Ski into Love

Struggles to capture the soul of snowboarding

Lately, Ski into Love (嘘，国王在冬眠) has been circulating in the snowboarding community, so I decided to give it a shot. Snowboarding is my life, and no matter how flawed the content, I will consume it because action sports are so rarely depicted in media - and when they are, it’s often with a misunderstanding that borders on mischaracterization.

My approach to this drama was twofold: to assess it both as a story and from a technical and cultural perspective, offering insight into the culture and history of the sport. Initially, I came in with a lot of skepticism, worried about its authenticity. However, as the series progressed, I found myself praying it wouldn’t completely fuck up its depiction of snowboarding. Whether it succeeded or not, I’m still on the fence. While I didn’t learn anything new - and I have plenty of factual errors to nitpick - I had fun identifying the snowboard models, shooting locations, and analyzing tricks.

The Spirit of Snowboarding

Snowboarding, like its action sports counterparts, is more than just a sport; it’s a way of life. It’s a culture deeply rooted in music, fashion, and community - a group bonded by their passion for riding. Fun comes first; talent is secondary. The irony of this drama is that the entire plot feels like it was written by Wei Zhi herself - someone with little understanding of snowboarding but trying her best.

I can overlook the title mistranslation ("Ski into Love", even though the show is about snowboarding). The issue of calling them “ski slopes” and “ski resorts” when snowboarders share the terrain hasn’t been resolved in real life either. In Chinese, both skiing and snowboarding fall under 滑雪 (huáxuě), with the only differentiator being 单板 (single board, snowboarding) and 双板 (dual boards, skiing). Riding into Love might’ve been a more fitting title, but I digress.

Where the drama falls short is in its portrayal of snowboarding’s essence. It offers a mainstream, sanitized version that feels disconnected from the sport’s rebellious roots. Snowboarding emerged from counter-culture, a space for outcasts carving their own path. Every rider, no matter how successful, shares this spirit. But in Ski into Love, the characters feel too clean-cut, too polished. Shan Chong’s personal style, for example, is far removed from how freestyle snowboarders actually dress. Sure, designer clothing at his wealth level makes sense, but not in the way it’s presented here. Snowboarders have a distinct style - baggy hip-hop-inspired outfits, a chill, laid-back demeanor. The characters here feel stiff, missing that effortless cool.

Technical and Cultural Inaccuracies

A major oversight is how the series lumps all snowboarding disciplines together. Shan Chong, a Big Air/Slopestyle specialist, is challenged to a slalom race by his teammate Dai Duo. There is little to no crossover between alpine racing and freestyle; they require vastly different skills and equipment. No elite freestyle snowboarder would suddenly be competent on a racing board. It makes as much sense as a figure skater excelling at speed skating.

Another glaring issue is the depiction of the snowboarding community. This sport thrives on camaraderie - it was built by outcasts creating their own space. Even in professional competition, snowboarders form one of the most close-knit communities in all of sports. Yet by episode 5, factions have formed, going against the sport’s very ethos. While rivalries exist, true snowboarders know the real enemy is always the skiers. (Kidding - kind of.)

China’s snow sports scene is rapidly developing, but its cultural etiquette hasn’t fully caught up with global standards. If this drama wanted to be idealistic, it could have done better research into this aspect.

Duelling it out over a game of In Your Face but with completely made up rules was disappointing. The actual rules are: rock-paper-scissors for first caller. First caller calls a trick for the opponent. If opponent lands, they move on, if they fall, loser gets sprayed in the face. Calling the tricks for the opponent would have been a great opportunity to help casual viewers understand what’s happening, which they missed the mark on.

Shan Chong’s friend Beici insists that you can’t let fate decide in competitive sports. While Beici isn’t wrong, Shan Chong’s agreement to his statement feels out of place. Snowboarding has never been about pure competition - it’s about fun. But as commercialization grows, this ethos is being overshadowed. More athletes now prioritize rigorous training over joy. If the series valued snowboarding’s integrity, it should have acknowledged that while progression matters, fun and camaraderie matter more.

Although the series captures the amateur snowboarders quite accurately, elite athletes are depicted more like athletes of other sports. It’s disconcerting to see traditional, sterile bootcamp-style training gyms that strip away the essence of snowboarding. China has Woodward facilities designed for action sports, yet they’re absent from the drama. Instead of advocating for snowboarding, the series uses it as a plot device.

But one of the best parts? The absolute chaos of the national team. As they should be. These are the elite, yet they all act like overgrown kids - just like real-life snowboarders. Their coach, at least, gives sound advice: Shan Chong shouldn’t expect to return to form immediately. His frustration watching younger riders outperform him is understandable. The new generation has better facilities, training, and role models. The older generation had to figure things out through trial and error; the younger ones have the blueprint handed to them.

