Stepping into the wintry hills of Yanqing, Brian and Yanna go from heart pounding thrills on the ice to gliding down mountain slopes with the wind at their backs, then settle in beside a village stove. It is a journey through the many faces of a Yanqing winter, and a proper introduction to the charm and the warmth, of Beijing's coldest season. At the Snow Dragon, the sliding track that coils along the mountain ridge like its namesake, an international skeleton competition happens to be under way. After watching the athletes hurtle past, the two are itching to feel that rush for themselves, so they board the Thunder Bobsleigh and take on the track's famous 360 degree loop at heart racing speed. From there they head to the Snow Flying Swallow to learn skiing from the very beginning, and that means learning to walk in skis and, yes, learning to fall. Can they pick it up fast enough to enjoy the simple joy of flying down a slope so far from home?

As the sun sets, Brian and Yanna gather round a farmhouse courtyard table for Liugou Village's famous tofu feast. Dishes keep coming as fast as they disappear, full of homely warmth, and it captures perfectly how locals here live out their cosy, contented winters. But once they are fed and warm, another adrenaline rush awaits.