Living in a subtropical climate, the idea of skiing feels as unimaginable to many people as traveling to outer space. Will it be too cold? Will I twist an ankle? Will I break a leg? A series of doubts and fears have kept ski tourism a niche market. Coach Chen Yongde, who has taught thousands how to ski, says optimistically: “Give me three days, and I can teach you from scratch. When you can turn on the snow, you’ll be smiling with pride.”

■A Completely Different Travel Pace

The petite Coach Ah De is a godfather figure in Taiwan’s skiing community. He started skiing at age 14 and has been at it for over 30 years. He says: “Up to now, two-thirds of my life have been spent skiing.” Because of skiing, he couldn’t become a stable office worker. Although he once worked in a corporate job, he often took time off to ski and eventually decided to quit, choosing instead to work in a ski-related field. Because of skiing, he met his wife, “Little Dot,” and also opened an outdoor shop, “Ski All Over the World,” which offers the most comprehensive selection of ski gear in Taiwan, at the request of fellow ski enthusiasts. “It seems my whole life has been shaped by skiing,” Ah De says with a smile.

Like most Taiwanese skiing pioneers, Ah De’s first skiing experience was on Hehuanshan Mountain during middle school. “Back then, it felt really tough. First, you had to hike 9 kilometers from Dayuling to Hehuanshan, and you were already exhausted before even skiing. There wasn’t much snow on Hehuanshan, and what there was was wet and sticky—super hard to ski on. To be honest, after one run, I didn’t want to ski again.”

Ah De says, both annoyed and amused. The next year, he reluctantly went back to Hehuanshan with his sister and suddenly had a breakthrough. At this not-so-great ski resort, he discovered the joy of skiing—the thrill of turning, the sensation of speed—making him fall in love with the sport. He even stayed on the mountain to work as a coach. He says it’s a one-way journey; anyone who’s skied gets hooked. Skiing lets you experience winter in a different light and brings a new pace to mountain travel.

■Ski Trips: Flying High with the Whole Family

Starting with Hehuanshan, Ah De has skied all over the world—sliding across the snow in South Korea, Japan, Europe, and South America. Thanks to the thriving ski culture abroad, along with well-designed slopes and great snow conditions, Ah De says that skiing overseas is like a vacation—it’s incredibly enjoyable. Compared to Hehuanshan’s slopes, the ones abroad are simply paradise. But because he learned to ski on Hehuanshan, he holds a special place in his heart for it.

Ah De points out that the reason many people in Taiwan are unfamiliar with skiing is mostly due to lack of exposure. Many assume skiing is only for athletes, but in temperate countries, it’s often a national pastime. Kids in northern regions usually start skiing around the ages of three or four.

Learning to ski adds a new dimension of fun to travel, Ah De says. Skiing is a way of traveling and an accessible outdoor activity. Once you learn to ski, your travel world expands. Ah De’s family of four are all skiing enthusiasts. His daughter started skiing at age four, and every winter and summer vacation, the whole family heads out to ski. He says ski trips make for great family travel—parents and kids gliding down the slopes together. Parents feel a great sense of accomplishment, and the kids have a blast.

(For more travel reports by Huang Liru, visit

http://blog.chinatimes.com

/nomad)