The drama focuses heavily on Big Air but omits Slopestyle, even though Olympic-level athletes compete in both. Worse, it downplays the technical difficulty of tricks. When Dai Duo lands a backside 1440 triple cork, his teammates claim no one else on the national team can do it. This is absurd - Su Yiming, China’s big air gold medalist pulled off a 1980 in 2022 at the age of just 17. A full 3 years before the events of this series. Every year, the bar gets raised higher, and since events took place during the 2025-2026 season, every olympic calibre athlete should be able to pull off at least 1800s. At the 2022 Olympics, seven riders landed it cleanly in the finals. At the 2025 X Games, 2160s and 2340s have started to make an appearance.

Characters

Wei Zhi is endearing but utterly hopeless at snowboarding. Even under professional guidance, she makes no progress. She gets flustered when Shan Chong teaches others, yet she has no resilience for a sport that demands patience and suffering. Her best friend Nanfeng was right - paying for lessons just to spend time with him isn't the solution to staying in this relationship long-term.

Shan Chong retired after his sister Shan Shan’s skiing accident resulted in a bilateral transtibial amputation. Coupled with his own near-death experience, he couldn’t justify putting his family through more distress. His actions were noble - saving up to fit his sister with prosthetic legs - but the drama falters in depicting her recovery. This part of the story feels rushed - it acutely oversimplifies the complexities of fitting for prosthetics - no casting, no check socket, no rehab... just straight up delivered to their door, ready to put on and get up and walk. But the prostheses themselves are real. Great CGI on Shan Shan too. They missed a big chance to potentially have her aim for the paralympics as well, I thought the story was developing in that direction when she remarked she was on the national junior team during the arcade scene, and later joining the group on their next adventure.

Wei Zhi’s parents’ judgmental attitude toward Shan Chong stems from class prejudice. They see snowboarding as
不务正业 (not a serious profession), even though he’s a nationally recognized athlete. The irony? He’s more responsible for Wei Zhi than they’ll ever be. Rich people sure have the audacity to look down on those more accomplished than them. If anything, they don’t deserve him. For this reason, it felt like forgiveness felt deeply unsatisfying.

Thematic Direction

Episode 8 captures the contrast between snowboarding’s free-spirited nature and the rigidity of high society. At first, I thought the drama was about breaking free - Wei Zhi from her conservative upbringing, Shan Chong from his guilt. This would have been perfect, given how snowboarding is all about freedom - the feeling of flying as you catch air. But in the end, the theme turned out to be about reconciliation. Reconciliation with family, with the past. A solid theme, but a missed opportunity to showcase snowboarding’s true philosophy.

Final Thoughts

Despite its flaws, Ski into Love grew on me. It may not fully understand snowboarding, but it tries. It’s a surface-level depiction of the sport, but for mainstream audiences, it’s a start. And for someone like me, starved for action sports representation, I’ll take what I can get.

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Review of "Ski Into Love": From Hibernation to the Crown

Ski Into Love is a romantic comedy drama with a sports theme, focusing on skiing while also serving as a healing drama. It tells the story of a woman and a man who find themselves at the lowest points in their lives, almost as if they are in hibernation. As they embark on their journey to rise again, they cross paths—two lonely souls who begin to accompany and support each other. Together, they chase their dreams, reclaim their place at the top, and regain their crowns.

Love That Accompanies, Not Heals

One of the most unique aspects of Ski Into Love is its refreshing take on healing. Unlike most healing dramas that portray love as the ultimate cure, this drama presents love as a companionship rather than a remedy. Instead of healing each other’s wounds, the protagonists provide mutual support, encouragement, and motivation to become better versions of themselves. Love here isn’t about fixing someone; it’s about walking alongside them as they rediscover their strength.

The drama’s original title, "The King is Hibernating," is also quite significant. The word "King" is used in a gender-neutral sense, implying that both the male and female protagonists are "kings" in their own right. They are both in a phase of hibernation, struggling to rise again and reclaim their crowns.

A Stronger Adaptation from the Novel

While the drama is adapted from a novel, there are several key differences that enhance the storytelling. The drama delves deeper into character development and provides more logical plot reasoning. One notable change is why Shanchong treats Weizhi differently from other students—this is tied to their first encounter, which left a lasting impression on him. Unlike others, Weizhi unknowingly broke through his emotional walls, making their connection special from the start.

Similarly, the explanation behind why Weizhi doesn’t recognize Shanchong is made more reasonable in the drama, adding depth to their relationship dynamic.

