Skiers at National Alpine Skiing Center of China [Photo/China Economic Net]

By Wang Kai

At the National Alpine Skiing Center of China, ski instructor Xin Dawei is welcoming the busiest snow season in his 9-year career.

“My schedule is nearly fully booked with classes each day. The number of instructors here has grown by about a third this year to meet the fast-rising demand, and hiring is still going on,” he told China Economic Net (CEN) reporter.

“Youngsters venture into the snow fields inspired by Winter Olympic super idols such as Eileen Gu and Yiming Su. Many are also driven by their skillful friends or partner. Once the wheels are in motion, the rest will follow,“ he observed.

Riding the Olympic wave, China’s ice and snow sector is expected to exceed the mark of RMB 1 trillion this year, up from RMB 970 billion in 2024, according to a research report on the development of the country's ice and snow industry. In 2015 when China won the bid for the 2022 Winter Olympic Games, the figure was RMB 270 billion.

Younger, more-professional enthusiasts driving up gear demand

On JD.com, a go-to e-commerce platform for Chinese device buyers, sales of ski-related gears in 2024 recorded impressive growth, with sales of ski goggles, snowshoes and snowboards all increasing by more than 80% year-on-year. Even in southern China where snow is rare, sales in Fujian, Anhui, Guangxi, Hunan, and Guangdong provinces surged by over 100%, Mr. Xie Jinhong, person in charge of winter sports sales at JD.com told CEN.

In the current snow season, there is estimated to be over 500 million visits to ice and snow resorts, up from 385 million last season, the ice and snow industry report of China noted.

Mr. Benny Wu, Vice President of Beijing Ski Association and author of 2023-2024 China Ski Industry White Book, told CEN that youngsters make up a significant portion of winter sports participants.

“In Chongli, a small town as one of the host locations of the Beijing 2022 Olympic Winter Games, winter camps are attracting tens of thousands of students compared with merely less than a thousand a few years ago. Skiing schools are also burgeoning in China,” Mr. Benny Wu said.

These enthusiasts are also advancing in skill and ambition. Visits to ski resorts with over 300 height difference registered an increase of 51% y-o-y, reaching 6 million, according to the 2023-2024 China Ski Industry White Book officially released last Friday. This trend is fueling demand for cutting-edge gear like thermal snowshoes, carbon fiber skis, and tint-changing snow goggles.

World’s largest indoor ski facilities for year-round zeal

An indoor ski resorts in China [Photo provided to China Economic Net]

Out of the top 10 most rapidly growing ski related equipment markets in China over the past year, 8 are southern cities, Mr. Xie Jinhong from JD.com highlighted. So far, over 90% of ski gear businesses in China are selling on this platform.

In these warm localities, enthusiasts turn indoors to experience unfamiliar snow fields they rarely saw before, hone their skills before traveling to more distant destinations for outdoor practice, or even make it part of their post- school or work fitness routine.

China has become the world’s largest indoor ski market, home to over half of world’s total and six out of the ten biggest ones globally.

“Breaking the limits of terrain and season, indoor venues offer convenient, round-the-year choices for city dwellers, especially in places where there are few mountains to develop”, Mr. Benny Wu analyzed, highlighting the role of real estate developers at the start of indoor ski boom due to their strength in building urban business complexes.

Lisa Zhang, General Manager of Marketing Department, Bonski, the largest indoor ski resort in southern China, noted that indoor skiing, with an even distribution of visitors throughout the year, has been integrated into citizens’ life. “Sales of family tickets hiked by 66.5% in the past five years, with the number of pre-schoolers escalated by 20 times,” she shared.

Fastest-growing emerging market for international businesses

As the fastest-growing emerging winter sports market in the world, China is capturing both domestic and international investments.

Norwegian brand KARI TRAA, one of the largest women's wool backing shirt sellers in the world, ventured into the Chinese market last year. “Innovation in design is a draw for Chinese consumers, who are already provided with bountiful options from our Chinese counterparts. Young buyers today in China are looking forward to fashionable elements in these functional sportswear,” Mr. Yu, China Regional Manager told CEN.

For international sellers, online retail platforms and social media have become an inevitable marketing base. Mr. Jonathan Brasnett, Trade Commissioner at the Canadian Embassy in China, highlighted this dynamic. “Even though Canada has been tapping into the growth of winter sports in China for years, it's important that our businesses leverage every platform that Chinese young people are flocking to, from JD and Taobao to Douyin and Xiaohongshu,” he said.

With matured markets in the world undergoing a plateau phase, China represents a huge increment for international businesses. Two months ago, China released guidelines to boost the ice and snow economy, aiming to grow it into a 1.2 trillion yuan industry by 2027. Daniel, Founder of iCeMonster, a startup tint-changing snow goggles seller, said that he is shifting his focus from international market to China. “We’re a late comer, but business is going on well,” he said.