Skiing is believing

The hills will soon be alive with the sound of snowboarders and skiers screaming for joy. Ski season starts next month and Nanshan ski resort, only 1-hour drive from the capital, is one of the most visited resorts in the country. It has more 12 lifts, and an 80m-long half-pipe for snowboarders. This winter's most difficult obstacle will be the S rail.

Steve Zdarsky is one of the top skiers from Austria, who enjoys the Beijing snow field.

"As a former pro rider, I got to see many parks all over the world, and so at the end of my career in 1999, supporting the European ski resorts with smaller but finely shaped parks was an obvious career move for me," he says.