First of all, I’d like to thank the Dragon Moderator and Coach Liu Ji for organizing this open lesson—what a great learning experience. I also want to thank everyone from Kamen for their enthusiastic cooperation and service. They sacrificed their precious skiing time to guide us throughout, handle filming and editing, and provide support. Their characters are simply top-notch. I also appreciate Kamen Station for offering such a relaxed and enjoyable atmosphere for everyone to learn, listen to guidance, share experiences, and most importantly—free food and drinks. I hope there will be events like this every week, every month, every year...

Many fellow skiers have already shared detailed and thoughtful reflections on this teaching session, with well-written summaries. I won’t repeat what’s already been said. The general technical requirements are the same, and you can definitely refer to others’ notes and practice accordingly. Coach Liu’s individual feedback and suggestions are probably best absorbed personally. Here, I’ll share my preferred methods for improving skiing skills based on this training.

First, I believe Coach Liu Ji’s approach—having each participant ski individually and receive personalized feedback—is the most effective way for us skiers to improve. It’s far more targeted than generic beginner courses that start with basic drills. This helps us identify our main issues and work on them specifically. Coach Liu has rich teaching experience, spots problems accurately, and suggests tailored exercises and solutions. He also excels at understanding and answering questions phrased in our own ways, covering almost any theoretical or practical skiing issue we common skiers might have.

Second is humbly accepting advice from senior skiers and experts. What may seem like casual comments to them could actually pinpoint our current bottlenecks—the very things we most need to know and that offer the greatest help. Throughout my learning journey, the Dragon Moderator, Niwa, Lao Pu, Madina, Lao Mi, Pi Xie, Xiao Lei, Chef, YuerHe, and of course Coach Liu Ji (no particular order, just roughly chronological), have all given me such crucial help.

Third is recording video footage and analyzing it closely. This is especially important for understanding your skiing posture, identifying flaws, and comparing your progress. Admittedly, this can be a bit of a luxury—so again, thanks to all the brothers at Kamen for their selfless support. Back when I only skied at Shijinglong about four or five years ago, I felt really good about my skills—until I saw a video and was completely crushed—my form was terrible, and there were so many issues. Now, I try to record video once or twice a year, and each time I spot areas for improvement. Just listening to friends isn’t as effective—you can’t see your own movements or compare them to those of skilled skiers. The on-the-spot videos from Kamen this time were super clear. Playing them in slow motion or frame-by-frame made it easy to spot issues I normally overlook (like my left turn where my right shoulder lags, or my uphill leg being out of sync during right turns).

Fourth is participating in group activities with a small team of like-minded people, exchanging ideas and improving together. Beyond expert advice, this kind of group dynamic allows for more frequent discussions and quicker problem identification. Such a group also makes video recording and other requests feasible. Over the years, skiing regularly with Niwa and Pi Xie has allowed me to exchange technical and gear insights, meet more skilled skiers, and broaden my perspective. Skiing truly isn’t something you can master in isolation—regular communication not only helps improve technique but also boosts enthusiasm for the sport. The brotherly bond among Kamen members and their generally high skill level are surely connected. I’ve also heard and seen many skiers lose interest after hitting a plateau, switching from single to double skis or vice versa, changing styles, or even quitting altogether. For me, if I hadn’t met Niwa and the Dragon Moderator while filming at Shijinglong, then joined them in Chongli, and later hung out with Pi Xie, I probably would’ve lost motivation due to lack of progress.

Also, it’s important to develop your own style. Everyone’s physique, talent, balance, coordination, and personal goals differ—even if you deliberately imitate an idol, your end result won’t be exactly the same. I admire the styles of many skilled skiers: Coach Liu Ji’s clean, powerful wide turns and fierce, commanding tight turns; Xiao Lei’s boldness; Solong’s grace—and many others I won’t list one by one. I also enjoy all the styles shown by instructors in those Canadian CSIA videos. But no matter how much I study, practice, or imitate, I may never reach the same level. Also, different experts and coaches may interpret the same technique differently—sometimes even vastly. For example, a Canadian veteran I met yesterday insisted on always facing downhill, regardless of slope or turn, which is quite different from what we usually hear. I believe there’s no absolute right or wrong. Finding a style that you understand, can apply effectively, and enjoy—skiing smoothly, safely, and beautifully down the slopes—is your own success.

I loved Saturday’s teaching session, greatly admire Coach Liu Ji’s professionalism, and hope to run into him and learn from him more often on the slopes. I also like Kamen Station’s vibe and positioning, and hope they organize more events to provide a great space for technical enthusiasts to connect and improve, helping amateur skiers level up.

Lastly, a small request to the Dragon Moderator: please organize more free teaching events—my biggest wish is for a continuous supply of top coaches, weekly free sessions, and me getting picked every time... Is that too much to ask?