Living on the edge

The first time that Zhang went to a ski resort in Beijing, he was 17, the same age as Su when he won his Olympic gold.

"It was Nanshan Ski Resort and I couldn't even stand up on my snowboard," Zhang remembers, adding that it was not "love at first slide".

However, after trying for two months to keep his balance and not fall, attempting to zigzag, getting it right the second time, and rocketing off an 8-meter ski jump successfully at the fifth attempt, Zhang couldn't get snowboarding out of his mind, even while working. At that time, he was a baker at the Kempinski Hotel in Beijing, following his father's footsteps.

"Not good academically, I entered an occupational middle school for courses in the culinary field. After graduation, I became a baker as my father wished," Zhang says, adding that, while the job was stable, it didn't make him happy.

His salary was 1,200 yuan ($190) per month during his internship period and increased to 3,500 yuan on becoming a regular worker.

Taking a night shift, Zhang would run for the 8:15 am bus to the ski resort directly after finishing a night's work at 7:30 am. That left only three hours on the bus for sleep and no time for lunch in order to have as much time as possible on the slopes, according to Zhang.

"By taking public transportation and never eating outside, I saved every penny I earned for snowboarding," Zhang says.

A season's pass to the ski resort would cost him three months' salary, while snowboard gear meant saving for more than half a year.

After two years of practice, Zhang did a "d-spin 7" (a double backflip) in his first official competition－the Red Bull Nanshan Open, previously initiated by skateboarding enthusiasts－in January 2014, which saw him secure ninth place. After the event, he acquired a sponsor for his equipment. At the following Nanshan Open, he won second place in the domestic group.

In 2016, he made the bold decision to quit his job and become a full-time professional snowboarder. His performance also helped him to get into the Heilongjiang provincial snowboarding team. He could represent the provincial team in competitions, but he had to cover all of his fees for training and competitions.

Although Zhang knows that age matters a great deal in this discipline, he believes that snowboarding is a lifelong career and passion.

To prepare for his first international competition－the Cardrona Games 2016 in New Zealand－Zhang had saved more than 20,000 yuan to cover his competition fees.