 Poster: A snowHead
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Beijing has beaten its sole rival, Almaty, to host the Winter Olympics in 2022.
Despite a conspicuous lack of mountains or snow, Beijing was the clear favorite to host the prestigious alpine event. The Games will be divided between the capital and the city of Zhangjiakou - which is 118 miles north-west of Beijing and will host the snow events. Despite the region experiencing years of drought, extensive artificial snow making facilities are being installed to ensure an appropriate coverage for the event.
The bidding process for the 2022 event have been notable by the withdrawal of many potential host nations, not least previous favourite to win, Norway, due to the plethora of IOC conditions and riders attached to hosting the event.
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Obviously A snowHead isn't a real person
Obviously A snowHead isn't a real person
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There are plenty of mountains near Beijing and it is cold enough - eg the lake at the summer palace completely freezes over and there's a bunch of 'fun fair' type activities on the ice... But it was very very very dry when I was there. Guessing it'll be an almost all artificial snow affair.
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Well, the person's real but it's just a made up name, see?
Well, the person's real but it's just a made up name, see?
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Jebus, that's ridiculous. Was Sepp Blatter running the bidding process?
The Olympics need to get back to basics.
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Disappointing.
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Anyway, snowHeads is much more fun if you do.
Anyway, snowHeads is much more fun if you do.
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This is the location for some of the alpine and nordic events, I believe taken in January this year.
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you could really make a case for scotland after this!!!!! nice to see the IOC are giving them over 800 million dollars to help facilitate the games, ie ioc were up a creek without a paddle!!
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Surely a winter olympics needs to happen somewhere wintery?
Is Qatar bidding for 2028? Surely can recycle some of the world cup assets that will be redundant by then?
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I think China is consistently very cold and dry - so well suited to snow making.
There are some photos on planetski.com web site of the artificial "pistes".
Seems very odd to host winter olympics in country with little natural snow - but technologically it should work.
The wider problem with large sporting events (like Olympics and World cups) is they have become so large.
The cost of hosting has become prohibitive - which is why Norway understandably pulled out.
Western nations, especially in times of austerity, need to justify this to voters.
London Olympics for example was a great event.
But what is the real legacy / benefit to the nation 3 years later ?
Or was it just a big global party that was hosted by the UK ?
Could the billions have been better spent on hospitals or social housing ?
Last edited by After all it is free  on Fri 31-07-15 13:32; edited 2 times in total
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You'll get to see more forums and be part of the best ski club on the net.
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I've posted this in a trip report before but it's sort of relevant. This is Nanshan, about an hour north-east of Beijing in January this year:
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| under a new name wrote: |
Jebus, that's ridiculous. Was Sepp Blatter running the bidding process?
The Olympics need to get back to basics. |
It is really disappointing, but I guess the question is not why Beijing won, that is merely down to the lack of alternatives - although I'd argue that Almaty would probably have been a much better choice, a lot of people would still have said that it was disappointing. I guess the real question is why the lack of other bidders (epecially from the traditional winter sporting countries).
One of the joys of the winter olympics is the wintery landscape and if it looks anything like the photo driz posted then they'll be an outcry!!
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snowHeads are a friendly bunch.
snowHeads are a friendly bunch.
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As has been covered before you can hardly blame more... shall we say... answerable to their electorate administrations for backing away from the IOC.
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And love to help out and answer questions and of course, read each other's snow reports.
And love to help out and answer questions and of course, read each other's snow reports.
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Loving the uplifting alpine scenery
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You know it makes sense.
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There's great skiing and natural snow in northern China. Unfortunately the mountains are in a very politically turbulent region.
The main reason why the Ping Tian project didn't go ahead.
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Otherwise you'll just go on seeing the one name:
Otherwise you'll just go on seeing the one name:
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I thought IOC would sort their act after Rogge finally departed but instead they appear to have lost the plot completely. Dubai should be the next one, indoors slopes there are pretty good I heard.
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Poster: A snowHead
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Last time I went to China - for @austin7's wedding - in October - we got stranded at Beijing airport for 24 hours because they'd had so much snow it was closed!
Apparently the government had seeded clouds to make it rain for the crops - but had forgotten to check the weather forecast which predicted below freezing temperatures….. 
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Obviously A snowHead isn't a real person
Obviously A snowHead isn't a real person
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Nothing will change unless the major traditional games countries also boycott participation. I mean North America and Europe including Nordics and Slavics. Surely if no big names, no sponsors and thus no money?
