Closer to home nearby Beijing there are several "one lift, one run, one cafe
wonder " resorts most with antiquated lifts and facilities.
Picking the wrong "resort" can mean sitting on a rickety and ultra-slow moving
wooden chairlift for up-to 20 minutes in -15C, just to ski down a short, icy, rocky piste with no cafes and no hot chocolate. It can take the fun out of the sport. Investigate the actual facilities of a particular place before heading on the drive out of town. Don't believe the pictures on their websites and check with friends who ski before going.
There are two mountains that stand out for having modern facilities and guaranteed fun in the snow for the whole family, Nanshan and Dololmities resorts.
An hour’s drive from Beijing, Nanshan resort stands out as the most suitable (and close by) resort for families and hardcore winter heads alike. It is also the hub for snowboarding in China, with a European designed Mellow snow park regularly hosting international and local parties and après ski events.
Mr. Steve Zdarsky is the chief snowboard dude at Nanshan. Steve is in charge of the snowpark and events at the resort.
“It takes effort to build a quality park” said Mr. Zdarsky.
“First there is summer earthworks and landscaping to mould the ground into shape, then you need to make a lot of snow, then shape it busing the piste bullys (giant expensive tractors used for shaping and moving snow). Due to the changing nature of snow, our pro team must shape and maintain the park every day to ensure the obstacles and jumps are safe. We have a beginner’s area too. Every weekend everyone is welcome to join our “Fat Saturdays” for free tips from pro’s, free “uber cool” photography and general all round good fun.”
Nanshan also hosts the international snowboard TTR tour, the Red Bull Nanshan Open on January 10 and 11 with global top pro-riders competing. It’s a winter must-do to go and see how the big guys really do fly.
Dolomities resort is 3 hours drive from Beijing and boasts brand new imported European chairlifts and a custom selected ski mountain. Although current facilities are limited to a handful of hotels (more chalets and hotels are under construction) the layout of the mountain, the overall quality of terrain and European management and planning make it a resort that will keep regular ski bums and families content.
