Yet Yang and Wang could travel to Keketuohai to practice snowboarding during the National Day holiday with their peers. Their parents and teachers, surprisingly, all backed them.
Times have changed. Lucky them, I thought.
In response to the country's goal of encouraging 300 million people to participate in ice and snow sports, Altay prefecture has been actively setting courses of ice-skating, skiing and snowboarding in high schools and primary schools, trying to kindle students' enthusiasm for ice and snow sports.
It seems that the movement works well considering Yang, Wang and other local youngsters' passion for the snow sports.
Interestingly, however, they do have concerns that interrupt their seemingly carefree attitude.
They are inflicted with a problem many young men face ... romance. The two adolescents have a crush on the same girl, a snowboarding enthusiast whom they met in Keketuohai this time.
Such quandaries are often part of growing up amid the thrills and spills of a ski resort.
