Making their debut in China this winter, carbon fiber snowboards are becoming a popular choice for skiers at resorts in northeast China's Jilin Province. The snowboards were introduced by Jilin Chemical Fiber Group Co. Ltd. (JCFG), a company that provides materials for industries ranging from aerospace to suitcase manufacturing. Strong and rigid while remaining lightweight, carbon fiber has already been adopted by some global brands to make snowboards and ski helmets since decades ago.
"Carbon fiber snowboards are 30 percent lighter than other boards, making them easier for skiers to control and more friendly for new learners," Lu Yang, one of the company's engineers, told Beijing Review. He added that the material is three to five times stronger than common materials, making snowboards better able to withstand collisions.
In response to the latest round of winter sports fever in China following the Beijing 2022 Olympic Winter Games, domestic equipment manufacturers like JCFG are racing to introduce new products. But this is just part of an even greater market.
The thriving ice and snow equipment industry, an important component of the ice and snow economy, is driven by the growing demand not only for recreational devices such as snowboards and goggles, but also for equipment used by winter sports facilities, such as artificial snow machines and groomers.
According to the Ministry of Industry and Information Technology (MIIT), China has developed an ice and snow equipment product line consisting of 15 major categories. In 2015-23, the number of enterprises in the field grew from around 300 to 900, and their sales revenue increased from less than 5 billion yuan ($682 million) to around 22 billion yuan ($3 billion).
Racing to win
Jilin is known as one of China's skiing paradises, with its long, cold winters usually lasting from November to March. In recent years, its winter sports equipment companies have also stood out from counterparts at home. Last year, the provincial government set the goal of increasing the output value of ice and snow equipment manufacturing in Jilin to over 5 billion yuan ($681 million) by 2030.
JCFG produces over 90 percent of China's carbon fiber materials. It began snowboard production in 2023. The company's research and development (R&D) team conducted a dozen experiments to test the adhesion of carbon fiber with other materials, according to Lu. After launching the new product line, it has been collecting feedback from users for further optimization.
Jilin Tengda Technology Development Co. Ltd., based in Jilin City, has been supplying polymer materials for snowboard manufacturers since 2009. Wu Bida, the company's general manager, told Beijing Review that its products are applied as protective layers and to form edges of snowboards. The company's annual output reached nearly 100 tons in 2024, compared with 40 tons the year before. Its sales exceeded 10 million yuan ($1.3 million) last year.
It took nearly five years of R&D for the company to develop its proprietary polymer technology. Snowboards equipped with its products as protective layers were then sent to ski resorts to be tested and evaluated for three snow seasons in line with established quality standards before being released on the international market.
"The high speeds reached during snowboarding makes high-quality boards important for safety. The materials we produce are able to withstand stresses such as collisions, wearing and low temperatures, making them very durable," Wu said.
According to Wu, several global outdoor brands including French sporting goods retailer Decathlon and U.S.-based snowboard maker Burton have turned to Tengda as a key supplier. The company is also partnering with domestic sportswear brands like Anta to make snowboards.
"A growing number of Chinese people are participating in winter sports and the number of ski fields is increasing in the country," Wu said, adding he expects further expansion of the domestic snowboard market.
Changchun Bainingdun Sports Equipment Co. Ltd., also located in Jilin Province, produces high-end athletic skates. "With an annual output of over 10,000 pairs, our annual sales have exceeded 50 million yuan ($6.8 million)," Wang Yang, founder of the company, told Beijing Review.
The company has been busy taking both domestic and international orders in recent years. Its products have been exported to the United States, Germany and Australia, among others.
"Our R&D investment accounts for 30 percent of the total revenue annually," Wang said. The company now produces skates with self-developed technologies. It has upgraded the method of collecting data for customizing the boots, from using plaster molds to 3D modeling.
The company will produce more cost-effective skates for enthusiasts in the next three to five years, Wang said.
Thriving markets
Manufacturers in regions where ice and snow are rare have also ridden the winter sports tide. In Yiwu, a city known as "the world's supermarket" because of its city-sized consumer goods market, in Zhejiang Province, sales of products like snow goggles have been surging.
Zhejiang Vista Sports Goods Co. Ltd. has been producing snow goggles since 2007 for the European and American markets. After Beijing 2022, the company began increasing its investment in exploring the domestic market, which now accounts for about one third of its sales.
Last year, Vista invested over 17 million yuan ($2.3 million) in expanding production, bringing its five production lines' annual output to a worth of 600 million yuan ($82 million).
Aiming to provide a warmer experience in the snow, many textile manufacturers have introduced ski suits and socks featuring graphene heating technology. Made by an apparel company in Liaoning Province in northeast China, graphene-enhanced ski suits can ensure continuous heating for six hours at temperatures as low as minus 40 degrees Celsius.
New technologies including 5G, artificial intelligence (AI) and virtual reality (VR) have also been applied by manufacturers in their products for better user experience. For example, winter sports enthusiasts can now wear VR goggles with cameras to film their activities.
Many regions have launched indoor ski fields, allowing enthusiasts to keep skiing during the warmer months, giving a boost to the market for artificial snow machines. In these indoor venues, people can also practice skiing through VR simulators that create real-life scenarios.
Fire and ice
While homegrown winter sports companies have surged in popularity, established global brands continue to dominate the market, particularly that of premium products.
"In China, many skiers and snowboarders still opt for skis and boards from reputable global brands," Wu said, noting that it will still take time for homegrown brands to develop brand reputation.
Sun Xing, Deputy Director of the Industrial Culture Development Center of the MIIT, said at last year's expo in Beijing that Chinese winter sports equipment manufacturers still lack the ability to innovate and they need to increase the skills of their workforce.
Domestic companies need to accelerate industrial upgrading through technologies like AI, gain brand recognition overseas and develop industrial clusters by leveraging local industrial chains, Sun concluded. BR
(Print Edition Title: Leveraging Seasonal Shifts)
Copyedited by G.P. Wilson
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