Dry slides at Nanshan Ski Resort
We are entering an era of “Comfort Beyond Ski” (where comfort outweighs skiing itself). Ski resorts around Beijing such as Nanshan and Yuyang have launched vacation packages, and this year Chongli is also heavily promoting “post-ski entertainment...”
In the view of Ma Chunye, general manager of Wanda Changbai Mountain International Resort, in the earlier “ski enthusiast era,” skiers might endure all kinds of inconvenient transportation just to ski—they could sleep on heated brick beds or eat instant noodles—as long as they found snow to ski on. This kind of simplicity was tailored for the thrill of the sport, but it wasn’t truly a skiing vacation lifestyle.
A skiing vacation life should not only offer the passionate experience of the sport but also allow people to fully enjoy the beautiful moments of leisure... On the snowy peaks, arrange a row of yellow lounge chairs, drape them with blue blankets, lie quietly here with your loved one, facing the endless sea of clouds, gazing at the vast Changbai Mountain in the distance, and basking in the winter sunshine.
Yi Wei, who works and lives in Beijing and is a skiing enthusiast, often takes advantage of weekends to enjoy a skiing vacation in Chongli. “Staying one night at the resort and skiing for two days—that’s what a real skiing vacation is all about.”
He Ping, chairman of Beijing Junshan Ski Resort Co., Ltd., introduced that skiing has become a lifestyle for young people in Beijing during winter. Many skiing enthusiasts can ski up to 70 times in a single season, and they also go skiing in places like Changbai Mountain during holidays. However, he believes that those who truly know how to ski are still in the minority—about 10%, while the remaining 90% are beginners. The Beijing skiing market is more focused on entry-level experiences.
“Now, there’s another change in the Beijing tourist market—more and more people choose to stay overnight at ski resorts. There are either villa-style, hotel-standard rooms or youth hostels designed for young people attending winter camps.” Ski resorts have gradually developed into vacation areas. In addition to skiing, supporting facilities such as wooden cabins, specialty dining, and ski schools have been continuously improved. Skiing has also become a form of vacation in the eyes of the public. For example, near Xiaotangshan in Changping, Beijing, there is a concentration of hot spring resort hotels, and Junshan Ski Resort is conveniently located within the hot spring resort area. It’s very easy to get from the ski resort to hot spring hotels like Jiuhua Mountain Villa and Longmai.
For many families, skiing is more of a leisure activity. Many ski resorts have built snow play and snow fun parks suitable for family outings. Resorts have also started to provide professional ski instructors. Industry insiders say that some instructors at ski resorts around Beijing are retired ski athletes, while others are skiing enthusiasts who became instructors after training. The quality and qualifications of instructors vary, but they generally meet the needs of beginner skiers.
Wang Tianshu from the Switzerland Tourism Board believes that compared to Switzerland, “the market around Beijing is mainly aimed at beginner skiers.” In Switzerland, an entire mountain might be a ski resort village—once you’re in the mountains, everything from skiing and accommodation to dining is available, and there are no restrictions on skiing time or number of runs.
Swiss people use weekends to ski for a day at nearby resorts, but during annual ski holidays or Christmas breaks, they head to ski hotels in the mountains. In Switzerland, every ski resort has professionally certified ski instructors. There is a dedicated ski instructor association in Switzerland, which gathers instructors at the start of each ski season to provide training, updating them on the latest trends and precautions for the year.