Enthusiastic skiers snowboard at Taiwei Ski Resort in Hohhot, Inner Mongolia autonomous region, on Nov 10. WANG ZHENG/FOR CHINA DAILY

Amid widespread concerns about the stagnation of snow sports around the world, China is developing into a beacon of confidence for the industry. While established markets in Europe and North America are struggling with stagnant growth, China has greatly increased participation and interest in winter sports, becoming a strong lifeline for the global snow sports industry and the community of 150 million enthusiasts.

Over the past 15 to 20 years, China has experienced tremendous market dynamics, accompanied by a remarkable structural change. According to the 2024 International Report on Snow & Mountain Tourism by Swiss consultant Laurent Vanat, the number of skiers and snowboarders in China surged from 13 million during the 2017-18 winter season to 36 million in the 2022-23 season, establishing China as the world's leading consumer market for winter sports. This was undoubtedly due to the Beijing 2022 Winter Olympics, which set a huge trend for winter sport topics in the media and encouraged the participation of more than 300 million people in winter sport activities.

But will the Chinese snow sports industry, especially the ski market, develop further and register sustainable growth?

At the Central Economic Work Conference held in December in Beijing, President Xi Jinping emphasized that "active efforts should be made to develop ... ice and snow economy". From an external perspective, there are also tangible indications that make us optimistic about the Chinese market and the industry.

Figures show that China has been incredibly successful in generating a huge number of winter sport enthusiasts, particularly skiers and snowboarders. It has more than 700 ski resorts, the highest in the world. However, only 33 of these ski resorts offer more than 300 meters of vertical drop and only 176 are equipped with aerial lifts. In contrast, more than 75 percent of the 50 world's largest and most frequented ski resorts are in the Alps, including 13 each in Austria and France.

At the same time, Chinese skiers are becoming more experienced and demanding. To keep them in the sport, increase customer lifetime value and generate sustainable revenue for the domestic snow and tourism industry, the range and quality of ski resorts should evolve.

Alpine ski resorts have been going through this transformation process for several decades, with even large resorts with many lifts and slopes being technically connected to huge ski destinations.

Ski resorts have teamed up to form even larger ski associations, offering hundreds of lifts and hundreds of kilometers of slopes with a single ski pass. Examples include Dolomiti Superski in Italy and Ski Amade in Austria. This process has been driven by two factors. One is the need to offer more variety and customer value to attract more customers. The other is the recognition that a balanced combination of competition and cooperation will ensure optimum market development and stable growth for the industry.

In the Alps, this process has already reached a certain limit. In China, it began in the middle of the previous decade and will undoubtedly continue. Personally, I have visited Chinese ski resorts many times, witnessed unparalleled development and identified obvious and diverse opportunities for further growth. One of these lies in cooperation between various players in the market, with the aim of increasing the number of customers and adding value to the industry.

A great opportunity is the link between the growing number of indoor ski domes near the densely populated agglomerations in central and southwestern China and the numerous ski resorts in the northern and other more "alpine "parts of China. The 60 ski domes, against only five in 2015, offer immediate and year-round skiing opportunities, and are a great breeding ground for multiplying participants in areas where snow sports are not usually native due to climatic conditions. Over the past 10 years, China has become a world leader in this field.

In addition, cooperation among different outdoor ski areas can result in growth opportunities. The key concept here is "pooling". It just needs a shift in management philosophy from a narrow resort perspective to a broader destination viewpoint. By working together, ski resorts can launch new products such as shared ski passes, implement joint international destination marketing strategies, organize purchase groups, establish knowledge exchanges, and deliver further benefits to customers and companies.

International cooperation is also playing a key role in accelerating market development in China and worldwide. Partnership programs between ski resorts and destinations on different continents are beneficial for all involved partners. Recognizing the potential of this concept, I was determined to initiate cooperation between Thaiwoo Ski Resort in Zhangjiakou, Hebei province, and Ski Amade, which was formally commenced in 2018.

Another knowledge transfer involves the transfer of Austrian ski teaching methods, which are among the best developed and approved in the world, to China by Austrian ski instructors. Conversely, the Alpine side can benefit from China's highly efficient methods for introducing novice skiers and snowboarders to the sport and the mountains. These cooperative endeavors drive the global market.

The Chinese sports equipment industry is also expected to drive market impulses. In 2019, Anta Sports Products Ltd acquired Amer Sports Inc of Finland, acquiring the traditional brands Atomic, Salomon and Arc'teryx as well as other top brands. Given China's outstanding expertise in artificial intelligence, data science and virtual reality technology, it is obvious that these premium winter sport brands will undergo transformation, creating smart products that blend heritage and innovation.

Anta and other Chinese sport brands will launch cutting-edge products that set new trends in the field of measuring and comparing, VR in snow sports or esports. These products are designed with the younger generation in mind and to get more youngsters excited about snow sports.

Over the past 15 years, China has made a significant contribution to the global popularity of snow sports. Looking to the midterm future, it is well possible that China will account for a third of the world's skiers and further strengthen its position as the world's largest customer market for snow sports. If current efforts and development strategies are maintained, the range of ski areas will improve significantly, positioning China as a leading supplier of snow sport destinations on a global scale.

Furthermore, the sports equipment industry will be introducing significant innovations to the market. This self-reinforcing cycle will boost the snow sports industry in China and serve as a catalyst for the growth of snow sports worldwide.

Christoph Eisinger

The author is managing director of Ski Amade, Austria's largest ski area, and visiting professor for sports, culture and event management at the Kufstein University of Applied Sciences in Austria.