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Well, the person's real but it's just a made up name, see?
Well, the person's real but it's just a made up name, see?
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Surely the 'traditional' nations are partly to blame for the games becoming so bloated and commercial that no one wants to host them anymore?
The monster is of their own creation. I always say you shouldnt mix politics with sport.... But there is no doubt that russia and china are using the olympics (and world cup) to flex muscles to the watching globe.
Last edited by Well, the person's real but it's just a made up name, see? on Sat 1-08-15 23:44; edited 2 times in total
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Haggis_Trap, The Beijing winter games are planned to be much cheaper than recent ones, they will be reusing many of the facilities from the summer games.
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Anyway, snowHeads is much more fun if you do.
Anyway, snowHeads is much more fun if you do.
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Ask yourself why the citizens of norway, one of the richest nations on earth, didnt want the games?
Chamonix also voted not to bid in recent years.
Hot potato?
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| Haggis_Trap wrote: |
| Ask yourself why the citizens of norway, one of the richest nations on earth, didnt want the games? |
OK, I did. And I answered myself too. I don't know really. Can you (or anyone else) explain it to me?
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Haha，it‘s not about a game, or some kind of sports, it's only for business. Not business at all, or just so so, or better, or best.
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@Haggis_Trap, wasn't Cham included in Annecy 2016?
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You'll get to see more forums and be part of the best ski club on the net.
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^ yip - I think they even had a referendum on Annecy 2016 Olympic bid ?
the citizens resoundingly voted that they didn't want to host the olympics.
one of the main argument seemed to be that whilst the olympics would attract spectators the vast majority of holiday makers (which local business depends on) would be put off their ski holiday.
| maggi wrote: |
| Haggis_Trap wrote: |
| Ask yourself why the citizens of norway, one of the richest nations on earth, didnt want the games? |
OK, I did. And I answered myself too. I don't know really. Can you (or anyone else) explain it to me? |
Because the cost of hosting large global sporting events (olympics / world cups) has become astronomical.
Few events now return a direct financial profit.
So whilst there may be other benefits to hosting not many nations can afford / justify the cost to voters
.... more so in times of austerity.
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Has there ever been or proposed to hold a southern hemisphere winter (UK summer) Olympics? This could offer s number of benefits; chance of European skiers to compete without interrupting the normal competition circuit, boost investment in facilities and future tourism in southern hemisphere skiing. New Zealand, Peru, Argentina etc?
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snowHeads are a friendly bunch.
snowHeads are a friendly bunch.
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@On the rocks, My thoughts exactly.
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And love to help out and answer questions and of course, read each other's snow reports.
And love to help out and answer questions and of course, read each other's snow reports.
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If the FIS pulled their support and banned (?) or dissuaded their athletes from attending on humanitarian grounds alone it woul please me immensely if nobody went and supported these games, and they were a flop. I for one won't be watching. Madness......
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@robboj, +1......agree
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You know it makes sense.
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| On the rocks wrote: |
| Has there ever been or proposed to hold a southern hemisphere winter (UK summer) Olympics? This could offer s number of benefits; chance of European skiers to compete without interrupting the normal competition circuit, boost investment in facilities and future tourism in southern hemisphere skiing. New Zealand, Peru, Argentina etc? |
I'm not sure that would work very well, you need to rest at some point during the year.
There was an Alpine World Championships in Portillo in 1966, plenty of the people who took part are still involved in skiing to be able to offer opinions. This was just before the World Cup started though so it would have interfered less with other races than it would today.
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Otherwise you'll just go on seeing the one name:
Otherwise you'll just go on seeing the one name:
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@Markymark29, Yep and with this are we literally only one step away from an Olympics indoors. We've had one that was always likely to be on partly artificial snow (Sochi), we are now going to have one on fully artificial snow so it takes very little more to move indoors?
Whether they actually are or not, I, and I'm sure many on here, perceive the Downhill races as the blue riband event of the games, the winter equivalent of the 100m. Would they be prepared to sacrifice that and the Super G if the money talked. I wouldn't doubt it for a minute!
The again maybe we are seeing the end for the winter Olympics and tbh I'm not sure I care. Watching Sochi, watching that criminal psychopath gloating over 'his' games was pretty sickening.
