For a sun-worshipping, heat-loving Australian, one of the few benefits of living in a city where winter temperatures drop way below freezing, is the high probability that your location is somewhere near snow. Beijing is no exception, with ski fields within a few hours drive away.

The closest to the city is Nanshan, a simple ski resort consisting of two beginner runs, three intermediate slopes, one ridiculously steep black piste and a truly excellent snowboard park.

Just an hour's drive along a scenic freeway, (albeit without gas stations, but that is another story entirely) sees you arrive at freshly man-made snow, complete with clean air and ski-fashions beyond your wildest winter imaginations.

My favorite and never-before-seen by me, or any one that I have quizzed since, Beijing skiing accessory is what I have affectionately dubbed the "bum-pillow." First spotting the item while I was chatting away in a quad-chair queue to a recently befriended lifty, the "bum-pillow" is a simple purpose-made cushion for a skier's backside.

Preparing to slide into position for my trip to the top, I was left utterly speechless by the skier in front of me who right before plonking down on the chairlift hoisted a pillow, that had previously gone unnoticed hanging around her thighs and was attached to her body with what looked like comfortable elastic, to under her backside, making the journey a little more enjoyable I guess.

Following her adventure down the mountain with earnest, I keenly observed that her pillow stayed in place and doubled as an excellent protection device on several falls in which she, thanks to the cushioned landing, seemed to handle with ease.

Distracted by the ingenuity of her accessory, my attention turned from mastering standing upright to checking out what people around me were wearing. Dressed myself in bright-red hire clothing, I perhaps did not have the authority to judge anyone else, but I did so anyway and was amazed at the huge sums of money my fellow snowboarders in particular had shelled out to look the part.

Designer duds and brand-new equipment were donned by a large number of snow-goers at Nanshan and as I quickly discovered, were no reflection whatsoever of skiing or snowboarding ability.

As similarly bright-red hire-clothing clad skiers whizzed by, a disproportionate amount of designer-dressed first-timers dotted the fields facedown, skies-up and legs awry. A group sat in the middle of a slope as several ploughed straight into the fence nearby, rebounding into a scary pile of arms and equipment, laughing and looking good doing it.

Fear has no place on the slopes of Beijing. Beginners take themselves to the top, point their skis downhill and push-off. Maybe it's the expensive equipment, color-coordinated jumpsuits, or hats with funny ears that create a false sense of security, maybe it's the thrill of doing something for the first time or just get-ting out of the city for a day – whatever the reason, attitudes in the snowfields of Beijing are light, laughter fills the air and the eclectic combination of inge-nious accessories make for a great experience far away from home.