The World’s First Alpine Checkpoint Skiing Competition
China Sports Venue Association “Between Venues” Series Events and
Bank of China Credit Card International Alpine Checkpoint Skiing Open
Grandly Launches in Beidahu Globally !
On January 19, the world’s first alpine checkpoint skiing competition — the Bank of China Credit Card International Alpine Checkpoint Skiing Open, part of the 2019 China Sports Venue Association “Between Venues” Series Events — successfully commenced at the Beidahu Ski Resort in Jilin Province.
The competition attracted over 300 participants and more than 100 teams from both China and abroad with its innovative format blending competition and strategy. After four hours of intense racing, the Colombian team won first place in the public group by a narrow margin of 17 seconds, while the Sunshine Ski Team claimed the family group championship with an overwhelming lead of over 50 minutes over the second-place team.
This series of events is co-hosted by the China Sports Venue Association and the Chinese Ski Association, supported by the China Center for Urban Development and Reform, and organized by Huati Dongshi (Beijing) Sports Culture Technology Co., Ltd. The event is divided into three legs: Beidahu serves as the global kickoff, the second leg will be held on February 23 in Yabuli, Heilongjiang, and the finals will take place on March 9 at the Wanlong & Genting Ski Resort in Zhangjiakou, Hebei.
The four-hour competition features two categories: public group and family group. To deliver both the thrill of speed and the fun of checkpoint navigation, the public group includes 8 mandatory checkpoints and 17 optional ones, while the family group has 8 mandatory and 8 optional checkpoints. The cumulative skiing distance for the public group reaches around 50 kilometers.
As the title sponsor, Bank of China Credit Card brings its successful experience in winter sports to this event, leveraging its strengths to support brand building and team recruitment. Additionally, the bank is actively promoting the development of a winter sports commercial ecosystem, offering exclusive benefits such as hotel discounts and lift ticket deals at major ski resorts nationwide including Beidahu and Songhua Lake, contributing to the national goal of getting 300 million people involved in snow sports.
Leaders and guests attending the opening ceremony included Guo Lina from the China Sports Venue Association, Wang Chenyu, Deputy Director of the Urban Finance and Culture & Sports Department at the China Center for Urban Development and Reform, Liu Zhengtao, Deputy Section Chief of the Contract Management and Brand Protection Division under the Market Development Department of the Beijing Winter Olympics Organizing Committee, Wang Ya, Vice President of Bank of China Jilin Branch, Qu Shengchao, Senior Manager of Bank of China Card Center, Barbora Mao Zining, Deputy Director of the Economic Section at the Czech Embassy in China, Ma Yishan, Director of the Winter Sports Support Center of the Jilin Provincial Sports Bureau, Wei Hongxia, Executive Deputy Secretary-General of the China Enterprise Sports Association, Liu Xiaoshan, Chairman of the Beidahu Ski Resort, and Shen Lianchun, Deputy General Manager of Wanlong Resort, among others.
According to the organizing committee, the participating teams were impressively star-studded, including officials from the Czech Embassy in China, individual members of the Peking University Mountaineering Eagle Club, China’s national champions in mountaineering skiing, members of the snowboard national team recruited across disciplines, and top skiers from China’s largest ski club, 1031. For instance, Xinde Tao, who won the public group championship, is a vertical speed champion in China’s mountaineering skiing. Wang Yang and Zhang Na are triathlon champions. The winning family group included a father and son duo from Liaoning — veteran skiers — with their 12-year-old son already making a name for himself in various skiing competitions.
It was revealed that the champions of the Beidahu leg would receive a free VIP package for direct entry to the finals at Wanlong Genting, valued at over 5,000 yuan. The team most likely to win the family group championship, “Hope from the Village,” composed of three 15-year-olds, had to withdraw during the race after assisting an injured skier. To honor their admirable spirit and compensate for their inability to finish, the organizers decided to grant “Hope from the Village” direct entry to the finals.
Zhang Peng, head of the event’s organizing team, explained that alpine checkpoint skiing is the world’s first innovative cross-country event that merges alpine speed skiing with checkpoint navigation. Teams compete in this new format that blends competition and strategy, which has gained immense popularity among skiing enthusiasts and cultivated a loyal fan base. The family group is especially well received, with most participants signing up as entire families. Though registration was capped at 300, actual interest exceeded a thousand. Zhang noted that over the years, checkpoint skiing has become one of the most beloved non-competitive skiing events in China. Moreover, its unique challenge and appeal have attracted many international participants, prompting plans for an overseas leg this season at the invitation of European countries, currently in preparation.
With spots in high demand, the China Sports Venue Association “Between Venues” Series Events – Bank of China Credit Card International Alpine Checkpoint Skiing Open has quietly emerged as a popular skiing competition and stands out as a top-tier, innovative skiing event IP in China.
Registration for the second leg of the 2019 China Sports Venue Association “Between Venues” Series Events – Bank of China Credit Card International Alpine Checkpoint Skiing Open, the Yabuli leg, will soon open. Stay tuned.
Information:
Brief Introduction to Participation and Registration for the International Alpine Checkpoint Skiing Open
Participants must complete all checkpoint punches in the shortest time possible. Checkpoints are scientifically positioned at various elevations near ski runs. There are two types of checkpoints: mandatory and optional. All team members must complete the mandatory checkpoints, while any single member can punch an optional one. The race has a 4-hour cutoff, and teams finishing all checkpoints within this time are deemed to have completed the course. The final time is based on the last team member’s finish. Detailed rules follow international orienteering standards.
The event is open to all skiing enthusiasts with zero barriers to entry. There are three categories: elite, public, and family. The elite category is for advanced skiers, requiring at least one female team member. The public category is for intermediate to advanced skiers, also requiring one female participant. The family category is designed for families and parent-child groups; any team with at least one member under 16 years old qualifies as a family team.