Alpine skiing is known as the "crown jewel of the Winter Olympics". The top speed of the downhill athletes who are racing will reach a maximum speed of about 140 kilometers per hour, and in the event of a mistake, the protective nets installed on both sides of the track like the "Red Wall" will prevent the athletes from falling off the cliff.
According to different uses, the National Alpine Ski Center, the venue of the Yanqing Competition Area of the Beijing Winter Olympic Games, installed a total of 4 types of protective nets, with a total length of about 20,000 meters, and the mesh surface was all woven from high-density polyethylene materials, which was very rigid and escorted for athletes.
The National Alpine Ski Center has built a total of 7 tracks, which are responsible for 11 minor events such as alpine ski downhill, super big slalom, big slalom, and slalom, resulting in a total of 11 gold medals. The seven tracks are 9.2 km long and have a maximum vertical drop of up to 900 m. It is the first alpine ski track in China that meets Olympic standards, and it is currently one of the most difficult competition venues in the world.
"Downhill athletes turn and fly over at speeds of more than 100 kilometers per hour, and it is easy to make mistakes and cause danger, so the event protection network is indispensable." Lu Hongyou, head of the Beijing-Olympic Mountain Operation of the National Alpine Ski Center, introduced it.
When viewers watch the broadcast of the alpine ski downhill race, they will find that the red protective nets on both sides of the track are very conspicuous. In the protective net, the A net is a hard isolation net, which is the first guard net to be installed on the track, and its role is to firmly confine the athlete who has made a mistake to the track area. The A-net is the strongest and tallest of all the protective nets, and most of the sides of the track use double-layer A-nets up to 5 meters high. A closer look will reveal that there is also an anti-cutting mesh skirt on the underside of the A net, and the fine mesh is interspersed with metal wire, which can prevent the athlete's skis from being inserted into the net or cutting the net.
The B net is a buffer net, the height is generally about 2 meters, and its number of erection layers depends on the difficulty of the track, such as on the outside of the faster curve, 3 or more layers need to be erected; in some dangerous areas where the two sides are cliffs, the protective net will be installed with 6 layers. When a missing athlete rushes off the track, the multi-layer B net can make the athlete stop relatively gently. In some very dangerous curves and cliffs, it is also necessary to install an air cushion wall on the outside of the B net to prevent athletes from falling off the cliff.
In addition to the A net and B net installed on the track, there is also a BC net that is slightly shorter than the B net, which is installed in the end of the race area, which plays a certain protective role while not blocking the view of the audience and the broadcast machine. In the National Alpine Ski Center, there are also a lot of C nets installed, which have no protective function and play a role in dividing the area and warning.
Spectators may notice when watching alpine skiing competitions that in addition to the "Red Great Wall" on both sides of the track, there will be two blue lines on the slopes, the blue line is called the guide line, which is also specially set up to ensure safety, which can provide athletes with relatively accurate and reasonable sliding routes.
"When the staff sprayed the guide line, it was very much like spraying pesticides, carrying a watering can and wearing a ski from the top to the top of the mountain, except that the pigment used in the spray guide line was composed of non-toxic and odorless food coloring, which was very environmentally friendly." Lu Hongyou said with a smile.