Fantastic winter Olympic sports and where to try them in Beijing
Four ways to stay fit this season, all without braving the cold outdoors
Never let anyone tell you it’s too late to become a professional athlete. When the wonderfully named (and even better dressed) Mexican alpine skier Prince Hubertus von Hohenlohe-Langenburg took to the Sochi slopes during the 2014 Winter Olympics, he became one of the oldest Olympians of all time, at the ripe old age of 55.
Curling
Photo:Unsplash.com
It’s skating meets bowls meets household chore, though proficient players prefer to call it ‘chess on ice’. For those looking to try their hand at a bit of binghu (冰壶, literally ‘ice kettle’), I Sweep Curling Club is Beijing’s one and only stop. Having relocated from the former Huairou location to the much more accessible Ditan Park, it comes with three lanes – or sheets, as they should be referred to – where curlers can brush up on their skills.
It’s 399RMB per person for a session (two hours of curling) or 2,999RMB to rent a whole sheet (for up to twelve players). Rental of equipment is 100RMB per person, including brooms, shoes, knee pads and much-needed puffer jackets (it’s colder out there than you think). The club’s staff are all experienced players and can take you through the motions (Chinese-language tuition only).
Train hard, scrub even harder, and who knows, you could be sweeping up the medals come 2022.
Ice Skating
Photo: GregReese/Unsplash.com
If you don’t have faith in the few inches of ice that cover the city’s frozen lakes, or your own balance on the blades, there are indoor rinks all over town that hold classes to help you find your feet, including Solana’s All Star Skating Club and Le Cool, in the basement of China World Mall.
Le Cool offers private classes and courses in English that teach around 20 different dazzling manoeuvres including glides, spins and foot crossovers. Early sessions focus on the essential skills such as ‘the proper way to fall’, but stick it out and you could be a bunny-hopping, duck-shooting figure skater before you know it. Prices vary depending on group size and your coach’s experience, but start at 210RMB for a 30-minute one-on-one session.
Hockey
Now that you’re running and dancing across the ice, throw a puck and stick into the equation and see how you fare. The Beijing International Ice Hockey League (BIIH) is one of the most developed amateur sports associations in the city, with nine teams and over 140 players competing each year, and they're always looking for newcomers. They also put on various events throughout the winter besides league games; head to their site (beijinghockey.com) for schedules
Skiing and snowboarding
It seems that no Olympics can go without controversy, and ever since Beijing was awarded the 2022 Games, the bulk of the concerns has focused on the city and its surrounding region’s distinct lack of reliable snowfall. No such dryness shall get in the way of your training regime, however, as both Arctic Fox and Upbeat Indoor Ski Club's slope offers the icy, slippery patch all-year-round for all ages.
Their artificial dry slopes, albeit slightly limited in length, mimic the feel of real snow and slip-and-slide, and should be fairly forgiving to falling, floundering beginners before they head to the mountains. One-on-one beginner classes (mostly in Chinese) are available in both venues, starting from 88RMB for 45 minutes' skiing. As well as additional necessities such as hats, goggles and protective clothing for those who don’t have their own.
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