Reference News Network, March 18 report, according to AFP, March 16 report, for more than 20 years, Lianhuashan has relied on old European snowmaking machines to create snow-covered slopes. But this ski season, this Beijing ski resort has added its first domestically produced snowmaking machine.
Tang Lingling from Beijing Kabbin Ski Group said that the snowmaker produced by their company is about one-third cheaper than products from Western brands such as Tecnoclima.
"By producing and assembling locally, we have avoided the high costs of overseas production and transportation," said Tang Lingling. Her company sold approximately 200 snowmakers last year.
"But the competitive pressure is very intense. In fact, the profit margin of our snowmaker business is not high."
Nevertheless, despite fierce price competition, Chinese enterprises involved in winter sports are slowly breaking the monopoly of foreign companies in the snow sports equipment market.
Their goal is to first replace foreign brands in the domestic market, and then enter the overseas market, by investing in R&D and leveraging China's strong supply chain.
According to reports, sales of snow sports-related equipment in China have increased nearly four times since 2015.
The snowboard brand Liodex, aimed at beginners and children, launched snowboards that are ultra-lightweight, suitable for social media dissemination, and come with removable dolls. Last year, they sold about 20,000 snowboards.
The founder of the company, Jin Huiyuan, said: "Foreign big brands take a high-end approach, which is purchased by the wealthy; our products target the masses. In this sense, I think we are more competitive than them."
The Chinese government strongly supports the "ice and snow economy." Enterprises such as Kabbin and Liodex benefit from R&D funds and subsidies. However, the high-end market is still dominated by foreign brands.
Li Zhibo, general manager of Qianmu Xuelong Sports Goods Co., Ltd., said that domestic snowboards "have not yet reached" the level of international competitors. He said: "Some foreign companies have a history of hundreds of years, and we cannot surpass this historical accumulation and technical expertise overnight."
Qianmu Xuelong mainly sells entry-level ski boots and bindings, but is moving towards the high-end equipment sector and provides snowboards for China's aerial acrobatics team participating in the Milan-Cortina Winter Olympics.
Although some Chinese brands are not yet popular globally, they are finding their own markets. Liodex has sold products to Kazakhstan and South Korea, while Kabbin exports to Russia.
Currently, the focus is on the transformation of the domestic market. Tang Lingling is optimistic about the shift from imports to domestic manufacturing. She said: "At first, you will see many European snowmaking machines at many ski resorts. Gradually, (ski resorts) begin to choose to try Chinese snowmaking machines. After that, they even won't consider imported products and directly choose Chinese brands." (Translated by Tu Qi)
On January 6, guests visited the 2026 Harbin International Ice and Snow Economy Expo site. (Xinhua News Agency)
Original text: toutiao.com/article/7618396859325547059/
Statement: This article represents the views of the author.