Ma Liqin is polishing his championship trophy.
The Altay-Kanas Scenic Area is the only settlement of the Mongolian Tuva people in China.
For 800 years, during the seven-month-long winter each year in Kanas, the Tuva people have hunted prey on the high Altai Mountains, wearing ancient fur snowboards and carrying homemade bows and arrows. Over the past 20 years, even after hunting was banned, the Tuva people did not put their fur snowboards away but instead used them as everyday transportation. Since 2008, Tuva herders have achieved outstanding results in local ancient fur snowboard competitions and have won championships at the Xinjiang and even Asian Ski Mountaineering Conferences. Skiing has become a new unifying force for the Tuva people, prompting subtle changes in their mindset.
In 2012, the Tuva people set a new goal: to select Tuva herders to participate in world skiing competitions. This will be an even greater honor for the Tuva people and the strongest proof of the close connection between "skiing" and "the Tuva people."
So, what is the history of the Tuva herders' fur snowboards? How do Tuva herders leave the deep mountains to participate in skiing competitions? What encouragement and support have the Kanas Scenic Area and Hemu Kanas Mongolian Township given to this sport? What profound impact will skiing have on the Tuva people?
Reporters take you to Hemu Kanas in the Kanas Scenic Area to uncover the Tuva herders' dream of becoming world skiing champions.
Nine Skiing Championships in Three Years: Propelling the World Championship Dream
On December 30, 2011, at the Fifth Kanas Ice and Snow Festival and the Fourth "Hemu" Cup Ancient Skiing and Hunting Invitational Competition, Hemu herder Ma Liqin defended his skiing championship title. By then, Ma Liqin had already won nine skiing championships in three years.
Ma Liqin, 33, is an ordinary Tuva villager from Hemu Village. Every generation in his family has produced skilled hunters, and he knows the mountains and waters of Kanas as well as the lines on his own palm. Starting in 2009, Ma Liqin became the pride of the Tuva people. Every Tuva herder mentions Ma Liqin and gives a thumbs-up: Ma Liqin, the skiing champion.
However, Ma Liqin’s path to the championship was not smooth.
On January 16, 2008, the Hemu Kanas Mongolian Township Government sent herders for the first time to represent the Kanas Scenic Area at the Third Ancient Fur Snowboard Competition in Altay. At that time, there were nine teams and 80 athletes from various counties and cities in the Altay region. The Hemu Kanas Mongolian Township competitors did not make the top 10, with Ma Liqin finishing in 18th place.
Ma Liqin said, “At that time, we were like horses just out of the mountains — untrained, chubby, and unable to run fast.”
After that experience, Ma Liqin began to train harder, running at least five kilometers every day. In his words, the goal was to turn himself into a champion racehorse.
On January 3, 2009, the Kanas Scenic Area held its first “Hemu Cup” Ancient Skiing and Hunting Invitational Competition in Hemu. Five teams and 50 athletes from the Altay region participated, and Ma Liqin won the championship. This was Ma Liqin’s first skiing championship. On January 16, 2010, Ma Liqin also won a championship at the Altay Ancient Fur Snowboard Competition.
Each time he won a championship, Ma Liqin received a modern snowboard as a prize. As a result, he has owned everything from single boards and alpine double boards to cross-country double boards.
After returning to the village from competitions, Ma Liqin and other young Tuva villagers would go up the mountain together, bringing both the ancient fur snowboards and modern snowboards to practice more complex skiing techniques.
To explore the skiing potential of the Tuva people, in January 2010, Hemu Kanas Mongolian Township selected 10 herders to go to the Urumqi Silk Road Ski Resort for a 10-day training course in single and double board skiing. During the training period, township leaders learned that the Xinjiang Ski Mountaineering Competition would be held on January 31 and decided to give it a try by sending Ma Liqin and Hu Entai to compete. Unexpectedly, the Tuva herders easily swept the top two spots. From then on, skiing competitions opened a door to the outside world for the Tuva herders.
On March 10, 2011, the Asian Ski Mountaineering Conference, jointly organized by the Asian Ski Mountaineering Federation and the China Mountaineering Association, kicked off, with 48 participants from various Asian countries. Hemu Kanas Mongolian Township secured two spots and sent Ma Liqin and Tuo Hedato to compete. This time, the Tuva herders also represented the Xinjiang team and once again swept the top two spots.
Mr. Liu Hankyu, Chairman of the Asian Ski Mountaineering Federation and Director of the Ski Mountaineering Project at the Korean Alpine Federation, took a strong interest in the two Tuva herders. He said that before this, he had always thought the origin of human skiing was in Europe. Ma Liqin and Tuo Hedato brought their hometown’s fur snowboards, which made him realize that as early as 2005, the international academic community had confirmed through research that “the origin of human skiing is in Altay, China.” This is not only the pride of Ma Liqin’s hometown but also the pride of Asia and, of course, the pride of all skiers.
Li Wenmao, head of the New Projects Department at the China Mountaineering Association, believes that Ma Liqin has the qualities of a professional ski mountaineering athlete. Moreover, athletes who perform well in ski mountaineering in Europe are mostly between the ages of 30 and 40. In recent years, relevant Chinese authorities have been preparing to establish a national ski mountaineering team, and Ma Liqin will be a top candidate. His hometown will also be an important base for selecting ski mountaineering athletes in the future.
Ski mountaineering shares similar principles and race formats with fur snowboard skiing, which helps leverage the Tuva people’s innate climbing advantages and opens a door to world skiing competitions for them. And it is the Hemu Kanas Mongolian Township Government that has pushed open this door.