Press conference held today in Beijing for the establishment of the Yabuli New Zealand International Ski School
On August 18, a press conference for the establishment of the Yabuli New Zealand International Ski School was held in Beijing. This is a collaboration between the Yabuli Ski Resort in Heilongjiangand New Zealand's Rookie Academy, forming China's first international ski training school.
Beijing and Zhangjiakou successfully secured the bid to host the 2022 Winter Olympics, which is expected to engage over 300 million people in China in ice and snow sports. This will undoubtedly bring unprecedented new opportunities for the development of China's winter sports and signals that China's ski industry is about to enter a golden period of rapid growth.
Heilongjiang Province is a major hub for winter sports in China, with over 150 ski resorts and nearly 10,000 ski industry professionals. Whether in terms of the number of ski resorts, the number of professionals, or the number of participants, it ranks among the top in the nation. As China’s largest comprehensive ski resort integrating competition and tourism, the Yabuli Ski Resort currently has 34 beginner to advanced ski runs, totaling 70 kilometers in length. It welcomes over one million ski enthusiasts annually and provides around 150,000 ski instruction services. Establishing a comprehensive ski instructor training system, cultivating technically proficient, high-quality, and skilled ski professionals, planning a new development framework for skiing, and nurturing more talent for the Beijing Winter Olympics are new goals for Heilongjiang’s winter sports development.
The New Zealand Ski Instructors Alliance (NZSIA), founded in 1971, is the national organization responsible for training and certifying ski instructors in New Zealand. Instructors trained by this alliance possess international teaching standards. Rookie Academy (Instructor Novice Academy), established in 1992, is an accredited teaching organization authorized by the NZSIA to train and certify both alpine and snowboard instructors under the NZSIA system. It currently has 12 world-class ski trainers and examiners. With instructors from various national systems such as the Canadian Ski Instructors Alliance, the American Association of Snowboard Instructors, and the British Association of Snowsport Instructors, its teaching system integrates the essence of major international ski training systems, forming a unique approach. Its authority, advancement, and applicability make it the best choice for introducing a ski instruction system to China. Therefore, through coordination by Beijing Antai Snow Industry Investment Management Co., Ltd., the Yabuli Ski Resort of the Heilongjiang Provincial Sports Bureau and the New Zealand Ski Instructors Alliance have joined forces to leverage their respective strengths and establish the Yabuli New Zealand International Ski School.
This is China’s first internationally co-operated ski school and the first ski training institution in China to introduce New Zealand’s internationally leading ski philosophy. Its objectives are, on one hand, to establish a relatively complete set of industry standards and certification systems for ski instruction, training, assessment, certification, and promotion in China. On the other hand, it aims to expand market opportunities for the ski industry in Heilongjiang and provide necessary talent reserves for the 2022 Winter Olympics, supplying more ski professionals.
After its establishment, the Yabuli New Zealand International Ski School will utilize the teaching system and world-class faculty of the New Zealand Ski Instructors Alliance to support the school’s development in both technical and practical instruction. For teaching and training, the focus will be on top-tier international teaching teams supplemented by experienced domestic instructors, with globally recognized certification for all levels achieved by students. In terms of management, the school will adopt the operational model of international professional ski schools, offering a variety of medium- to long-term ski instruction and training programs to comprehensively enhance the overall quality and technical abilities of ski instructors, thereby providing high-quality ski services to skiers. A scientific and comprehensive ski instructor training and evaluation system will be established. Using the Yabuli New Zealand International Ski School as a pilot base, the school will build a platform for international ski technical exchange and interaction, serving the entire country from its base in the province, and providing training services and technical support to ski professionals nationwide.
At the press conference, Guo Mingyu, Director of the Heilongjiang Provincial Sports Bureau, discussed the development of winter sports in Heilongjiang and the collaboration between the two parties. Ren Hongguo, Secretary of the Party Committee of the Winter Sports Management Center of the General Administration of Sport of China and Vice President of the Chinese Ski Association, attended the press conference and delivered a speech. Jonathan Ballou, co-founder of New Zealand’s Rookie Academy, introduced the advantages of the New Zealand Ski Instructors Alliance (NZSIA) and Rookie Academy, as well as future directions for cooperation.
