As winter arrives and the cold winds grow fiercer, the chill brings not only freezing temperatures but also a new ski season—and a thriving ski market.
The "China Ski Industry White Paper" released at ISPO Beijing 2017 provided a set of data:It is estimated that by 2022, the domestic ski population penetration rate will reach 2%, with 26 million skiers, and the annual consumption-side market size of the ski industry will approach 30 billion yuan.—And that’s just the business of ski resorts.
Faced with this ambitious goal, the industry still needs to take steady steps forward. While consolidating its foundations, the ski instruction business has shown significant growth momentum in recent years, with huge market demand—and ski instructors are at a key node in the industry chain.
According to data from SkiChina, the online transaction volume for ski instruction in 2016 was 3.69 million yuan, compared to just 310,000 yuan in 2015. This gap also reflects, to some extent, the market value and demand for ski instructors.
Statistics on the number of ski resorts and skier visits (by SkiChina)
High proportion of first-time skiers, severe shortage of instructors
Comparison of skier visits & number of skiers (by SkiChina)
Skiing started relatively late in China, and the general public has limited knowledge about it. As a result, when participating in skiing, there is relatively high demand for venues, equipment, and instructors—reflecting the current state of skiing in the country.
“China’s ice and snow sports started late but aimed high,” introduced Li Xiaoming, Chairman of the Beijing Ski Association, to reporters. Precisely for this reason, there is a huge shortage of ski instructor talent.
The shortage of instructors is evident every ski season. According to Workers' Daily, during the 2016 New Year holiday, Chongli County received 126,000 visitors, a year-on-year increase of 28.5%.The number of instructors behind this rose from just a few dozen a few years ago to nearly 300—but a shortage still exists.
“There are 300 instructors, which is sufficient for now,” said Xiangzi, an instructor at Wanlong Ski Resort. In addition, they have some holiday instructors to fill in, and the levels are divided into four grades: beginner, intermediate, advanced, and competitive.
A single ski resort requires hundreds of instructors—so where do these instructors come from?It is understood that there are several main sources of instructors: retired athletes, certified professional instructors, entry-level instructors trained by ski resorts, skiing enthusiasts, and specially hired foreign professional instructors. Among them, instructors trained for short-term positions at ski resorts make up the largest proportion.
Instructors from Honghua Academy giving on-site teaching guidance
In addition, due to factors such as cost control, instructional demands, and the instructor training system, the number of top-tier instructors is relatively small.Therefore, many ski resorts initially adopted a model of hiring a large number of localsand using a “master-apprentice” approach. By working as ski instructors, locals can develop the local economy, increase residents’ income, and also alleviate the shortage of ski resort instructors to some extent.
However, this means that the quality of ski instructors is difficult to guarantee. Therefore, ensuring the capabilities of instructors is key to the quality of ski resort services—especially for many beginners and children who ski. Good instructors are especially crucial.
But currently, there are significant gaps in the cultivation of instructors in China.
Qualification certificates lack recognition, no training system exists, and instructor training is full of contradictions
In terms of instructor qualifications, the only certification available domestically is the “Social Sports (Skiing) Instructor” qualification. However, according to reporters, obtaining this certificate is merely a legally required document, and its recognition in China is not high.
“Compared to countries with well-developed ski instructor training systems abroad, China’s ski instructor training system still has a long way to go. Currently, China can only provide beginner-level certification training,” said Gu Maolin, head of Honghua Academy. As a result, many ski instructor training institutions continuously pursue higher-level international ski certifications, including those from Europe, North America, and countries in New Zealand and South America.
Many training institutions in China offer qualification certification services
The low level of domestic certification, coupled with the absence of a domestic ski instructor training system and no relevant authorities setting rules to promote or regulate it, has ultimately led to a shortage of instructors—and high-level instructors are an even scarcer resource. In this context,instructors’ abilities and pricing are determined by the ski resorts themselves, resulting in inconsistency.
