As the weather turns colder after the Start of Winter, many city residents are starting to think about hitting the ski slopes this weekend. Reporters have learned that although the city has experienced a cold snap and central heating has started early, ski resorts will not open ahead of schedule this year. The earliest ones won’t welcome visitors until late this month.
With a growing proportion of family visits to ski resorts, children have become the most valued customer group for ski resorts this year.
Ski resort prices rise slightly by 10 yuan
In recent days, many residents have begun asking when local ski resorts will open this year. Reporters have learned that although the city recently experienced a sharp cold spell, the past few days have seen ample sunshine and rising temperatures. Although most ski resorts are preparing for snowmaking, the earliest ones won’t open until late this month, and the latest won’t start business until early December.
“Currently, five snowmaking machines are operating, producing 1,000 cubic meters of snow per day,” a person in charge of Shijinglong Ski Resort told reporters. Thanks to its location in Yanqing, snowfall a week ago created favorable conditions for snowmaking. The nighttime temperature on the mountain is now around minus 7°C, meeting the freezing requirements. The resort is expected to open late this month.
“The sunlight is quite strong, and evaporation hasn’t decreased yet, so we need to wait a bit longer. We’re currently testing the snowmaking machines,” the chairman of Jundu Mountain Ski Resort said. The resort is expected to open early next month, and it only takes two days from the start of snowmaking to opening. In addition, HuaiBei Ski Resort, Nanshan Ski Resort, and Yuyang Ski Resort are also currently making snow and are expected to open by the end of this month or early next month.
Reporters learned that compared to last year, when ski resort ticket prices generally rose by 10–20%, this year’s price hikes are relatively modest. Most ski resort tickets are only 5–10 yuan more expensive than last year, with an increase of less than 5%. This is due to higher labor costs this year.
“Snow二代” (second-generation snow lovers) become the biggest revenue draw
“This year, we’ve set up a new children’s care center where kids can learn to ski.” “We’ve launched a children’s playground project and opened new children’s ski runs.” During interviews, reporters learned that this year’s renovation and expansion projects at various ski resorts have all added features such as children’s playgrounds and ski runs, along with many new children’s ski equipment. To ensure the safety of the growing number of child skiers, resorts have also added specialized childcare staff.
A ski resort manager told reporters that ski resorts have been around in Beijing for 10 years now. The first generation of skiing enthusiasts are now parents themselves and often bring their children to the slopes. It’s also the time when the 3–10 age group of “Snow二代” are starting to ski. Therefore, resorts are doing everything they can to attract and retain these young skiers.
However, taking children skiing isn’t cheap. Hiring an instructor for a child for just two hours can cost around 300 yuan, and some children’s ski training classes recruited on outdoor forums charge as much as 600–700 yuan for a single weekend. It seems that children have become a new profit point for ski resorts in recent years.
Top instructors can earn up to 20,000 yuan a month
The rapid increase in skiing enthusiasts has made ski instructors highly sought after. Many ski resorts have to sign contracts with top instructors two to three months in advance. These instructors include retired athletes, teachers or students specializing in winter sports from physical education colleges, and some foreign coaches. For child skiers, resorts also require instructors to have experience in child psychology and education to better communicate with young learners.
According to ski resorts, instructor salaries are based on a base pay plus commission model. Ordinary instructors can earn 3,000–5,000 yuan a month, while top-tier instructors and those offering one-on-one consulting services can earn up to over 20,000 yuan a month.
Reporters learned that starting next year, ski instructors will be included in the national vocational certification examination system. This means that in the future, all ski instructors will work with certification, leading to greater standardization in the profession.