Skiers and snowboarders are usually fearless. But in the mountainous area of the Beijing Olympics, the wind and snow make them shiver.
Zhangjiakou, a city 200 kilometers northwest of Beijing, is hosting freestyle skiing, some snowboarding disciplines and Nordic sports at the 2022 Winter Games. Extreme cold and high winds have been a constant in the mountain area, reducing the ability of athletes to deliver peak performance.
Daytime temperatures at Genting Snow Park, the main venue in the mountain area, hovered around -15 degrees Celsius, disregarding wind chill, most days last week.
“It’s a complicating factor. The snow is firmer, your equipment is stiffer, your board, your boots, everything, explained snowboarder Sébastien Toutant of L’Assomption. Once your toes are cold or your body is cold, you don’t feel like you’re moving forward as well in the tricks you’re doing.
“You have to keep your flexibility. »
Toutant and snowboarding teammate Mark McMorris of Regina said conditions were perfect Monday as temperatures hit -5 in the morning when they raced in the slopestyle final.
But getting to grips with the slopestyle course ahead of the Olympics and competing in the qualifying round was a pain as the freezing weather took a toll on their gear.
“Glad it wasn’t so cold today,” McMorris said after winning the slopestyle bronze. My equipment was put to the test yesterday (during qualifying). I’m a little stiff. »
McMorris kept his goggles and ski mask on throughout the outdoor interview to keep out the wind and cold.
Temperatures in Zhangjiakou drop when the sun goes down, with the men’s moguls final held in -24 temperatures before factoring in the wind. The women’s final was held in slightly better weather, at -20.
Hard workers wait in a small room kept at a relatively mild temperature of 22 degrees before doing their shopping, but the quality of the snow is affected by the freezing conditions. Its very icy surface can make it more difficult for athletes to perform the precise movements on which they are judged.
“(The moguls are) very steep,” said British Columbian Sofiane Gagnon, who crashed in the women’s moguls final. This means that they are not very steep, they are very square and difficult to negotiate. I think that makes things a little more difficult. »
Toutant agrees with Gagnon and explains that the metal edges of skis and snowboards adhere more to the snow, which changes the feeling. He added that the falls are more severe because icy snow has less flexibility than regular powder.
“When you fall, it’s harder on the body,” noted Toutant, who had to cover his face while listening to questions from reporters. The best conditions are when it’s not too hot, not too cold, a firm snow bottom, but you can bite into it. »
He added that the strong and unpredictable winds that swept over the mountains also presented a challenge for slopestyle and other sports that rely on aerial tricks.
“When (the wind is) consistent, like downhill, you can live with it,” said Toutant. But when it moves, it’s really tricky because sometimes you have a lot of speed, sometimes you don’t have any speed. »
“It’s one thing to do the tricks that we do, but to do them in the wind, the risk is a little higher. »