Zhou Peng, born in 1984, fell in love with ice climbing when he was in college, becoming a rock and ice climbing coach with the Chinese Mountaineering Association after graduation. However, in order to have more time to rock and ice climb, Zhou resigned in 2009, becoming a private coach in a scenic spot in a Beijing suburb.

Although ice climbing is a relatively new sport in China, more people are getting to know it as China steps up efforts to promote winter sports in preparation for the Olympic Winter Games 2022 to be held in Beijing and Zhangjiakou of north China's Hebei Province.

The International Climbing and Mountaineering Federation Ice Climbing World Cup was held in Beijing on January 18-20, attracting about 80 athletes from 15 countries.

Zhou said many Chinese regard ice climbing as a dangerous sport. However, he is pleased to see that more Beijingers are willing to give it a try.

(Photos by Wei Yao)

Copyedited by Rebeca Toledo

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