Harbin China May 2018: First Certified Snowskate Instructor Program (SCP) in China

By Lorne Milne, ICP & SCP Examiner

Just returned from North Eastern China in Harbin City (near the Russian Border) for the second time in less than a year.  Harbin was part of the Silk Route back in the day.  It still has Russian Archecture, store, restaurants, and signs in the downtown core. And now it's part of our Sled Dogs Snowskate tour route!

We stayed in the 'Wanda City' suburb literally across the street from the 2.75 Billion dollar 3 story  Wanda Shopping Mall.  The Wanda Mall has the world's biggest Indoor Snow Park (as per Guiness World Records recent announcement) built on the roof of this 3 storey shopping mall!. 

It houses 2 Chair Lifts, 2 Magic Carpets, , Green Circle Runs, Blue Square Runs, a Black Diamond Run, a Kids Castle and a Log Cabin Coffee shop in the middle of the hill.  This is a fantastic facility that has become a learning and training destination for Asian Skiers, Snowboarders (& now Snowskaters).   

We had a tremendously successfully week in Harbin providing our World's Record of the First Snowskate Instructor Course in Asia!  ICP + SCP (Snowskate Certification Program) Director Kris Fondran and Lorne Milne gave 2 Ambassador Clinics to 38 Ski and Snow Board Instructors followed by a 2 day Snowskate Instructor course to 16 Ski Instructors. We had the assistance of China's Level 3 Instructor and Examiner Xi Wei; Singapore Level 3 ICP Instructor (and Ski Instructor) Emeline Tan Park; Sled Dogs Snowskate Representative for China and Korea, Sprite Chong and Sled Dog Snowskates Top Dog/Bonefight director Laszlo "Lacee" Karsai from Hungary and the "Fastest man on Sled Dogs Snowskates" clocking in at 115 kms, Jarri-Pekka Rahkonen from Finland! Our thanks to our sponsor of the amazingly comfortable and effective Sled Dogs Snowskates!  

We covered Snowskating Skills inclusive of:  many Introductory Balance drills  on Flat Snow:  Single Turns to a Stop on a Green Run; Swizzles; Hockey Stops; Forward Arms Swings; Traversing; Garland Turns, Wide Corridor Turns; Small Corridor Turns; Slope Matching of Hands, Shoulders, and Hips; Backwards Movement;  and some introduction to Freestyle).  As in all kind of skating and skiing the primary skills of balance, edging, rotary motion, and pressure application/weight transer were utilized.  The course took place on green and Blue runs for snowskating skills and green runs for teaching skills.  

Our event was broadcast across Northern China on Harbin TV news!  (Please see the attachment above).  

Ironically when we gave a Demonstration Event December 2017 at the Harbin Snow Park it was minus 30 degrees outside (coldest temperature in China) whereas during this week May 2018 it was plus 30 degrees outside (hottest temperature in China).  Throughout the year the Indoor Snow Park stays a consitent minus 3 to minus 5 degrees!  They have a tremendous refridgeration system with double doors (and sometimes quadruple doors to avoid temperature leakage!  For a sense of the size and the slope angles have a look at this video.   

We are looking forward to providing more snowskate courses in both indoor and outdoor snow facilities around the world!  Join us in future Snowskate Instructor programs and expand your instruction season from the Summer to also including the Winter!