Swiss experts: China's snow fields use artificial snow, no more than in the Alps

The Beijing Winter Olympics, which is more than halfway through the competition, have received unprecedented attention around the world. According to data released by the Olympic Broadcasting Service Company, the Beijing 2022 Winter Olympics is the highest-rated Winter Olympics to date. The Winter Olympics, held in the "City of Two Olympics", has become a truly global festival.

In an exclusive interview with a reporter from Beijing Daily, Laurent Vannes, a Swiss ice and snow industry expert, said that he firmly believes that this will have a huge impact on the popularity of winter sports in China from the success of China's bid to host the Winter Olympics in 2015. At a time when the development of ice and snow sports is experiencing bottlenecks, the importance of the growth prospects of the Chinese market is unparalleled for the global ice and snow industry.

It has always been believed that the Winter Olympics will effectively promote the popularization of winter sports in China

Due to the impact of the new crown epidemic, Laurent Vannes was not able to come to China to watch the Winter Olympics as planned earlier, "I feel particularly sad. I wanted to enjoy the charm of ice and snow events in China, visit the magnificent Winter Olympic venues, and feel the passion of sports on the spot. ”

Laurent Vanner watched the opening ceremony of the Beijing Winter Olympics. He commented that the opening ceremony performance was serene and comfortable, and many complex techniques were used in it. The most important of these is the concept of peace conveyed by the opening ceremony.

Switzerland hosted the Winter Olympics twice in the first half of the 20th century and is one of the very few countries where the total number of gold medals in the Winter Olympics exceeds that of the Summer Olympics. Will the Winter Olympics be able to push more people to participate in snow sports? As an expert in the ice and snow industry, this is the most concerned issue for Laurent Vannes at each Winter Olympics.

"If the Winter Olympics can increase the influence of snow sports among the public, then the number of tourists visiting ski resorts will increase." Laurent Vanner said that since China's successful bid to host the Winter Olympics in 2015, he has been convinced that this will have a huge impact on the popularity of winter sports in China, and "the Chinese market is preparing for this." ”

As Laurent Vannes had hoped, the spread of the pandemic has not affected the enthusiasm of Chinese people for the Winter Olympics and the pride they have generated from hosting the Winter Olympics. He said he hoped that more Chinese people could try winter sports under the influence of the Beijing Winter Olympics. According to his understanding, China has carried out fruitful work to promote snow sports.

"China's ski resorts use artificial snow no more than the Alps"

With the beijing winter olympics, what level of development of ice and snow sports in China has reached? Samaranch, chairman of the Coordination Committee of the International Olympic Committee for the Beijing Winter Olympic Games, recently told Chinese media: "You can see that China is now an ice and snow sports country. ”

Laurent Vanner believes that China does have some advantages in winter sports. "In China, some people are familiar with the cold winters, and ice and snow are part of their culture. In northern China, many places are cold in winter. There is a lot of natural snow in these places, which is not available in other areas. The low temperatures in these areas also make the use of artificial snow possible. ”

Artificial snow is a topic of great concern during the Beijing Winter Olympics. Laurent Vannes said that artificial snow is the temporary storage of water and turns it into snow. After the snow season, most of this water returns to its original place. He dismissed the skepticism about artificial snow: "Because the weather is cold all winter, China's ski resorts use artificial snow no more than ski resorts in the Alps." Snow also melts in winter, so it's natural to use artificial snow. I think the only question in this process is whether the production of artificial snow should use clean energy. ”

In the process of achieving the goal of "driving 300 million people to participate in ice and snow sports", China is also committed to the "south exhibition and west expansion and eastward expansion" of ice and snow sports. Laurent Vannes pointed out that climate is indeed a problem for southern China, which will make snowmaking difficult and raise questions about economic sustainability. But that doesn't stop people from training with the help of simulators or on indoor ski slopes. He said it is gratifying that almost all provinces in China can now ski, and the forms of skiing are diverse. This is the key to China's goal of "bringing 300 million people to ice and snow sports". In addition, the ability to provide a good experience for every ski novice is also crucial, and Laurent Vannes considers it the "biggest challenge" in the promotion of snow sports.

Why China is attracting the attention of the global ski industry

The Beijing Winter Olympics have ignited a global boom of attention to ice and snow sports. Prior to this, Italy and Sweden had engaged in a high-profile battle for the right to host the 2026 Winter Olympics. According to reports, the capital of Bosnia and Herzegovina, Sarajevo, is trying to bid jointly with Barcelona, Spain, more than 1,300 kilometers away, to host the 2030 Winter Olympics, allowing the Winter Olympics to return to Sarajevo after a gap of 46 years.

With the ratings of the Beijing Winter Olympics setting a record, is there a chance for the Winter Olympics, which has long been "coldly received" around the world, to "change the way of life?" ”

Laurent Vannes said it is a regrettable fact that in countries where the ski industry has matured, hosting the Winter Olympics has not brought much help to the development of the ski industry. As many have complained, the cost of hosting the Olympics is "far higher than the rewards it can bring."

In the case of the Winter Olympics, what causes this phenomenon? "The Winter Olympics are constantly being played and become more complex than ever. As we can see, the early Winter Olympics were often held in a ski resort, but now need to be co-organized in a big city and the surrounding area. Laurent Vannes said that this makes people in many areas very reluctant to spend a lot of money on hosting the Winter Olympics for a small return, and the Winter Olympics often eat "behind closed doors".

He admits that winter sports around the world generally face the challenge of how to keep participants enthusiastic. Demographics are changing, and competition from the ski industry has increased significantly over the past 20 years, necessitating efforts to retain players.

As an expert in the ice and snow industry, Laurent Vannes has high expectations for China, "For the global ice and snow industry, China is the only market with such important growth prospects. That's why China has attracted the attention of the global ski industry. ”