New ski resort for China in growing trend

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• published: 21 Jul 2015
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1. Wide of opening ceremony for the Huaibei International Ski Resort 2. Pan from conductor to drummers in costume 3. Close up of percussionist 4. Official announces the opening of the "Huairou International Ice and Snow Festival" 5. Balloons released 6. Close up on balloons 7. Snow machine releasing snow on hill 8. Mid shot of ski hire facility (sound of Chinese version of "Jingle Bells") 9. Close up of skier with mobile phone 10. Staff renting skis 11. Wide of ski slopes between dry hills 12. People using button lifts 13. Ski instructors skiing 14. People on button lifts 15. Tilt up from skis to person on button lift 16. Skiers using button lift 17. Skiers at the resort 18. SOUNDBITE: (Mandarin), Chen, telecommunications businessman: "Judging from the current situation, our ski resorts are not as good as the ones in the other countries but generally speaking, it's okay, it's alright." 19. Pan of woman skiing 20. Tracking shot from skis to resort (skier's perspective) 21. UPSOUND: Man shouting "Get out of the way !", stopped by helper 22. Girls watching the skiing 23. SOUNDBITE: (Mandarin) Lei Dan, nurse: "This year, the ski resorts are getting larger and people's skiing skills are improving." 24. Instructor teaching novice 25. Pan of skier on the slope 26. Skier helped to stop 27. Skier moving backwards then falling, helper comes to his aid STORYLINE: Beijing's ski season got off to an early start this December, even before much snow had fallen on the Chinese capital. At the far outskirts of the city, some two hours drive to the northeastern Huairou district, a new ski resort has opened. Overlooked by the Great Wall and nestled among the mountainous terrain of Huaibei County, visitors were welcomed with the usual loud and colourful ceremony that comes with the opening of a new business. Machines provide the artificial snow used to line the pistes in Huaibei International Ski Resort. Beijing already has a handful of ski resorts built on the wave of the sport's increasing popularity. The new resort hopes to attract around two thousand visitors a day, it's lined up three thousand sets of skis and ski boots for hire. In the past, winter sports in Beijing amounted to no more than ice skating over frozen lakes and rivers. Now skiing and snowboarding have been added to the list of recreational pastimes. The brown hills that surround this new resort offer a glimpse of how difficult it must have been to create and maintain the snowy track. But the mobile phone-carrying middle-class Beijingers who make up the majority that make the journey, keen to test their skills on the gentle slopes, justify the investment. For many it's a case of "easier said than done" but a team of instructors are on hand to offer help. Using the tricky button lifts could require a set of skills of its own. Fun is the operative word here. Huaibei International Ski Resort may sound impressive, but for visitors like Mr Chen, it doesn't quite live up to standards found in more established destinations abroad. The hard snow may make some novice skiers nervous at their first attempt, but a day here is definitely a welcome break from the Beijing bustle. The resort plans to hold skiing competitions and build a twenty thousand square meter ice rink. You can license this story through AP Archive: http://www.aparchive.com/metadata/youtube/f65a1e8c0ea91cd405e3a686983fe0e8 Find out more about AP Archive: http://www.aparchive.com/HowWeWork