The passion for winter sports in China has been ignited in recent years, particularly since the successful hosting of the Beijing 2022 Winter Olympics. This surge in interest is driven by science, technology, and innovation, which have now improved the experiences for both travelers and athletes.

Ice and snow sports equipment upgraded

One example of sci-tech's impact on winter sports kits is the use of titanium alloy, often employed in the aerospace industry, in the production of ice skating blades developed by the Black Dragon Company in Qiqihar city, Heilongjiang province, for the first time in China.

Compared with traditional ice skating blades, they have an obvious advantage in weight, intensity and durability. During high-speed skating, they are able to maintain outstanding stability and control. They also display good fatigue resistance performance in long-distance skating.

It takes only one minute to make such a pair of blades thanks to the automatic welding production line, said Liu Zhihong, head of the market business department of the Black Dragon Company, adding that three million pairs could be made each year.

The carbon fiber skates they developed are recognized as world-class, and are very cost effective. According to Liu, customized skates are also available to ice sports fans at an affordable price.

Researchers, from a laboratory of ice and snow sports at Northeast Normal University (NENU) in Jilin province, took their research to the sports field and invited athletes to assist in solving R&D problems related to ice and snow equipment via sci-tech innovation.

Liu Junyi, director of the laboratory and professor at NENU, said that the popular skis they developed and mass produced cost around 4,000 RMB. The price of other high-quality race skis could be as high as 15,000 RMB.

Apart from skis, the research team also developed ski insoles, helmets and functional ski glasses based on big data and 3D printing technologies. The laboratory cooperated with three enterprises in Jilin in the production, sales and operation of ice and snow equipment.

Athletes' performance enhanced

Another crucial research output of the laboratory is the "champion model," which can make customized training programs for athletes by all-round data monitoring, thus helping athletes improve their techniques and physical fitness.

One innovation involves a short track speed skater practicing under the "eyes" of eight ultra high-definition cameras and image capture devices. A virtual athlete on a computer screen replays the skater's posture and trajectory, and the data is uploaded to a big data platform in real time.

Researchers from the laboratory have also formulated targeted recovery and training sessions based on a series of personal criteria for each skater, which has resulted in improvement of training performances.

Liu said that they have organized and analyzed the data of seven sports and 16 disciplines of winter sports programs for over ten years. Containing more than one billion pieces of data, the database now covers the basic information, physical capability data and competition videos of over 2,000 athletes at home and abroad.

Conducting learning and analysis of this data, the laboratory managed to provide athletes and coaches with scientific suggestions.

Policy support

In November 2024, the State Council issued guidelines to stimulate the vitality of the ice and snow economy and develop it as a new growth point.

By 2027, the total scale of China's ice and snow economy will reach 1.2 trillion RMB, the venues and facilities for ice and snow sports will be upgraded, service levels greatly enhanced, ice and snow sports more widely practiced, and China's international competitiveness in ice and snow sports further strengthened, according to the guidelines.

Local governments also put forward relevant policies. Two months ago, Jilin province issued a document of implementation suggestions on promoting the high-quality environment for its ice and snow economy.

The document supports the industrial development of ice and snow equipment to meet the need of ice and snow sports competition and tourism. Enterprises, universities and research institutions are encouraged to jointly work on the R&D of new materials, new technologies and new crafts of ice and snow equipment.

Heilongjiang province also issued a similar implementation plan, aiming to boost the development of its ice and snow industrial chain, including ice and snow sports, culture, equipment and tourism, and accelerate the construction of a modern ice and snow industrial system.

The 9th Asian Winter Games Harbin 2025 in February will further excite the public and help drive further development of the ice and snow economy in China.