Building bright future on snowy slopes

On a February afternoon, Andrea Coatti watched intently as a Chinese snowboarder flashed down a course the Italian helped to build at the Milan-Cortina 2026 Olympic Winter Games.

"Steady! Beautiful!" he shouted in Mandarin, his voice lost in the roar of the crowd watching the qualifier.

In that moment, Coatti's joy was split between the Italian valley and the small town of Chongli, far away in North China's Hebei province.

In Chongli, the 41-year-old isn't known as Andrea.

He is called Yibu, a Chinese name he gave himself, meaning "one step". It's a philosophy that has guided his life — taking things one step at a time, and a reminder of the life-changing step he took two decades ago.

In 2006, Coatti was a young man from the Italian Alps when he answered a call from his mentor to help build a ski resort in a place he had never heard of — Chongli in Zhangjiakou city. The experience would set him on the path to becoming a ski resort designer.

"When I arrived that first night, it was pitch black by 9 pm. I thought, where have I landed?" he said. The next morning, the sight of rolling, untouched mountains and the warmth of the local people convinced him to stay.

Back then, Chongli was a quiet mountain town. The few ski areas were in their infancy, and the same small group of skiers frequented the slopes. Coatti didn't see children learning to ski, only adults giving it a try before moving on.

His dream at the time was simple: to build more than just expert-level courses. He wanted to create a place where everyone could take their first step on snow, from beginners to seasoned pros. That vision inspired his Chinese name — and a promise to build that joy, step by step.

In 2008, Coatti teamed up with Simon Adams, a Scot with a similar passion, and their company — Yibuparks — began to take shape. Together, they became the architects of fun in Chongli, shaping the terrain parks at resorts like Dolomiti, Fulong and Thaiwoo.

Their reputation grew, leading to a pivotal moment when they were invited to build and maintain the venue in Shougang — the venue for the Freestyle Big Air events during the 2022 Beijing Winter Olympics.

That was the moment everything changed. With the Olympic credentials on their resume, the partners took on an increasing number of international and domestic projects.

The transformation went far beyond the slopes. Twenty years ago, a drive from Chongli to Beijing took over four hours.

Today, the high-speed rail links Chongli to the capital in under an hour. This has helped turn Chongli into an international hub, with foreign visitors now making up 10 to 15 percent of tourists, according to local authorities.

Coatti and Adams bought apartments in Chongli long ago, and a community of global adventurers has put down roots — some even starting families in the once-quiet mountain town.

"It's just amazing to see the hills transform into gleaming ski trails," Coatti said.

What makes him happier is watching Chongli's snow resorts and infrastructure improve annually, growing into one of China's premier high-end ski destinations.

One day in December, an 11-year-old girl in an orange helmet, Chen Songyu, a rising star who not long ago won the title at the kids LAAX Open U11 snowboard event in New Zealand, zipped past him on a Chongli slope, exchanging a fist bump.

Her coach, He Wei, one of China's first professional snowboarders, noticed the transformation.

"The facilities are world-class now here in Chongli. For these kids, the path is so much smoother," said He. "Yibu and I have been friends for 15 years. He's always watching what the kids need, adjusting features and jumps as needed."

Looking around the slopes now, Coatti sees children everywhere — a sharp contrast to his early years in Chongli, when young skiers were a rare sight.

"A love for snow starts with a seed," he said. "Thanks to the 2022 Beijing Winter Olympics, ski winter camps have multiplied, drawing kids from across China to Chongli. Local programs also let children ski for free at many resorts."

Today, young skiers pack the terrain parks and youth competitions. "Many kids progress so fast that even the pros have to watch their backs," Coatti said with a grin, noting that his journey has come full-circle. "The first half of my life was in Italy, the second half in Chongli. I'm basically a local now."

This winter, Coatti was back in the Italian Alps, applying everything he has learned over two decades to help build the slopes for the Games.

For him, one step in Chongli has become a giant leap, spanning mountains and oceans, connecting worlds, and quietly building a legacy in the snow.

Han Li and Zhang Xiaohua contributed to this story.

zhangyu1@chinadaily.com.cn