Another Friday afternoon, shooting hoops with the homies and a family day volleyball match. However, no one seems jazzed up like usual. So, you start to wonder: are some sports getting way too repetitive in your life? Cheer up. Don’t ditch bonding time over this because I’ve got you covered. Beijing has no shortage of cool and unconventional sports for the whole family.
原力街头滑板俱乐部（望京校区）Skateboarding Club
Address: B1, Jiarui Cultural Center, Building 3, District 4, East Garden, Wangjing
望京东园四区3号楼嘉瑞文化中心B1
Opening Hours: Monday to Sunday 10am-9pm
Approx. Price: RMB 149/per person
Phone Number: 185 0101 5853/ 8646 4600
You’ve probably seen skateboarding videos on YouTube and admired the kickflips. You’re not wrong. Skateboarding is known for its tricks as well as different styles of riding. Not to mention you look totally cool while you’re at it, so the perfect sport for you and your gang. Whether you’re with a crew, a friend, or just going solo, you’ll have a blast cruising and ollie-ing. If you’re worried about looking like a whale out of water when you hit the deck, don’t fret. There are instructors there to help you and classes that you can take. The best part? You don’t even need to bring anything. The club provides you with skateboards, shin guards, helmets, you name it. Just grab a friend and head on in!
Free X Top 室内轮滑基地 Indoor Inline-Skating
Address: Inside of Bo Rui Sports Complex, No. 5 Chemical Road
化工路5号博锐体育综合体内
Opening Hours: Monday to Sunday 10am-8.30pm
Approx. Price: RMB 150/per person
Phone Number: 152 4851 2831
Inline-Skating? The most popular party sport known to humankind. Well, inline-skating isn’t only for bashes since it is also an intense workout. Just one hour of moderate roller skating burns around 330 calories for a 65kg person. So why not get the fam together for a fun workout session on skates. Afraid that you’ll trip and fall the minute you latch them on? They offer one-on-one and one-on-two classes with professional coaches that have at least three years of teaching experience. No need to bring any equipment, just be prepared to sweat it out and have fun. Make sure you call to make a reservation if you’re not heading over for classes since they might already have a full capacity.
岩时攀岩（大望）Rock Climbing
Address: Building 74, No.27 Yard, West Dawang Road (South Gate of Beihua Machinery Park)
西大望路27号院74栋（北化机园区南门）
Opening Hours: Monday 12-10pm, Tuesday to Friday 10-10pm, Saturday to Sunday 10am-9pm
Approx. Price: RMB 147/per person
Phone Number: 137 1888 1250
Rock-climbing! Sounds like fun! But before you even get up from the coach, you start worrying about a thousand things. Such as: what if I fall? What if I get stuck up there? It’s too risky. Should you ditch the sport? Of course not. This indoor rock-climbing place has all the safety measures in check. All the cables are secure, and there are dozens of coaches watching out for you, not to mention that you’ll have your own personal coach showing you the ropes. They provide different levels of climbing difficulty. From a flat wall to big bumpy surfaces, there’s a climbing space perfect for you. Grab a family member or a friend and sign up for one-on-two coaching. If you’d rather go on your own, register for one-on-one coaching. Then head on over, latch on your harness, and start climbing!
北极狐室内滑雪馆 Indoor Snowboarding
Address: Inside Little Wolf International Yard, No. 48, Pingfang Village
平房村48号小狼国际院内
Opening Hours: Tuesday to Friday 12pm-8pm, Saturday to Sunday 10-8pm
Approx. Price: RMB 214/per person
Phone Number: 131 6185 6083 / 186 4002 6440
Don’t you love it when it snows? Not to mention one of the coolest sports is done in snowy weather. But snowboarding is almost impossible to do in Beijing, and your parents are so not letting you go to the Alps. What if I told you that you can do this sport indoors? It’s possible! By using advanced technology, you’re able to actually get the feeling of snowboarding on a hill. There are coaches there to teach you the basics, and the venue provides you all the safety equipment and the snowboards. Just be sure to call them two days in advance to book a session with your trainer. Now you’re able to get those Swiss vibes and brag to your friends while staying on budget.
威波豪斯冲浪俱乐部 Wavorhouse Surfing Club
Address: Inside 24h Gear Yard, No. 2 Dingfuzhuangxili, Chaoyang Road
朝阳路定福庄西里2号24h齿轮场内
Opening Hours: Tuesday to Friday 1pm-8pm, Saturday to Sunday 11am-8pm
Approx. Price: RMB 196/per person
Phone Number: 6575 6657 / 131 4629 9500
It was all Aloha nirvana before the pandemic hit. And while you would die to get some beach climate, Beijing is just warming up. Before you throw all your tropical fantasies in the bin, try this surfing club. That’s right, an indoor surfing club that gets you on a real surfboard. The surfing club uses advanced technology and lots of water to simulate those Maui waves. Although you can’t really practice paddling out to sea and catching a wave, this club and its coaches will teach you the basics of riding on your board and some easy tricks. They provide you with different sizes of surfboards, so you can try them all, and you won’t have to figure out how to carry a 180cm-longboard around. And when you can finally fly to a tropical paradise, you’ll be ready to show off your stuff and catch those killer waves.
KEEP READING: The Water is Just Fine: Teaching Your Kids How to Swim Could Transform Their Lives
Images: Pexels
This article appeared in the jingkids 2021 March issue
