From Nov. 30 to Dec. 2, top British ski coach Warren Smith ran a three-day intensive ski clinic at Wanlong Resort in North China’s Hebei province. It was Smith’s fourth visit to China; over the past few years he has worked all around the country, making trips to Jilin’s Beidahu Resort, Beijing’s Nanshan Resort and Qiaobo Indoor Ski Dome.

Top British ski coach Warren Smith

With Beijing and Zhangjiakou set to host the 2022 Winter Olympics, China’s ski industry is rapidly developing. And after familiarizing himself with some of China’s best skiing facilities and  well-designed pistes, Smith—who could attend the Games as a coach for Britain’s freeski team—is very excited. In fact, he believes China is capable of delivering a Winter Olympics even more impressive than Beijing’s 2008 Summer Games.

Though the skiing market is growing rapidly in China, Smith sees room for improvement; he believes the country needs to develop ski instructors to improve the quality of teaching and take full advantage of the outstanding facilities.

Top British ski coach Warren Smith

During his recent China visit, Smith gave public lectures on his ski instructing theory to skiers and instructors, which were received with great enthusiasm. One of the instructors said that Smith’s methods had opened their eyes to a vast amount of new but vital knowledge.

Now he has established himself in China, Smith has even bigger plans. The Warren Smith Ski Academy has set up a base at Wanlong Resort that offers courses throughout the season. Smith is also cooperating with a Chinese company to produce a series of video tutorials for Chinese skiers that will be free to watch online. For him, the journey to the 2022 Games is just beginning to gain speed.

By Zhang Ai