Facing an uphill struggle

Skiing in China is growing in popularity, but Olympic glory is still a long way off

When Xing Zhiliang, an IT company employee in Beijing, took his son Xing Haoyu to Wanlongbayi Ski Resort in Beijing's western suburbs last Saturday evening, the crowded scenes were beyond his imagination.

"It was my first time skiing in the evening session and I thought it would be less crowded than the daytime, but obviously I was wrong," said the 38-year-old, who started to ski in 2006.