Nationwide enthusiasm fires up sector's radiant prospects
Li Song, a snowboard fan in his 30s, practices at Nanshan Ski Resort in Beijing in January. (PHOTO PROVIDED TO CHINA DAILY)
Li Song, a marketing executive in Beijing, started to learn snowboarding late last year. He shows his enthusiasm for the hobby the moment he steps on a board.
"A few trips down the slopes exhilarate me. I enjoy the speed and the wind on the mountain," Li said. "Snowboarding is a very awe-inspiring sport. It is about concentrating, taking a risk and facing fear."
It is such a pleasant surprise to see our business booming, encouraging us to be optimistic about how we perform this year.
Lai Gang, founder of Goski, a ski application and an online community for ski-ers and snowboarders
Soon, instead of relying on rentals, he bought his own jacket, goggles, bindings, boots and a snowboard from Burton, a leading snowboard brand from the United States, for about 20,000 yuan ($3,162).
With more people joining in snow sports, leading ski and snowboarding brands are in hot pursuit of the market.
"It was crazy at the store," said Li, in his 30s, describing the difficulty he experienced in locating the gear he wanted. "Popular bindings are quickly sold out. Sometimes it takes a month of waiting to obtain a lot of the snowboarding equipment."
Li has made 15 visits to Nanshan Ski Resort, one of the largest ski destinations in Beijing, which is about 90-minute drive for him.
He also uses Goski, a leading ski application and an online community used by about 1.5 million skiers and snowboarders, where they can log their activity. Li has accumulated a total distance of 60 kilometers of snowboarding and is able to handle intermediate-level trails and slopes.
Wei Lixin, a snowboarding coach in Songhuahu, a renowned ski resort in Jilin province, said the success of gold medalists Su Yiming and Gu Ailing in the Beijing 2022 Winter Olympics has also pushed enthusiasm for winter sports to a new level. Also, the scale of public participation has boosted coaching and tourism businesses at ski resorts nationwide.
"This winter season, I've seen an unprecedented number of visitors, four or five times at least the number of visitors to the resort last year," said Wei, 37, who is known as Black Heart K on social media. His account has nearly 1 million followers. The veteran coach makes 1,000 yuan an hour and works four hours a day, offering snowboarding lessons to groups and individuals. Skiers have to book Wei's lessons a month in advance.
Consumers browse sportswear at a Goski Originals store in Jilin, Jilin province, in January. (PHOTO PROVIDED TO CHINA DAILY)
Wei said many young enthusiasts prefer to buy their own apparel and equipment, costing between 20,000 yuan and 30,000 yuan, even before they step out onto the snow.
Gear sales of the 2021-22 winter season until end-January had grown 51.9 percent year-on-year. Tickets to ski resorts had grown 131.5 percent and to ski tourism sites 95.2 percent, according to information from the Ministry of Commerce, gathered from key e-commerce platforms in China.
The Olympic Games have played a tremendous role in boosting the snow sports business in particular, said Lai Gang, founder of Goski.
"When talking about winter sports, people usually talk about ice here," Lai said. "Now almost everyone in the country knows about snow sports, thanks to the outstanding performance of snowboarders and skiers during the Games."
He said Goski's revenue－generated by Cold Mountain, its retail network for winter sports apparel and gear, and Goski Originals, its ski gear and clothing line－had soared at least 50 percent year-on-year in 2021. The growth rate was 80 percent during the Spring Festival holiday, which this year coincided with the Games.
"It is such a pleasant surprise to see our business booming, encouraging us to be optimistic about how we perform this year," Lai said.
Goski is opening new stores in eastern and southern China, where there are more indoor ski resorts, and developing new production lines amid Lai's meetings with institutional investors during the Games. "The winter sports industry is the hottest investment area this year," he added.
The prosperity of the snow sector is also propelling the expansion of the US-based snowboard brand Burton, which has sponsored leading snowboarders including Shaun White and Su Yiming.
In the snowboarding sector, the top five most popular brands during last year's Double 11 shopping event included Burton and Nitro, with domestic brand Nobaday ranking No 8, according to an e-commerce report released by research institute Ebron.
The company reported that sales performance was good for the whole snow sports industry in China.
"We will open several direct-to-consumer stores in different cities this year, adding to our existing and online stores," according to a statement from Burton. "We will also open Burton Academy, which is focused on training, coach certification and customized experiences."
The company said it has plans to expand its reach to more consumers in China by rolling out more products and services based on characteristics of local consumers and the local environment. It said it will consider features like resorts, weather and different consumer needs to provide the most comprehensive and best sports experience it can for local consumers.
The company said it focuses on creating more opportunities with consumers by leveraging Burton Academy and offering holistic experiences to consumers to bring more people into the sport.
Lai of Goski sees a rosy picture for winter sports, fueled by a large number of urbanites who have not yet gotten out on the snow. That creates opportunities for domestic brands to advance quickly, including those in southern China who are becoming more interested in experiencing cold season sports.
However, challenges remain for domestic ski gear manufacturers and sellers, Lai said. It will require more research and development to achieve technological advances, as well as to cultivate a culture of helping skiers and snowboarders gain a sense of brand value, he said.
wangzhuoqiong@chinadaily.com.cn