A particularly commendable aspect is Weizhi’s character portrayal. She is depicted as a kind-hearted, funny, smart, talented, and delightful person with a strong spirit and positivity. She brings warmth to every scene, making it impossible not to root for her. She is not just a passive love interest but a strong, career-driven woman who pursues her dreams with determination. Weizhi learns skiing out of her own desire and has a clear vision for her future, making her a much more compelling and inspiring protagonist.

Additionally, the subplot involving plagiarism and AI-generated comics adds a modern and fresh twist. Given that AI in the art and creative industry is a hot topic today, this storyline makes the drama even more relevant and engaging.

Esther Yu’s Exceptional Performance as Weizhi

Esther Yu delivers a phenomenal performance as Weizhi, proving once again why she is the queen of rom-coms. Her acting is natural, effortless, and incredibly charming. She captures every nuance of Weizhi’s personality—her kindness, her liveliness, her intelligence, and her unwavering determination—with absolute perfection.

Esther’s ability to blend comedy, emotion, and charisma makes Weizhi an unforgettable character. She is funny, lovable, and full of life, making her presence on screen an absolute joy to watch. Whether it’s through her adorable expressions, heartfelt moments, or comedic timing, Esther completely embodies the role, making Weizhi one of the most endearing female leads in recent rom-com dramas.

Lin Yi’s Compelling Portrayal of Shanchong & Their Breathtaking Chemistry

Lin Yi as Shanchong also delivers an excellent performance. Although his version of Shanchong differs from the novel—being more of a green flag, gentle, and swoon-worthy character rather than just cool and distant—he brings a refreshing depth to the role.

The chemistry between Esther Yu and Lin Yi is simply unmatched. Their connection has been evident since their time on the variety show "Let’s Go Skiing," and this drama further proves how well they complement each other on screen. The production team truly did a fantastic job uniting these two talented actors, creating on-fire, top-notch chemistry that’s simply irresistible.

Breathtaking Cinematography, OST, and Passionate Production

From a visual perspective, the cinematography in this drama is stunning. The skiing sequences are masterfully shot, making even those unfamiliar with the sport feel excited to try it. The costume design is stylish and aesthetically pleasing, adding to the overall charm.

One of the standout aspects of Ski Into Love is its commitment to realism. Instead of relying on CGI, the team shot on-location with real buildings and breathtaking landscapes. Additionally, all the audio was live-recorded on set, which is incredibly rare for a C-drama. This level of dedication shows just how passionate the team was in bringing this drama to life, making the experience feel more authentic and immersive.

The OST selection perfectly matches the drama’s vibe. Even "True Love" by Esther Yu, originally a song from her birthday album, fits seamlessly into the drama’s atmosphere.

One of the most impressive aspects is the meticulous research done by the production team regarding skiing and comic artistry. Their attention to detail, combined with the live-recorded audio and real scenery, makes this drama stand out in terms of production quality.

Endless Promotional Material – A Treat for Fans!

Another reason why Ski Into Love is such a fun drama to follow is the never-ending promotional content. Thanks to Esther Yu, the ultimate promotion queen, fans are spoiled with a constant stream of promotional material. From behind-the-scenes clips, interviews, posters, and bonus content—there is always something new to enjoy!

Not only is Esther always prepared with tons of promo content, but the production team itself has been extremely generous with sharing extra material. They clearly understand how to keep fans engaged, making it an absolute joy to be part of the fandom.

Whether you're watching the drama, enjoying behind-the-scenes clips, or diving into interviews, there’s always something fun to look forward to. If you haven’t joined in yet, now is the perfect time to jump in and enjoy the ride!

Final Verdict: A Must-Watch Drama!

Ski Into Love is a lighthearted, enjoyable, and visually stunning drama that offers a beautiful blend of romance, sports, and personal growth. With an engaging plot, phenomenal chemistry, and breathtaking cinematography, this drama is an absolute delight to watch.

At the heart of it all, Esther Yu’s incredible portrayal of Weizhi makes this drama truly shine. Weizhi is a fantastic character—kind, smart, talented, full of warmth, and endlessly charming, and Esther brings her to life in the most captivating way possible.

For those looking for a drama with healing elements, a sports theme, rom-com charm, or simply a heartwarming love story, Ski Into Love is the perfect choice. Highly recommended!

And if you love dramas that keep on giving with endless promotional content, fun interactions, and extra surprises, this one is an absolute must-watch. Join in and enjoy—it’s a ride you won’t regret!

" As the drama promotion said, Ski Into Love will keep you company until the last snow falls and spring arrives ❤️"

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A tourism advertisement?

Ski into Love filmed many more episodes worth of content than what actually aired, and you can tell.

What we ended up with were a lot of scenes of the snowboard just group eating and hanging out. At times, it really felt like I was watching actors kind of do whatever they want in front of the camera. More like a variety show. It didn't seem like the actors were taking the filming very seriously.

