Feature: Road to Beijing 2022, from baker to snow groomer operator

BEIJING, Feb. 6 (Xinhua) -- When a job requires you to take night shifts, to face loneliness and danger for a salary that may not cover your daily expenses after three years, would you still continue?

For 27-year-old Rong Getao, he is not only sticking to his job but is loving it, as a snow groomer operator.

From a hotel bakery to the Beijing 2022 Winter Olympics, Rong has been striving to become one of the best snow groomer operators in China.

FIRST SIGHT

Rong had never thought about snowboarding until his high school classmate Zhang Jiahao, a snowboarder who recently became a sports icon in China despite failing to qualify for Beijing 2022, called and asked if he wanted to snowboard together.

At the Nanshan resort in a northern suburb of Beijing, Rong taught himself to slide and stumble down the trail but fell in love with the sport immediately.

In order to have enough time in the snow, Rong quit his job at a five-star hotel and joined Zhang at another hotel bakery, so they could work night shifts and hit the slopes together during the day.

But soon they realized how tight and tiring the schedule could be as they often "fell asleep at work." The "baker brothers" then decided to say goodbye to dough and butter, and picked up their snowboards and goggles instead.

Unlike Zhang, who fully focused on becoming the best professional snowboarder he could be, Rong has worked as a coach and later as a snowpark maintainer, but seemed to have no clue where that would lead him.

Occasionally, Rong heard that as a snowpark shaper, he would only need to reshape and rebuild the course once in the morning and once at night so that he could ride on his snowboard during the day, so he decided to give it a go.

"Sometimes it can be freezing working at night, around minus 30 degrees Celsius," Rong said. "So we take turns getting on the snow groomer to rest and warm up a little bit. Watching those overseas drivers get the work done while wearing a t-shirt and listening to music made me think of getting this cool job."

With countless efforts, Rong finally had some opportunities to get a closer look at the snow groomer. "I've liked these kinds of large machines since I was little. The operating feel is so real and powerful that it makes me feel like I was born for this."

SECOND THOUGHT

Rong soon encountered another harsh reality: He wanted to learn and train to become a professional snow groomer operator, but China does not have a complete learning and training system in that industry. Only two international brands have training institutions that provide basic theory tests and issue certificates after passing the tests.

For ski resorts, it is more cost-effective to choose someone who has previous working experience rather than spending time training newcomers. Therefore, the first challenge for Rong was to find someone who wanted to teach him.

During the 2017-18 snow season, Rong finally found a mentor and sat in the passenger seat of the snow groomer after lots of begging and pleading, learning how to operate the machine, shovel and smooth bumps and moguls, reshape and rebuild trails and so on.

With the same tough but seemingly effective approach, Rong learned different skills from one mentor after another.

Through constant practise and hard work, Rong gradually learned how to operate the snow groomer. In the 2018-19 snow season, he finally had the opportunity to work as a snow groomer operator at a ski resort.

In order to gain more work experience, Rong has traveled to Beijing, Hebei, Jilin, Heilongjiang and wherever he could drive a snow groomer without any hesitation.

Working night shifts, repairing machines and wearing tatty clothes all seem like a downgrade from working at a luxury hotel like he used to.

For Rong's parents, they couldn't understand his decision at first. But as they realized how much happiness and satisfaction the work gave their son, they started to give him their full support.

"They're really supportive now. I'm more motivated to keep going," Rong said.

LATEST GAIN

In the past two snow seasons, Rong was able to build parks and jumping platforms and received more job opportunities.

Unlike many snow groomer operators, Rong has a real passion for snowboarding. "When I ride in the park and on jumps built by myself, it's like ideas in my head are taking shape in reality. I've had a lot of dreams, and I've been thinking about how to improve things all the time. It feels awesome," Rong said.

Besides the excitement, Rong has also had a deeper understanding of the industry - he might be a good snow groomer operator in China, but he is far from the level of experienced drivers from abroad.

"The snow industry in China is still progressing and developing," said a humble Rong. "For me, it's important to keep learning."

When Rong had his very first experience with a snow groomer three years ago, Beijing 2022 had already begun to recruit and train staff members. When he finally became a skilled snow groomer driver, Beijing 2022 marked its 100-day countdown and its snow groomer team was almost complete.

In desperation aside, Rong made one last effort and finally managed to join the team. "Being part of the Beijing Winter Olympics is a dream come true."

At present, Rong is working at the Genting Snow Park in the Zhangjiakou competition zone. Due to his lack of experience, Rong is not building the competition courses, but instead is responsible for logistics such as moving equipment with the snow groomer.

But in Rong's view, this experience is precious and rewarding enough.

"I learned a lot from watching the production progress of overseas experts. Moreover, to participate in the Beijing Winter Olympics is an honor itself and also the biggest achievement of my career so far."

"The Beijing Winter Olympics is really made up of lots of 'snowflakes' - it's not just one brilliant person who can manage. I think Beijing 2022 is just the beginning for me," Rong said with confidence.