A 9-Year-Old's Take: Indoor Skiing at SNOW 51

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Jingkids is all about helping families in Beijing maximize their lives here, and often that means we need to look at things from the perspective of our younger audience. Who better to tell you what kids like than their peers?

Today, we’re so pleased to present the following review of SNOW 51 by 9-year-old Henry Willats.

SNOW 51 is a new urban indoor dry ski and snowboard experience at Beijing International Trade Mall on the first and second floors, and last week I was very lucky to get the chance to try it out with some friends!

First, you need to book ahead as the place is already quite popular. The staff were helpful and spoke a little English. They helped us fill in our details on an app. Next, Coach Lucky and another team member helped us get dressed in our safety gear, and as its indoors, there is no need to wear lots of winter clothes, which was great.

Coach Lucky then prepared the slope with a little water spray to make it nice and slippy. The “ski slope” is a rolling carpet with a bar at the bottom end to help you balance and stop you flying off into the shopping mall! The slope travels at different speeds and angles depending on your skill level. Don’t worry if you’re a beginner, as the coaches are with you all of the time and control or stop the slope as you need. I started just trying to get my balance, and within one hour I could turn, cross over with my friend, and crouch down easily.

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My coach didn’t speak a lot of English, but with my basic Chinese it was very easy to understand the instructions. Our group swapped over every ten to 20 minutes, so you get a rest between each session.

While I did my class, my mom was able to go to the café next door to grab us some waters and coffee, so she was happy. She could also browse the Helly Hansen store SNOW 51 is located in, which offers discount levels depending on what membership you have with SNOW 51.

I will definitely go back as it was good exercise, lots of fun with my friends who were all different ages, and it meant I could ski even though Mom didn’t have time to take me to the slopes this week.

There are different membership levels, from an eight-hour pass to a year pass, and although its not cheap, you do get a dedicated coach with you for the whole session, which is ideal if you are a beginner or trying to maintain your skills off-season.

Following the mall’s operating hours, SNOW 51’s opening times are from 10am to 9pm. The youngest age allowed is 3 years old, but I would say it’s better from 5 years old and up, unless the child can already ski a bit. There is no upper age limit and elders are very welcome! There is another location in Sanlitun, and more are planned, so follow SNOW 51 on WeChat for announcements.

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Thank you, young reporter Henry, for your review! We look forward to reading and discovering more with you!

Have an aspiring reporter who wants to contribute articles or videos to jingkids? Drop us a message (WeChat ID VivienneTseng-Rush) or email at [e-mail]

Images: Claire Willats

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