The chemistry between the 3 couples was just OK. I never felt anyone pull at my heartstrings.

The plots were all half-assed, most with very weak resolutions. I certainly expected more from a drama adapted from a novel.

I will say, Ski into Love showcased some beautiful areas of China you don't often see in dramas - which, I'm guessing was the underlying agenda of the series.

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Light-hearted fun

This drama starts out really promising, with lightning quick pacing and really interesting characters. The ML was more stoic but never unkind, and the FL was bubbly but not annoying. The snowboarding theme is fun, and the OST has two songs in particular (one upbeat and one slow and romantic) that really clicked with me and added to the great vibes.

I’m not completely sure the second half of the show keeps the same energy. Both the ML and FL’s arcs seem a little anticlimactic and vague. While I don’t need the show to get in the weeds about the manhua industry, I would’ve loved to see a clearer journey, starting from storyboarding the story, pulling inspiration, actually drawing it, and especially going back to conferences with volumes and merch, since that’s where the first episode started. Instead, it felt like she was just constantly “gathering research” and then the next thing we knew, her manhua was steadily successful. For the ML, I think there also wasn’t much to his snowboarding journey; he was good at it and never stopped being good at it. While 23 episodes is short and doesn’t really allow for a lot of arcs, I think having some more organization and struggle could’ve made their journeys feel more worth it.

The romance is really cute, but it also sort of hiccups in the second half. The leads go on a break (or whatever that was) but they basically don’t interact for a stretch of episodes, which is unfortunate because it could’ve been an opportunity for each of them to support each other in their blossoming careers. The “getting back together” scene is just fine, but I think this is the type of more emotionally-charged scene where the cutesy acting of the FL doesn’t quite work.

The side characters are fine. The ships have their cute moments, but they’re also not that memorable.

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The Hibernating King of Big Air Made this Show Watchable

I picked this up for LY and the snowboarding aspect of it as it's one of the sports I watch during the Olympics and it seemed they really wanted to showcase the sport. Sadly, between wrapping filming and broadcasting, the series lost 12 to 14 episodes due to review and very negatively affected the show. The hibernating king of big air made this show watchable.

Pros: I'm starting to think that LY is one of those actors that can have chemistry with a pet rock. I have no idea how and why he or SC was attracted to WZ or FL in the first place other than her looks and optimism. I certainly wish for him to get better scripts because this was definitely not the one. I loved his character even when he was stubborn, I also really liked that even though he had to deal with a lot of trauma like his sister's accident and than his own, he never gave up on his dream to return to snowboarding. The cutest couple was his sister SS and DD; they melted your heart because he would never leave her side even if she stayed in the wheelchair for life. The other characters like the FL's bestie, his snowboarding crew, goofy as they were, they made things real. His parents and even the 3rd wheel once he got over his delusion, was a good friend to have. And FL's studio girls including SS. Even though this wasn't meant to be a snowboarding documentary, it still had a lot of those aspects in it. I wish it had more. Also a lot of the comedy was well placed.

The scenery was gorgeous and I think they mentioned that they traveled to 8 places to film in 4 months which is pretty nuts but worth those stunning views and shots. The FL here was optimistic, hardworking, and the cheerleader as well as very protective of the people she cared for. She gave people second chances that didn't deserve it. I did like how at the end the guy who originally made the mistake of following asswipe boss by making false claims, came clean publicly and left the company and everyone else pretty much walked out with him.

I loved the World Cup event even though a lot was obviously done by AI and actual professionals and Olympians, wish we had more of that. For a show that had a lot to do with snowboarding, what we did see though great and cool, wasn't that much. But tying that in with the proposal fails until it finally worked was great and having all of his friends, sister, and her bestie there was great.

Cons: My greatest problem with this series other than the cut episodes and what they had to shove into the ending because of that, making for many whiplash moments and unnecessary things happening, was the FL. WZ was a walking contradiction. She acted and spoke like a toddler for most of the series which made it hard to connect with her. We knew that she lived a sheltered life due to her over controlling parents but even though she was optimistic in solving problems, she kept getting herself into situations that were unlike what she appeared moments before. The gibberish that came out of her mouth was not understandable if it wasn't for the subtitles. Her most used phrase in the entire series was "what do you mean?" It was like she couldn't understand the simplest things being said or happening around her. Her best friend had to spell it out for her as if she was impaired or something.

