Old dog mentors young pups

Veteran Wang showing the way for a new wave of high fliers

With his long braids and an arsenal of high-flying tricks, Wang Lei does not look or act like a man pushing 40.

However, as the first Chinese snowboarder to turn professional about 19 years ago, Wang, who competed at the recent Red Bull Nanshan Open in Beijing, is showing no signs of slowing down and has even embarked on a new stage of his career - helping youngsters master the craft.

"I have been more like a promoter than a rider in recent years and I have gained a lot of coaching experiences in the niche sport," said the 38-year-old. who picked up the sport in 1997.

"I would love to share it with more amateurs as well as the national athletes."

With Beijing winning the rights to host the 2022 Winter Olympics, winter sports' surging popularity, especially the fashionable snowboarding, has received a huge boost, as evidenced by the massive crowds on the final day of the competition at northeastern Beijing's Nanshan Ski Resort on Jan 17.

Still, increased public participation won't necessarily translate into professional success at the elite level due to the lack of accessible training venues and coaching expertise in China, Wang said.

"We need more qualified facilities like Mellow Park in Nanshan to train riders in safe conditions. We have few at the moment," said Wang, who started his career on snow as a ski jumper with the army's sports department.

"And you have to have competent coaches, even from abroad, to make sure the riders train in the right way so as to cut down the injury risks.

"It seems we don't have those two key things in place right now," he said.

A serious shoulder injury sustained in a crash on a sloppy trail during a 1999 practice session ended his skiing career but opened the door to snowboarding, which he had practiced on his own for two years before the injury.

Imported DVDs and training textbooks initially guided him. Now, his own training footage and tips posted online have become an inspiration for up-and-coming Chinese snowboarders.

"I feel like the gap between us and Westerners is narrowing. The event requires great technical skills - just like some sports we do well at, like gymnastics and diving," Wang said.

"I believe we can eventually catch up with the world's best with competent coaching in place."

Wang built his reputation as the sport's guru in China while competing at various World Snowboard Tour events around the world over the past five years and earned endorsements from snowboard brands and ski resorts.

Inspired by Wang, a group of young snowboarders, including He Wei, have benefited from his guidance to compete at even higher levels than their mentor.

He became the first Chinese to reach the final of the Red Bull Open, a WST second-tier slopestyle event, in 2011 before qualifying for the Air and Style, a WST big air contest, in Beijing two years later.

"Wang is like a big brother to us and a role model to look up to. His experience has shown us the way to world events," He said of the veteran's influence.

With China's winter sports governing body unveiling an ambitious plan to develop more snowboarding events, such as big air and slopestyle, Wang said he is ready to take on a coaching role in the national program.

Since 2013, Wang has been running his own summer snowboarding training camp at Beijing's Qiaobo Indoor Ski Resort.

The one-month program attracted 50 enthusiasts last summer.

Locals flocking to the slopes

The Red Bull Nanshan Open, a World Snowboard Tour slopestyle event, usually winds up every year at northeast Beijing's Nanshan Ski Resort as a showcase for foreign riders.

However, with more Chinese riders competing at the event, which concluded its 14th edition on Jan 17, organizers and participants firmly believe local talent will eventually take over from the more experienced foreigners.

"Obviously more people come to ski here than in the past and winning the bid for the (2022) Winter Olympics definitely has something to do with it. More people are becoming interested in snowboarding, which is good," said Steve Zdarsky, founder of the event and venue.

"The gap (between Chinese and foreigners) is still there, but closing. Sooner or later, a Chinese rider will win the contest here. And I believe it will happen before the Olympics," said the Austrian.

During last weekend's event, boarders of all skill sets waited in long lines at the cable car station; a far cry from 15 years ago, when Zdarsky first came to Nanshan and was surprised that nobody was snowboarding here.

Zdarsky called up all the skiers he thought had the ability to snowboard and invited them to a party in early 2003; widely considered the inaugural edition of the contest and which offered a case of beer as the top prize.

Today, the event has become a WST-sanctioned international-level tournament, which attracts all of the world's best slopestyle riders.

Andrew Wang, a New Zealand rider whose parents were from China, has competed at the contest almost every year and still revels in the festive atmosphere.

"The vibe about Nanshan is really different from any other snowboarding competition around the world; it's more about having a good time," said Wang.

"All the riders come here, see China and experience the culture, it's not just about the competition, which is so unique," said the veteran, who finished 15th in the competition, which featured 21 riders.

Although living abroad, Wang said he feels a connection to Beijing, where his family originally came from, and is thrilled the Chinese capital will host the Winter Olympics.

"It's great for the Chinese as it put so much focus on snowboarding and the government will back it as well, which means Chinese snowboarding will grow rapidly in the next couple of years."

sunxiaochen@chinadaily.com.cn