Preparations for the PyeongChang 2018 Winter Olympics are well underway and are proceeding smoothly.

The Jeongseon Alpine Centre, located at Gariwangsan Mountain in Bukpyeong-myeon, Jeongseon-gun County, Gangwon-do Province, opened its doors on Jan. 22.

The 1.83-square-kilometer Jeongseon Alpine Centre began construction in May 2014, and it has now completed construction at 67 percent of its final Olympic venues.

At the ski venue, the upper run, the main slope itself, the finishing area and the safety net have all been completed. Even the gondola, considered to be one of the trickier facilities to build, has also been completed.



The gondola to the top of Gariwangsan Mountain brings you to 1,370 meters above sea level, and the Jeongseon Alpine Centre revels in the harmony that is created between its beautiful layout and the snowy environs.



The Jeongseon Alpine Centre's main run can be completed in one minute and 20 seconds, 20 seconds less than that required to get down the main run at the Sochi 2014 Olympic Winter Games. The ski slopes feature many beautiful geographical features, carefully combining the jumps and pipes and the flatter areas for high speed. The course runs for 2,648 meters, and has a vertical drop of 825 meters. There are seats and standing room for 6,500 spectators.


On Jan. 20, the PyeongChang Organizing Committee for the 2018 Olympic & Paralympic Winter Games (POCOG) said, "International Ski Federation technical expert Guenter Hujara landed in Korea on Jan. 18 and inspected the Jeongseon Alpine Centre on Jan. 19 and 20. He checked in detail the Jeongseon Alpine Centre's main run, the gondola, the human resources department and competition support facilities like the A-net, safety facilities and other additional facilities. After the final inspection, he officially gave his final approval."

Huara said, "The Jeongseon Alpine Centre compares favorably to other World Cup and Olympic alpine skiing venues. The flowing landscape, with many jumps and areas for maximum speed, are adequately combined. Therefore, it attains world-class levels. Also, enough snow has been prepared to very high standards."

The gondola's safety features have been double-checked. The arena bleachers, temporary facilities, supply support facilities and overall games management, such as the committee's role in determining the order by which the athletes arrive at the starting line, were all deemed to be in perfect order.



The opening ceremony for the Jeongseon Alpine Centre was completed and the first test of the venue will be the 2016 AUDI FIS Alpine World Cup that takes place on Feb. 6 and 7. Eighty-four athletes from 17 countries, including Germany and Canada, will attend.

Minister of Culture, Sports and Tourism Kim Jongdeok said, "We will check the infrastructure in detail right until the competition's end and further accelerate our work so that we perfectly manage this upcoming competition."



After the venue's first test event, the FIS Freestyle Ski competition and the Snowboard World Cup will take place at the PyeongChang Bokwang Snow Park.



By Wi Tack-whan, Tae Sol
Korea.net Staff Writers
Photos: Ministry of Culture, Sports and Tourism Jeon So-hyang, Park Jun-soo, POCOG
whan23@korea.kr