The breakup; noble idiocy arc wouldn't even had to happen if she had just told him what she told him only several episodes later when they reconciled. I was aghast at just how oblivious she was to his heartache and pain standing just feet from him while she's just blabbering on about herself and how happy she is. Meanwhile, this man has had his heart broken and ripped to shreds by how her parents treated him, as if he was less than. And she was present during a lot of those conversations? Did she think her parents ripping into him for his middle class life was normal? Then she had the balls to be angry at him for breaking up with her even when she didn't understand anything. Like what even? Are you 25 or 3? At any time, she could have reached out to him but nope, she waited until they met again and he started his usual taking care of her before she spoke up. This man had to play coach, babysitter, boyfriend, bodyguard, etc for what essentially amounted to a kid. Someone, who forget snowboarding, couldn't learn much else and always made everything someone was trying to show or teach her a total chore, throwing tantrums (as the doctor appropriately said when she got hurt on a slope she was forbidden by him to go on).

Personally, it was very creepy to me when even when they got back together, she still called him "Shifu" or Master. Like girl this is your boyfriend, he's got a name, use it. It was also very weird that though she had her own copyright and pen name stolen by a false contract, she didn't fight for that until after the asswipe went after her new work that didn't have anything to do with the company. That's when she got a lawyer and everything. Why not do it before? Why not talk to Manman before that way? You could have saved a lot of people, yourself included a lot of time and problems.

Her parents whiplash from what they said and did to supportive parents that only care about their daughter's happiness was a plot hole a mile deep and had to do with the cut episodes, so I'll leave that there.

Esther will be Esther. But seeing her in MJTY blew my mind because I'd been avoiding her dramas due to that voice where people will argue is real or not; that's not up to me. The fact that she was able to portray the FL in a GJM drama and do so effectively was eye opening for me. It made me hope that in the future she would take more of those types of roles because believe me, nothing about GJM's work says cute (even though at almost 30 all of that is creepy not cute), toddler sounding adult. This drama made me cringe every time she opened her mouth and they made her even cringier by making the character essentially an airhead that both ML and SFL called her out in person.

I personally believe this is a persona she created for herself and it's worked with fans as many famous people all over the world do that. I also got a little suspicious in their Hi6 episode together because there were times when she was talking and her voice was a lot lower than what we usually hear and once or twice she caught herself and quickly went up several octaves, so that lay more credence to my theory. But whatever it is, I hope she's not too late in typecasting herself in these types of roles and leaves them behind altogether. This series could have been a lot better and funnier if she and the writers/director made her less childlike. I do wish her the best.

Lastly, why was FL more often than not in granny wear or a combination of something a kid would wear and what her grandmother would? This is literally the 4th modern drama this year I'm seeing this. These stylists need to go back to school.

Would I recommend it? Honestly if it wasn't for LY, snowboarding and the supporting cast being so good, I would have probably dropped the drama. But I did give it the extra .5 for LY and his range of emotion. So I honestly can't tell you guys. This one hangs in the air for me.

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Cute but Boring

I think its a trend for modern cdramas to be lackluster because since the start of 2025 I can't recall any truly good cdramas that come in the same league as go ahead and other top tier modern dramas. Either way i think that this drama was pretty much what I expected but it has a lot of scope for improvement which I have listed below.

PROS:
1. Parallels: I loved the parallels we get between shan shan and shan chong and in a way between wei zhi and nan feng, I thought it was great at showing how circumstances can impact a person and how there's more than one "right" path in life.

2. Visuals: Although we don't get the same visuals as the poster, it is undeniable that lin yi and esther have great visuals.

3. Motivational: I think its inspiring to see almost everyone overcome their struggles and move forward from the past

4. Maturity: the relationship is very mature, breakup is also justified and I think all in all the characters have genuine concerns and thoughts

5. Yan: His character was actually my favorite in the show, I loved the small details (him colouring his hair to stand out, social media to grab attention, etc, ) his character was so well thought of and i think the actor did a great job in the portrayal because I could sense his emotions without him saying anything.

6. Representation for snow sports: I honestly feel very intrigued by skiing and snowboarding and this show made me want to go to learn the sport myself (it would be an added bonus if someone like shan chong was my coach lmao)

CONS:
1. Characters lack depth: Besides those i mentioned above I think that most characters lack depth in this show, its very basic in the sense that there is not much to the characters other than what you read in the synopsis.

2. Immaturity of the FL: I don't think Esther's acting is the issue here but the way the FL was portrayed in the beginning was honestly difficult to watch and I'm pretty sure her character was written that way

3. Pacing: It was quite rushed towards the end, probably in order to wrap up everything neatly but I wished they had taken a bit more time.

4. Villains: I honestly felt like the FL is a bit too..forgiving? It could be attributed to her upbringing but I think that she was a bit too perfect, For dramas like these its better to have a character that is a bit more nuanced and imperfect

5. Plot: This type of storyline is so saturated lately and even if they add elements like sports/thriller/drama/fantasy/etc. it still feels like I'm watching the same thing...This drama is definitely catered towards the fans of the cast rather than actual drama viewers because tbh there is not much to see.

