Feature: Athletes to ski on artificial snow during Asian Winter Games

Athletes will ski mainly on artificial snow at the Beidahu ski resort during the sixth Asian Winter Games to be officially opened on Sunday in Changchun, capital city of northeast China's Jilin province.

Beidahu, about 53 kilometers away from downtown of Jilin city and 141 kilometers from Changchun, will host the snow sports of biathlon, Alpine skiing, cross-country skiing, freestyle skiing and snowboard during the Jan. 28-Feb. 4 Asian Winter Games which features 47 snow and ice events.

However, the Chinese best ski resort has been plagued by the lack of snow since the inception of the winter and about 260,000 cubic meters of artificial snow have been supplied to make up for the snowfall.

"We have spent at least a total of one million yuan in producing snow since last November, and the manmade snow cover lying at Beidahu makes two thirds of the total amount," said Zheng Wenbin, manager of the Beidahu ski resort on Sunday.

Test events including Freestyle Aerials World Cup, National Freestyle Skiing Championships, and National Snowboard Halfpipe Champions Series have been staged in style at Beidahu this winter.

And specialists said the artificial snow won't affect the Winter Asiad competitions.

"It just makes no difference whether skiers race on artificial snow or natural snow. They both feel like sand when the outside temperature drops below minus three degrees centigrade, costing more strength of the athletes," said Liang Xin'an, coach of the Chinese biathlon team on Saturday.

"And it is equal for all the contenders under the same weather condition," he added.

Mohammed Elbatta, a giant slalom skier from Palestine who will be the sole athlete representing the Middle East country at the Asian Winter Games, said Sunday that artificial snow has also become common in Europe this season, citing the global warming as the main excuse.

"Man-made snow is just the same as the real snow," said 35-year-old Elabatta.

Many skiing events were delayed, moved or even cancelled this season in Europe due to less snow.

North China faces the similar situation of snowfall. The temperature in Jilin province averaged minus 11 degrees centigrade this January, about 8 degrees higher than usual, according to a statement issued by Jilin Meteorological Bureau on Friday.

Besides the artificial snow, even natural snowfall was also intensified artificially to thicken the snow cover two times.

It is forecasted that snow will start to fall on Jan. 29 through to Feb. 1, and the local government will take the chance to increase the snowfall again by enhancing the moisture in the air, said the meteorological bureau.

"We have the world-class snow-making machines and if necessary they can keep working day and night producing snow for the competitions," said the ski resort manager.

Source: Xinhua