Is snow sports still a "luxury"?

Technology can lower the threshold

　　Talk about the hot words of the two sessions

　　◎Our reporter Liu Yuanyuan

　　On the eve of the two sessions, the Beijing 2022 Winter Olympics closed, and now the Winter Paralympics are in full swing.

Ice and snow sports and the ice and snow industry have become hot topics without any suspense.

　　Relevant survey statistics released not long ago show that China has achieved the goal of "driving 300 million people to participate in ice and snow sports".

However, I have to admit that there is still a lot of room for development in China for ice and snow sports and the ice and snow industry.

　　The vitality of the ice and snow industry needs to be improved

　　As a ski enthusiast, Sun Yanling, deputy to the National People's Congress and chairman of Mudanjiang Bohai Mohe Culture Development Co., Ltd., focuses on how to promote the development of ice and snow sports and the ice and snow industry.

　　Sun Yanling from Heilongjiang believes that although the Beijing Winter Olympics will bring great opportunities to the development of ice and snow sports in Heilongjiang, the current development of ice and snow sports in Heilongjiang is still restricted by many factors.

　　Sun Yanling told the Science and Technology Daily reporter that after a year of research, she found that there are currently more than 130 ski resorts in Heilongjiang Province, 90% of which are invested and constructed by private enterprises.

"Due to insufficient planning and coordination, there are currently too many ski resorts and ice and snow playgrounds here, but too few ice skating rinks, and the proportion of venue construction is out of balance."

　　"I usually take my children, friends or employees to participate in some skiing activities." Sun Yanling found from her many skiing experiences that the supporting facilities related to the ice and snow industry are not perfect, the development of supporting industries is slow, and it is difficult to meet the needs of ice and snow enthusiasts.

In addition, the popularity of ice and snow sports is not enough, the level of marketization is not enough, and it has not been effectively connected with the development of ice and snow tourism, ice and snow leisure and fitness industries, and the vitality of the ice and snow industry needs to be improved.

　　As a major province of ice and snow sports, these situations faced by the development of the ice and snow industry in Heilongjiang may also be common problems faced by the development of the ice and snow industry in my country.

　　"The total number of standard ice rinks in China with an area of ​​1,800 square meters is roughly estimated to be less than 500; the total number of ice rinks of more than 300 square meters is roughly estimated to be less than 1,000." Beijing 2022 Winter Olympics Science and Technology Winter Olympics Liu Kai, chief engineer of the ice machine in the special "ice machine research and development and application demonstration" project, took the ice rink as an example to introduce in an interview with a reporter from Science and Technology Daily.

　　Liu Kai observed and found that even in first-tier cities like Beijing, very few children are learning curling, ice hockey and other sports.

　　"It's still too expensive, and the investment and operation costs of ice rinks are high, and many ice sports have become 'luxuries'." Liu Kai said, in contrast, a strong ice and snow sports country like Canada has a small population but has a few With thousands of ice rinks, ice and snow sports have become a real mass sport.

　　Using technology to lower the threshold of ice and snow sports

　　The vitality of the ice and snow industry is insufficient, and many ice and snow sports are still "luxury goods". Of course, there are many factors, among which the technological factor should not be underestimated.

　　Take ice sports, for example.

"Most of the ice pouring machines, ice paint, ice shovels and other equipment needed to make ice rinks are imported from European and American countries, which are expensive, and domestic equipment has not been promoted." Liu Kai introduced that the same is true for the infrastructure on the ice rink. Many of the elastic board walls used on the court are imported from Canada, and the price is more than 1 million.

　　As far as ski resorts are concerned, Liu Kai told the reporter of Science and Technology Daily that the construction cost of outdoor ski resorts is slightly lower, but the construction of indoor ski resorts also has a similar situation. Snow presses mainly rely on imported equipment, and the total investment in the venue is often several hundred million yuan.

　　Another reason for the high cost is the operational aspect.

　　Liu Kai introduced that in the design and construction of domestic ice rinks, there are often different teams of refrigeration, heating and ventilation. Everyone has their own division of labor, but they do not coordinate and integrate several links together, which makes it difficult to achieve comprehensive utilization of cold and heat.

　　"In the end, the operating cost of the ice rink is astonishing." Liu Kai roughly estimated that according to the traditional design, a standard ice rink of 1,800 square meters would cost about 1.5 million yuan a year in electricity bills alone for the cooling link, plus dehumidification, For heating and other costs, the annual operating electricity cost may be as high as 4 million yuan.

　　When Liu Kai went to European ice rinks to investigate, he found that ice rinks in many countries have integrated different links at the beginning of design and construction, considering the comprehensive utilization of cold and heat. The operating cost of a standard ice rink of the same scale is only about half of that in China.

　　In Liu Kai's view, to promote ice and snow sports and develop the ice and snow industry, it is crucial to increase investment in science and technology.

"If there are more domestic equipment to choose from during the construction of the ice rink, the investment cost can be greatly reduced; the comprehensive utilization of cold and heat is scientifically considered at the beginning of the stadium design, which can greatly reduce the operation cost in the later stage." Liu Kai analyzed that ice and snow sports The construction and operation costs of infrastructure are reduced, and the consumption threshold is lowered, and finally more people can be attracted to participate in ice and snow sports.

　　Sun Yanling also increasingly realized the importance of technology to the ice and snow industry.

She found that at an indoor ski resort in Shenzhen, people could wear sleds and face a big screen to simulate skiing on an electric ski blanket.

The space is not very large, but it is full of technology and experience.

　　"If more scientific and technological elements are integrated into the ice and snow venues, ordinary people can experience the fun of ice and snow sports all year round." Sun Yanling said.

　　She suggested that the relevant national departments should conduct a census on the ice and snow industry, and through big data analysis, scientifically formulate relevant policies and scientific development plans, strengthen the overall guidance of ice and snow sports, scientifically plan the layout of ice and snow sports venues, and give domestic equipment manufacturers policy support. Support and support in terms of talents and funds, improve the technological content of domestic equipment manufacturers, increase the supply of supporting facilities for ice and snow sports, and make "technology + ice and snow" play a greater role.