A natural attraction

Ski lovers and snowboarding enthusiasts from across the country swamped the resort's newly built 4,300-square-meter ski equipment hall. There, a group of young people wearing stylish snowboard suits exchanged banter and frequently burst into merry laughter. They looked so perky, which attracted me to strike up a conversation with them.

Among them, Yang Junjie and his peers were mainly from a high school in the downtown area of Altay, about 300 km away from Keketuohai. They came to spend their National Day holiday enjoying the addictive thrill of sliding down the snowy slopes in the ski resort.

Yang, 17, started to learn snowboarding two years ago.

"I watched some video clips of riders' doing snowboard tricks. I wanted to be as cool as they are," he recalled.

After learning the sport for just a month, he came third in a local snowboarding competition held for juveniles.

He has athletic talent. But more importantly, the young man seems to be fearless, full of vim and sometimes a bit impulsive, which enables him to make unremitting efforts when practicing difficult, advanced maneuvers.

The snowboard rider would practice again and again how to pull up a jump from a high platform, do a backflip in the air and then land softly on the powdery snow to keep sliding down. For him, falling to the ground is part of snowboarder's everyday life.

"Falling over is no big deal for me. I'm young and fit," he said in a carefree manner.