Editor's Note: 

At Tsinghua, learning does not stop at the classroom door. For members of the university’s skiing team, the mountain is a classroom of its own. Skiing tests their endurance and focus, teaches them to move as one, and forges friendships in the shared chill of early morning air.

Founded in November 2011 as an official Tsinghua University sports team, the team has won multiple Beijing collegiate team championships and top national college ski event awards, with a long-standing ethos of collective growth and shared passion for skiing.

For team leader Ren Zihou, skiing has been part of life since childhood, beginning with family trips to ski resorts. “When I entered university, joining the team wasn’t really a question,” he recalled. “It was the first thing I wanted to do.” What began as a personal passion gradually grew into a shared journey shaped by leadership and cooperation. It was never just about one person. This collective spirit is what draws so many skiers to the Tsinghua Skiing Team.

For them, skiing is far more than a sport. It is a bridge between rigorous academics and physical adventure, a setting where teamwork is learned through experience, and a foundation for friendships that extend well beyond the mountain.

Training for Performance and Growth      

The team’s training structure turns these ideals into practice. Rather than focusing solely on performance outcomes, daily sessions integrate technical development, psychological resilience, and peer collaboration. In this environment, growth is understood as both an individual and collective process.

When setbacks occur, the team focuses less on outcomes and more on mindset. Rather than addressing disappointment only after losses, the team emphasizes mental resilience during daily training.

While excellence remains important, members are encouraged to value the process—enjoying training, embracing competition, and savoring the joy of skiing with friends. This philosophy fosters a culture where passion outweighs pressure, and setbacks are viewed as a natural part of growth rather than failure. “When you genuinely love what you do and who you do it with,” Captain Ren noted, “you’re not easily beaten.”

Within this environment, individual breakthroughs often take place. Team member Zong Qianran faced her toughest technical challenge just weeks before a national competition. During a flag gate practice, she encountered a turn that seemed nearly impossible. Each attempt pushed her skis to the edge of control, her body trembling at the limits of balance.

What followed was not criticism, but curiosity. Her teammates filmed the run and replayed it frame by frame, breaking the movement down into three precise issues: a two-degree deviation in the gate entry angle, a 0.3-second delay in weight transfer, and an exit line that drifted half a meter too wide. Using a laser pointer, they traced a sharper, cleaner trajectory on the screen, refining both her skiing and their connection as a team.

“I suddenly realized,” Zong recalled, “that the fastest line is never drawn alone. It emerges from the grid of many eyes.” For her, skiing was no longer just about speed. It became about control, trust, and the people carving the slope alongside her.

Lessons That Extend Beyond Skiing       

Skiing has also shaped members in practical ways. High-speed descents demand unwavering decisiveness under pressure, requiring split-second decisions without hesitation—even when sudden snow drifts or unexpected course shifts appear mid-run. For team leader Ren Zihou, this sharpened ability to assess situations quickly and commit confidently has translated directly to his Tsinghua studies, helping him stay calm and make clear, timely calls amid tight lab deadlines and high-stakes academic work.

Equally important is meticulous preparation. From calibrating ski equipment and coordinating team travel to monitoring hourly weather and snow conditions for safe training, skiing builds rigorous organizational and logistical skills that extend well beyond sport. For team member Zong Qianran, this systematic, detail-focused mindset became the backbone of her undergraduate research project, letting her break down complex tasks and coordinate her team seamlessly, just as she does for pre-competition preparations.

Though skiing is often seen as an individual sport, the Tsinghua Skiing Team transforms individual improvement into collective strength. Senior members mentor newcomers, and group video analysis sessions turn individual experiences into shared learning. 

On the mountain, every turn matters. But at Tsinghua, every turn is taken together.

Campus | Chasing snow and friendship: Inside Tsinghua skiing team

Writer: Li Jiahao

Editors: Amy Hong Jihae, Gillian Tang, Fang Si

Designer: Fang Si

Reviewers: Chen Ken, Lin Yuan

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