6. Character Arc: I think that for the sake of maturity many of the characters lost their personality, in order to make conflict resolution quick almost no one seems to keep a grudge or plan anything (except CEO of tiger comics ofc) and it makes it a bit boring if i'm being honest.

7. Comedy: Wish they added more of this because the "comedy" (if you can even call it that) was the FL acting like a baby which made me almost drop the drama.

8. Impact: There are close to no instances where the cast had an opportunity to leave an impact which makes me sure that I will forget I watched this in like a month.

All in all if you like the star studded cast and want to watch a cute romance drama and also learn quite a lot about a new sport then this will be great for you. The rating fell by a lot for me because of the low rewatch value and overused plot but I can see how this would be a great cdrama for someone who is new to it(its not very overloaded with info and it is pretty short by cdrama standards).

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snowboarding content, with camaraderie, athletic fun factor, and ambition - First fun to watch.

First Impression and Story Idea:
It was nice to find a story that isn't always about the rich CEO and the poor Cinderella, but takes place in a real setting.
The entire snowboarding content, with its inherent camaraderie, athletic fun factor, and ambition, was well presented overall, even if it was simplified for the series. I understand that, though. Music and scenery make this series fun to watch.
The people portrayed in their professional environments and circles of friends seem most authentic and it was fun to watch how a romance would develop. Also at first (up to episode 17) the characters seemed to be communicating properly, not like in the usual C-Dramas where nobody talks to anyone and creates misunderstandings that provide the content for the story.

But... then...

After you had happily gotten involved with the series because of the above-mentioned content, the downsides unfortunately followed.

Esther Yu once again portrays a character as if the woman were an overexcited naive teenage girl - again. Don't get me wrong, Esther Yu is a very sweet person, but if she plays every role like that of the Fairy, it gets boring. Especially when it's a young woman from the current era.
Unfortunately, the story writers didn't seem to be satisfied with the story surrounding snowboarding, the struggle of ShanChong and the relationship between the main characters.
As is often the case in C-Dramas, more and more plot lines were added (comic contest, law suit, spurned love of an old friend, Love and hate beween the second couple, helping a sister, parental interference).
In my opinion, the story goes downhill starting with episode 17. The main couple is separated due to a lack of communication, and they're now trying to fill more episodes with content.
But it gets really embarrassing when they put Fei Qi Ming in a fat suit for the flashbacks (or maybe CGI) and quickly cut off the story about the necessary prosthetics for her sister by having her go to the doctor for a short time and then suddenly get prosthetics and be able to walk.
The entire cast of actors (except for my mention above) does a really great job, but they have to deal with the inferior story development

Would I watch it again? No.

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Hibernating King Claims His Crown

This is a super fluffy, cutesy (at times cringey), easy watch for when you’re not in the mood for something heavy or that requires a lot of brainpower. I liked what I read in the synopsis for it as I find snowboarding enjoyable to watch, plus I enjoy both the lead actors so I was excited to watch this as it aired. And while it didn’t quite meet my expectations, I still found it entertaining & liked it for the most part. {{And let me say right away that I know nothing about the validity of the snowboarding aspect. I don’t participate in the sport myself nor have any knowledge of its different “styles” or whatnot.}}

I found our Leads to be really cute together. Their relationship progressed much faster than I expected but I heard the drama got like 10-15eps cut off so it then made sense to me why things moved at the rate they did. And it’s not that they became a couple right away, I was just surprised at how early they claimed one another without making it official. It didn’t at all bother me, though, since I actually prefer when they get together early on so we get lots of eps with them as a couple. 😉

The ML was once a top competitor in professional snowboarding, but an injury caused his early retirement. He could’ve continued competing, but his parents were terrified of another tragedy happening to him like it did to his younger sister, so to ease their worries he chose to retire. He can’t fully let go of his passion, though, so he travels between different cities as a local coach with his fellow boarders & friends. His experience & talents make him almost god-like on the slopes, earning him a well deserved reputation as the best. He appears content & adjusted to his new life, but he secretly still dreams of participating in the Olympics one day.

And while he’s going through the motions from day-to-day, a girl crashes into his world, lighting up his life & reigniting his passion…

There’s an incident that causes the ML to be a bit “cold” towards the FL initially, but he’s still extremely protective of her, which I really enjoyed. His words were saying one thing, but his actions were saying another. Rest assured, he’s never cruel to her, he just picks on her & teases her a lot, but never maliciously. He has a crush on her from moment one, so despite his plans to make things a bit rough on her, he never fully follows through since he cares about her.