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Poster: A snowHead
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robboj, Vancouver (Whistler) was on artificial snow, as are most WC races.
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Obviously A snowHead isn't a real person
Obviously A snowHead isn't a real person
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Lately hosting of world sporting events seem to about creating masses of infrastructure in less developed areas/nations rather than using existing facilities which I can only assumes pushes these astronomical costs. I'd be interested to see figures but I imagine the winter games likely brings in far less money to offset the infrastructure costs.
| On the rocks wrote: |
| Has there ever been or proposed to hold a southern hemisphere winter (UK summer) Olympics? This could offer s number of benefits; chance of European skiers to compete without interrupting the normal competition circuit, boost investment in facilities and future tourism in southern hemisphere skiing. New Zealand, Peru, Argentina etc? |
It has happened twice with the summer games (Sydney 2000 being the most recent) so I guess there is precedent.
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Well, the person's real but it's just a made up name, see?
Well, the person's real but it's just a made up name, see?
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| rjs wrote: |
| robboj, Vancouver (Whistler) was on artificial snow, as are most WC races. |
This year's world champs were on a largely manmade surface. Yes there was plenty of natural but they like to work with manmade to get it slick and consistent enough.
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@rjs, I agree that i don't think it would work, but surely that's not down to competitors needing rest. Unless I'm wrong the ski season for the top competitors is 6 months at the most. These days, most top sportsmen would dream of a season that short.
Surely it's a timing thing - the athletes build their training so that they are at a peak for the FIS World Cup. Expecting them to also be at their peak for a August Winter Olympics, months after the end of the last season but still months before the start of the new season, would be tricky.
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Anyway, snowHeads is much more fun if you do.
Anyway, snowHeads is much more fun if you do.
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@rjs, @Dave of the Marmottes, Yes I realise that but it is then to lead to ski racing anywhere? Whistler was planned in a resort with a solid snow record (very recent years excepted). A personal and admittedly very traditionalist view but I don't like the direction of things?
@narc, @Handy Turnip, I think we can all see from the Qatar World Cup that if the brown envelopes are thick enough then it will happen?
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Wasn't part of tbe problem that it will clash with a Qatar winter World Cup? I got the impression this was quite a deciding factor.
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robboj, Whistler has a reputation for it raining a lot, I don't think the conditions there were a surprise. The races need to finish at a point that spectators can easily get to on foot, they can't be required to ski to be able to watch.
The Beijing games will be the first under a new system that is supposed to reduce costs, I guess that more traditional places will be watching to see whether it works.
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| maggi wrote: |
| Haggis_Trap wrote: |
| Ask yourself why the citizens of norway, one of the richest nations on earth, didnt want the games? |
OK, I did. And I answered myself too. I don't know really. Can you (or anyone else) explain it to me? |
As someone who lives in Oslo, there were many reasons, but in the end it came purely down to cost. It certainly didn't help when the IOC sent over their list of "demands":
- They demand to meet the king prior to the opening ceremony. Afterwards, there shall be a cocktail reception. Drinks shall be paid for by the Royal Palace or the local organizing committee.
- Separate lanes should be created on all roads where IOC members will travel, which are not to be used by regular people or public transportation.
- A welcome greeting from the local Olympic boss and the hotel manager should be presented in IOC members' rooms, along with fruit and cakes of the season. (Seasonal fruit in Oslo in February is a challenge ...)
- The hotel bar at their hotel should extend its hours “extra late” and the minibars must stock Coke products.
- The IOC president shall be welcomed ceremoniously on the runway when he arrives.
- The IOC members should have separate entrances and exits to and from the airport.
- During the opening and closing ceremonies a fully stocked bar shall be available. During competition days, wine and beer will do at the stadium lounge.
- IOC members shall be greeted with a smile when arriving at their hotel.
- Meeting rooms shall be kept at exactly 20 degrees Celsius at all times.
- The hot food offered in the lounges at venues should be replaced at regular intervals, as IOC members might “risk” having to eat several meals at the same lounge during the Olympics.
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BTW, this is around 30% of their demands...Some of the more choice ones were:
- Traffic must be drastically stopped when the event is on, and any local schools and business are strongly encouraged to be closed during the games
- All IOC upper mgt demands their own limos, with personal drivers. This is to be covered by the host city
It went on and on and on.
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@Lilledonmarco, Disgusting but not really surprising 
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