"Any competitor who dares to unleash youthful energy in the halfpipe is a brave soul." As the 12th National Winter Games' snow events near their conclusion, yesterday's men's and women's team snowboard halfpipe competition became one of the few remaining highlights in the snow sports section. Athletes flipped and twisted mid-air, striking ultra-cool poses that drew loud cheers. Self-proclaimed "skiing video fanatic" Du Haijun was just as tense and busy as the athletes, continuously filming the event with his DV and even jumping into the halfpipe to ski alongside the competitors while shooting—becoming a unique spectacle on the field. He stated, "There are basically no people in China who shoot like I do. I do tracking shots, and most subjects don’t even notice me. Moreover, such a fun and visually appealing event would be a shame not to capture dynamically."
Hugely popular
Video garners over a thousand views overnight
"So cool, so awesome." On the 9th, shortly after the snowboard halfpipe competition at the 12th National Winter Games' snow venue ended, exciting footage of the event appeared online. Surprisingly, the video followed the athletes’ movements seamlessly, capturing every detail. Posted online overnight, the clip garnered over a thousand views, leaving many netizens puzzled—how was it shot?
According to reports, the creator of these videos is Du Haijun. On the 11th, he returned to the venue to continue filming. "I’m not shooting for any specific person; I film whoever performs well. I’ve shot more of kids like Li Shuang and Cai Xuettong," Du Haijun told reporters. Yesterday’s halfpipe team event saw Du wearing a competition suit and following skiers down the course with his DV, capturing the entire event through tracking shots—the secret behind the impressive footage. "My specialty is tracking shots; most subjects don’t notice me. I can’t track during official competitions, but the warm-ups are just as good."
Dedicated
Four improvements to his filming gear
Du Haijun explained that he is from Kouqian, Jilin, and currently works as a full-time photographer at the Beidahu Ski Resort. Formerly in education, he left the profession due to its time constraints and turned to photography, a childhood passion. During the 2007 Asian Winter Games, Du brought his camera to Beidahu to film the competitions and was immediately drawn to sports as a subject. "At first, I helped some skiing enthusiasts take photos, but later I found dynamic footage more captivating, so I switched to DV," said Du.
Du noted that there are hardly anyone else in China who films like he does. "Maybe my equipment can’t compare to others’, but I have my own inventions." He showed reporters the aluminum protective casing around his DV. "I’ve improved it four times. Now, holding it protects the device, and most importantly, it ensures stable tracking shots even while skiing. It’s comfortable to hold and can even protect the machine if it accidentally falls during motion. That’s why I call myself a 'skiing video fanatic.'"
Accident
Once knocked unconscious while filming
"My work isn’t limited to snowboarding—I cover other skiing events too." Though many may not recognize the name Du Haijun, online dynamic shots credited to "Shendu" are his. "Tracking shots are just a hobby for me." Despite his ease in controlling speed on snow while filming, Du admitted he’s been skiing for less than four years.
"I only started learning to ski to do tracking shots." This unique hobby has led to numerous injuries. "It’s not easy to focus on framing while also watching the terrain ahead. I remember last year in Changbai Mountain, while filming some skiing enthusiasts, I got so caught up in shooting that I didn’t watch where I was going and crashed into a large snowdrift. I was sent flying and landed on my back with a heavy lens. I blacked out completely and woke up minutes later, not knowing what had happened. The lens was shattered, my back was in agony, and it took days to recover. It was terrifying."
Wish
Promote snow sports widely
Du Haijun admitted he does all this to help expand and popularize ice and snow sports. Currently, China is in its second decade of skiing development. "China’s snow sports have seen qualitative improvements, with promising prospects. Participation is growing yearly, and I hope my videos can contribute to promoting snow sports." Thanks to the uploaded tracking footage, many have reached out to him. "They’re all skiing enthusiasts—some want videos for keepsakes, but more use the footage to correct their techniques. It helps promote and popularize skiing, which makes me happy."
Du specifically mentioned the halfpipe event: "In terms of excitement, halfpipe may not match freestyle aerials, but it’s more accessible to the public. Such a fun and impressive sport deserves dynamic coverage to let more people feel its athletic charm through the internet."
● Winter Highlights • Event Reports
Men’s 4x10km Cross-Country Skiing Relay
Changchun Team Wins Bronze
On the 10th, the 12th National Winter Games’ snow section awarded five gold medals. In the snowboard halfpipe team event, the Harbin team dominated, taking both men’s and women’s titles. No local teams competed in this event.
Additionally, in the men’s 4x10km cross-country relay, the Harbin team defeated the strong PLA team to claim gold, while the Changchun team earned bronze. In the women’s 12.5km mass start biathlon, PLA’s Tang Jialin won gold. In the men’s 15km mass start biathlon, PLA’s Zhang Chengye took the top spot. Notably, as double-count athletes, Tang and Zhang contributed one gold medal each to our province’s Baishan and Tonghua regions.