For the FL’s part, she has no idea that her new snowboarding coach is her idol & the inspiration for her latest comic idea, so there’s a little bit of that hidden identity trope if you’re a a fan of that. I don’t usually like it, but this one got cleared up fairly quickly so I didn’t mind. She’s a very optimistic, bubbly, friendly girl who just wants to be allowed to chase her dream & live her life how she wants. Only her best friend knows the pain her smile hides. Despite her parents’ disapproval & lack of support, she remains dedicated to following her own path. When a scandal breaks out & she’s framed, resulting in the loss of her pen name & job, she’s disheartened & unsure what to do next. Then she sees a clip of a snowboarder performing incredible tricks & she’s encouraged to keep moving forward. To do that, she books a trip to the slopes to gather material for her new comic. Unknowingly putting herself on a path to meet a man who’s going to change her life in so many ways…

Like I said, I think this duo is super cute together. Their interactions were both comical & endearing. I smiled a lot at their antics, from their initial trading of sarcastic comments to their mutual attraction & flirtations. They have a lot of funny & memorable scenes throughout the whole drama. Some of my favs are:
- The switch from the green turtle to pink. IYKYK. 🐢
- Him being her “uber” down the slopes. Their positions, her sheer joy, his continued glances to check on her… 🫠
- The whole hospital scene: her expressions, him cradling her head, the adorable piggyback ride 🫶🏻
- Unexpectedly meeting at his home. The surprise that quickly turns to delight. 💖
- The landslide & all that followed. Her frantic search, their relieved hug, their mutual care & support. ✅
- The confession. Their happiness was so believable & I couldn’t stop grinning. And the kiss!! 💋
- Their first meeting after the breakup. I was so happy to finally have them back on the screen together again! 🙌🏻
- The make up scene. The apologies. Choosing to face the obstacles together. Him trusting that who he was, right then, was already good enough for her. ❤️‍🩹
-Their mutual successes. Their hard work being recognized & rewarded. Their efforts paying off & their pure joy at accomplishing their dreams. 🏆
- The whole proposal fiasco. Oh my goodness, the poor man was trying so hard & it was not going well!! But then it finally happened & wow - it was beautiful & so perfect for them! 💕

Since I mentioned their breakup in that list let me just say that those episodes are where the show took a drop for me. Not simply because of the breakup, though I always prefer my couples to not do that, but because it felt so out of character for the ML to make that choice. And while I do sorta understand where he was coming from, I don’t understand why they had to officially break up. They weren’t talking about marriage right then anyways, so why couldn’t he continue to prove himself to her parents while staying by her side, ya know? The breakup just didn’t make sense.

And speaking of her parents - ick. I did NOT like her mother. What a controlling & judgmental woman. The dad was initially fine, but once he decided to confront the ML alone he was on my “dislike” list. Yes, their actions are all explained later & “reasoned away” but, for me personally, they never redeemed themselves enough after the way they initially looked down on the ML. Just… no.

As for the support cast:
- the ML’s fellow snowboarders are aces. I liked all of them. I appreciated that there were no love rivals in the bunch, just supportive friends who always had the ML’s (& FL’s by association) back.
- the FL’s colleagues. I liked the ones who were loyal, but I do not at all understand the welcoming back of the one who betrayed them. I understand she was in a difficult position, but guess what - so were the others. She’s the only one who made horrible choices. I’m okay with them forgiving her, but for them to trust her so fully & quickly again? Seemed a bit unrealistic to me.
- The FL’s bestie. I had mixed feelings about her. I liked her relationship with the FL, but her personality outside of that was a bit off putting. Especially the way she treated the ML’s friend. She was very dismissive of his feelings after their fling (that he didn’t realize was just a fling) which was very unattractive to me.
- The male love rival. Whoa was he super annoying at first. I’ve said it before & I know I’ll say it again, but seriously - are people really that delulu?? FL was so obviously not interested in him & he was so incredibly obtuse to her rejections. BUT he totally endeared himself to me in the way he handled finding out about the FL & ML. He didn’t rant or try to sabotage them, but rather went off by himself to grieve. When he returned, he was kind & supportive, accepting the ML’s position as her boyfriend & vowing that he’d only see the FL as a little sister from then on. So while I initially found him completely dislikable, in the end he was a welcome member to the friends group.
- The ML’s sister. Utterly adorable & inspiring. Despite the tragedy she endured, she remained an optimistic & happy girl. And her relationship with the ML’s old teammate was so cute. On the one hand that guy was irritating because of his constant attempts to beat the ML, but on the other hand he was absolutely precious in his interactions with his girlfriend.

So my enjoyment dropped due to the breakup drama, overall I did really enjoy this drama. I know I’ll rewatch it again & simply skip those painful episodes.

