CHINA

SKIING IN CHINA-THE NEW CULTURAL REVOLUTION-China has an economy that
is growing at a previously unheard of rate, and this includes the ski
industry. In the beginning of the 1990s, this gigantic land had no ski
resorts, and today there are over 300 different ski centers. Of course,
many of these areas are no more than a couple of lifts, but we visited some
of the largest and most interesting ski locations in China. This article
begins with a visit to Huaibei Ski Resort, a little area in the shadow of
the Great Wall that provides skiing on artificial snow for the Beijing
locals. We go on to visit two of China's largest bona fide ski resorts,
Yabuli and Beida Hu. Much of the article, however, is devoted to our
off-piste efforts on two mountains that are not skied quite so often. We
visited the North Korean border and the "holy mountain" of Chiangbai Shan,
an ancient volcano whose crater is home to a the huge Tien Chi Lake.
Finally we also visit the beautiful town of Lijiang, an ancient city in
shadow of Jade Dragon Mountain (5500 m.) The highest gondola in the world
was constructed here in 1999, bringing sightseers from 3356 m. to 4530 m.
We skied a lovely run from the top of the lift, and when we arrived at the
bottom, we were surprised to find out that we were the first people ever to
make this descent. The story finishes with a short interview with Dr. Tian
Yuan, the "founder"of Chinese skiing, and some thoughts about the future of
the sport in the world's most populated country. There is also a side bar
summing up the skiing in a nutshell of the five locations we visited.








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