Sliding down a slope, 11-month-old snowboarder becomes internet sensation

SHIJIAZHUANG－As the new snow season starts, enthusiastic skiers and snowboarders can't wait to hit the trails.

Among them is 11-month-old Wang Yuji, who can barely walk. A video of the girl standing on a snowboard and sliding down a hill in Zhangjiakou, Hebei province, went viral on the internet recently.

Fan Xueyin, Yuji's mother, said it was her daughter's first time to try snowboarding.

She said she and her husband were both born in the 1980s, live and work in Beijing, and love outdoor sports such as cycling, camping and running.

They hope Yuji will learn to share those interests.

"Because China will host the Winter Olympics soon, we are really encouraged to try ice and snow sports," Fan said. "Recently, we learned to snowboard for the first time, so we also brought our child, with the mentality of trying something new.

"Our family's philosophy has always been that we encourage our child to do whatever sports we do. We don't choose sports that we don't know how to do ourselves. I went snowboarding with her dad, so we got her a little snowboard too."

They initially considered waiting until Yuji was a little older, but Fan said "she really loved it".

Fan said the family has visited Thaiwoo Ski Resort in Zhangjiakou's Chongli district many times.

"Yuji has got along very well with the staff and neighbors," she said. "Unlike living in the city, it's wonderful for her to be able to play outside three or four hours a day here."

Fan was studying at a college in Beijing in 2008 when the Chinese capital hosted the Summer Olympics, and she said she remembers the splendid atmosphere back then.

"We hope to come back to Chongli again soon to experience the Winter Games," she said.

Zhangjiakou is co-hosting the Games with Beijing.

Xinhua