I’ll finish my review with this since I know there’s been a lot of haters - if you don’t like the FL actresses voice or when she acts cutesy/“babyish”, then just skip this drama. Don’t watch it just to hate on her. 1) she’s doing her job. 2) it’s not our place to call her fake since we only know her virtually. And 3) most importantly, she’s a human with feelings so hearing/reading malicious comments must hurt her just like it does the rest of us.
While I’m saying this specifically about Esther Yu right now, it applies to all celebrities. Why do we build these stars up just to watch them burn out? Must we raise them so high just to tear them down? One would think, aafter all the tragic suic!des, we’d learn to stop being so cruel…

Sorry, but I find it sad when viewers share harsh opinions with no care as to how it affects the actors/actresses. 😔

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-⬇️ S P O I L E R S 🚫 B E L O W ⬇️-


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The things I always want to know 😏😉…
- First(real)Kiss : ep.13💋
- Together : ep.13 👩🏻‍❤️‍👨🏻
- BreakUp : ep.17 💔
- BackTogether : ep.22❤️‍🩹

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Light and enjoyable watch but not very memorable!

I enjoyed this drama, but the story felt very rushed and abrupt at some point. Maybe it was because they had sqeeze in the episodes, which had a negative impact on the overall outcome of the drama.
I really loved the simple and cheery personality of wei zhi. Though she was a bit too forgiving ( could never be me).
Loved shan Chong too, and thank God he wasn't the typical cold ML. The relationship was quite mature and pleasant. The breakup also felt reasonable unlike most break ups in dramas. But the progression of the story felt a bit choppy. The side characters also felt out of place some times, again probably because of the short number of episodes.
Yan and jiang's relationship could've progressed better, too.
This had potential to be a great watch if they didn't sabotaged it condensing the number of episodes.

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An energetic idol drama with soothing love and dreams

This drama is so great. All aspects are so amazing. The acting of all the cast is pretty good especially for our main cp Wei Zhi and San Chong. Yu Shuxin is always clever at captivating the hearts of audiens not only men but also women like me. Sooo cute my baby zhizi. Lin Yi's acting is also quite good in portraying the character of San Chong. The performances of the cast are also great. The scenery shown in every frame in the drama makes me unable to stop smiling. The storyline is light and flows naturally. I was impressed because this drama not only presents visuals but also full teaching about mature ski teaching. The transition of each scene also really good. I Love this drama so much. I hope the flow will remain good until the end and I always look forward to the episodes every day. ❤️❤️

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cute and sweet - but not rewatchable

I wrote this review like 2 weeks after watching the show with no notes and just pure memory of what happened. I scored it as soon as I finished watching it though. The characters were fun to watch, the plot involved snowboarding and webcomics (which I enjoyed for a bit), but the show ended up falling short in the end. Also, the title makes no sense, as there is no skiing whatsoever. But oh well LOL.

Ski into Love Review- sometimes maybe cute, sometimes maybe shit
I gave this show a 6/10. It was cute and started really well. I appreciated the first half of the show for the most part, other than the little annoyances of Wei Zhi’s character. Shan Cong and Wei Zhi were super sweet during their initial phases of their romance. The plot, honestly, was kinda non-existent in the show. Yes, it was there. However, I didn’t exactly care for it and it didn’t add much to the show in any way, in my opinion. At first, I really liked the webcomic theme and snowboarding theme as well, however as the show kept going on it was pretty dragged out and added no good substance to the plot. The show, all in all, was very tropey. The show was executed well in the first half, however, just kept falling short by the end by adding all the unnecessary tropes to continue the storyline.



Beware of Spoilers Moving Forward!









What Episode did the Main Couple Start Dating?
Shan Cong and Wei Zhi finally start dating in Episode 13. Basically, halfway throughout the show.

Honestly, I don’t even understand why it took them this long to get together. They basically show their attraction for each other almost right from the start. And start to be pretty possessive over each other very early on. So, for it to take 13 episodes was crazy. However, the actual confession scene was pretty sweet.

Misunderstandings?
They have a major conflict in episode 17, where they “take a break” aka break up. The reason for the break-up is literally the most generic trope and I haven’t seen it in a while, so it was pretty infuriating to watch. Her parents don’t approve of Shan Cong, and he thinks by leaving her and getting better in his career and having more money before he pursues her again is the right way to go. Fricking dumb.

ALSO, they take a whole 4 episodes to get back together. So, they get back together finally in episode 21. The whole break-up was just dumb. It could have been removed from the entire plot and would have made no difference, except giving us more sweet moments between Wei Zhi and Shan Cong.

Love Triangles?
So, Jiang Yi Ming has been in love with Wei Zhi since they were kids. He, honestly, wasn’t a bad dude. He was pretty funny and sweet. You could see he really likes Wei Zhi. He earned my respect and was probably one of my favourite characters in this show.

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