“What skills should skiing beginners master?” “How should skiing rookies choose their skis?” “How do skiing beginners pick their skiwear?” … Indeed, many first-time skiers face three major challenges: ski gear, resort guides, and skill instruction. Compared to the others, skill practice is the easiest because it’s also where the fun lies, while ski gear, due to its high cost, becomes a barrier for beginners.
How can this issue be resolved? Long Feiyu, a seasoned ski equipment retailer, analyzed that ski gear and protective equipment, due to their specialized applications, have R&D and production costs that are hard to reduce, leading to the high expense of ski gear for users. This is not only a hurdle for beginners but also a challenge for many skiing enthusiasts. “After all, when new products are released, not everyone has the budget to try them out,” Long explained.
Currently, in any ski resort in China, renting ski gear has become the mainstream choice for beginners. Only those who truly fall in love with skiing consider purchasing their own equipment. Yet even among these enthusiasts, most only buy essential gear, and an extremely small number go on to acquire complete accessory sets. This situation prevents the overall consumption scale of ski gear in China from growing and leads to issues such as unhygienic conditions and poor fit, creating safety hazards for skiers. Moreover, uncomfortable skiing experiences drive many first-timers away from the sport.
He said that to address this, Free Zone Ski Equipment Chain has launched a solution called the “Agile Plan” (hereinafter referred to as the “Plan”). It divides ski gear into three experience levels, catering to skiing enthusiasts, beginners, and children. The “Plan” starts with choosing the most suitable gear. Participants first select the gear that best fits them from a choice of new or used items. Thanks to physical stores with a wide inventory, they won’t have to “settle” due to limited options. Next, within the one-year duration of the plan, participants can freely swap different gear and equipment under the same or different packages, and can opt out at any time. The key is that joining the plan allows free access to various ski gear for a year. Upon expiration, the gear is returned, and Free Zone refunds the deposit intact. If participants like certain items, they can keep the selected new gear at a second-hand price. “These methods truly embody the word ‘agile,’ offering more flexible services to skiers,” Long introduced.
As a solution to the entry barriers faced by beginners, this “Plan” not only helps enthusiasts try out the latest ski gear anytime but also enables beginners to overcome the toughest hurdle in skiing. More importantly, it builds user stickiness for the sport, keeping many interested first-timers within the skiing community. “Due to capacity limits, this plan is currently only available to Free Zone members. But as pioneers of a new approach, we hope more industry peers will join in to lower the entry barrier for skiing, boost overall domestic ski gear consumption, and provide more flexible services for skiing enthusiasts,” Long said.