Li Xiaoming, chairman of the Beijing Ski Association, said:"The development patterns of winter sports and summer sports are different. To address the shortage of ski instructors, enterprises, governments, and other relevant departments need to work together."Training ski instructors also takes time and follows a step-by-step process.
Moreover, for China—with its vast territory and distinct four seasons—the employment of instructors during the off-season is another major constraint. The seasonal reality means instructors have a unique working schedule, which further defines the talent cultivation model. Xiangzi from Wanlong Ski Resort explained that during summer, most instructors mainly take a break, while a small number with special skills are assigned other jobs.
Reporters learned that internationally certified qualifications have become a key focus for many instructors. For them, such certifications not only signify a higher level of coaching expertise but also meanthat after the domestic ski season ends, these instructors can still travel to the Southern Hemisphere to continue teaching and learning at ski resorts.
In addition, the huge demand is driving the market to seek self-solutions, and many ski instructor training institutions have emerged, partially filling this gap.
Is talent scarcity making coach training a good business?
With such a large shortage of ski instructors, what is the current market situation for coach training? "It’s not profitable yet."Gu Maolin, head of Honghua Academy, told reporters.
Even so, this business model—similar to that of an "agency"—is now relatively well-established. Gu Maolin said his team currently has 10 instructors, all signed and trained by the company, who work at partner resorts when the ski season begins,with monthly incomes ranging from 8K to 20K depending on their specific roles and client base.
When the domestic ski season ends in March or April, Gu Maolin takes his students to partner resorts in New Zealand, where they also engage in learning and exams to improve their coaching skills and continuously refine their teaching methods and lesson plans.
"Sometimes resorts invite well-known international coaches, and we can learn from their experience," Gu Maolin explained. The longest-serving student at his company has been there for three years, while the newest has just started. Through this corporate training model, Honghua Academy has partnered with multiple ski resorts and developed the capacity to train ski instructors.
Domestic ski institution training framework
Today, domestic ski instructor training has developed for 4–5 years. Beyond Honghua Academy, there are dozens of such training organizations, large and small. These companies are targeting not only first-time skiers but also, more importantly, high-spending skiers and youth as their key consumer groups.
From the consumer perspective, skiing is generally divided into experiential skiing and vacation-style skiing, which make up the majority of cases."Basic ski instructors can hardly meet the needs of the latter group or young skiers."Gu Maolin explained.
For resort-style ski areas, vacation skiing drives significant revenue from accommodations, tourism, and related spending, so they highly value training institutions capable of handling vacation skiing and youth instruction.
"The current main goal is to convert beginners into experiential skiers, and the next step is to turn them into skiing enthusiasts."said Li Xiaoming. Taking gradual steps is crucial for the future of China’s ski industry.
For China’s ski industry, which is still in its early stages of development, the value and role of instructors cannot be overlooked. The industry must not only solve the shortage of skilled instructors but also establish a systematic approach to talent development and improve the certification system.
Faced with the huge gap in instructor talent, administrative bodies, ski resorts, and training companies are all coordinating efforts to fill the void. Further resolution of practical issues surrounding winter sports will depend on the growth of the ski market. As more people take up skiing and it becomes a national lifestyle, issues like instructor shortages will find better, more market-driven solutions.
ISPO Beijing 2018, adhering to the core concept of "Accelerating Sports Industry Transformation" for fourteen years, will grandly open at the National Convention Center in Beijing from January 24–27, 2018.Building on the existing strengths in the skiing category, ISPO Beijing 2018 will simultaneously expand into the ice sports sector, integrating ice tourism and service providers in the ice and snow industry—including event organization and training education—to connect upstream and downstream industries and serve the entire sector.
On January 25, 2018, alongside the exhibition, the Asia-Pacific Snow Industry Forum (APSC) will also be held again. The forum will remain committed to promoting healthy development in the ski industry, focusing on talent training and instruction in China’s ski industry, various resort operation models, and informatization. With an emphasis on "safety, sustainability, and talent," it will jointly explore the key to sustainable ski industry growth and provide the industry with ideas for solving problems.
By: Liu Jintao, Sports Industry Ecosystem
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