China's first world-class course for alpine skiing

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Built for the 2022 Winter Olympics in Beijing, the alpine skiing course in northeast China's Heilongjiang Province is the country's first course to meet international standards and be certified by the International Ski Federation (FIS), announced the province's sports bureau on Saturday.

Unlike other skiing events, alpine skiing requires a unique type of course that needs to ensure fair moisture in the snow.

The training base hired experts from Austria to help design and build such courses in the field. According to experts, first the course must be covered with chopped snow. Then water will be injected to 20-40 centimeters under the snow to make the snow appear like it's frozen into ice.

Alpine skiing is way faster than regular skiing and thus has higher course requirements. /VCG Photo

When athletes ski on such courses, the decreased friction between the skis and the surface of the course helps them go faster. Moreover, unlike chopped snow, such snow is more solid and will not be damaged by athletes skiing on it, making the competition fairer.

Compared with regular skiing, alpine skiing is much faster as athletes can reach 130 kilometers an hour with their speed and hence has higher course standards. This sport is relatively new in China but already draws attention in the country. If China wants to compete with other countries in 2022 in Beijing, building a qualified course for practice should be a good start.