From Baking Bread to Shredding Slopes: Zhang Jiahao's Epic Journey
They call him the \"snowboarding lunatic\" 😄. If you've ever seen Zhang Jiahao on a snowboard, you'd know why! From carving up the mountains to pulling off insane tricks, Zhang is a one-man show who's always on the move.
But did you know that before all the fame and snow, Zhang was a humble baker? Yep, at 17, he was whipping up pastries in a hotel restaurant 🍞. Then one day in 2012, he strapped on a snowboard for the first time with his high school buddies, and everything changed.
\"The first time I went snowboarding, I was still working at the Kempinski Hotel,\" Zhang recalls. \"We didn't have fancy tutorials or YouTube back then. We just watched whatever videos we could find and learned from each other.\"
Despite countless falls and injuries—broken hands and legs, punctured lungs, and even multiple concussions—Zhang never gave up. \"I've fallen more times than I can count, but every fall made me love snowboarding even more,\" he says.
He chased his dream all the way to attempting qualification for the Beijing Winter Olympics. \"I didn't make it,\" Zhang admits. \"But I realized I did something everyone wants to do but few have the courage to try.\"
Not one to be deterred, Zhang turned his sights to freeride snowboarding, aiming for the Freeride World Tour (FWT). \"It's like the universe gave me another shot,\" he laughs. \"So here I am, going for it again!\"
These days, you can find him tackling mountain slopes that few dare to attempt. \"There's something incredible about leaving your own mark on untouched snow,\" Zhang explains. \"It's about the sense of achievement and knowing that's your line, your journey.\"
So what keeps him pushing through the danger and the grind? \"Passion,\" he says simply. \"It's about pursuing what you love, step by step, and enjoying every moment of the process.\"
Zhang Jiahao's story is a wild ride of perseverance and passion—a reminder that chasing your dreams is always worth it. Whether you're on the slopes or not, his journey challenges all of us to find what we love and go all in. 🚀
Reference(s):
cgtn.com
