Rock (ski course)

Rock^{[Chinese script needed]} is the Olympic downhill ski course in China, located in Yanqing District, part of National Alpine Ski Centre resort, opened in 2022.^[1][2]

Rock
Place:	Yanqing District
Architect(s):	Bernhard Russi (main) Didier Defago (assistant)
Mountain:	Xiaohaituo Mountain
Resort:	National Alpine Ski Centre
Opened:	3 February 2022
Level:	expert
Downhill
Men
Start:	2,179 m (7,149 ft) (AA)
Finish:	1,285 m (4,216 ft)
Vertical drop:	894 m (2,933 ft)
Length:	3.152 km (1.96 mi)
Max. incline:	34.2 degrees (68%)
Time record:	1:42.01 (Vincent Kriechmayr)
Top speed:	139.7 km/h (86.8 mph) Adrian Smiseth Sejersted
Women
Start:	2,050 m (6,726 ft) (AA)
Finish:	1,285 m (4,216 ft)
Vertical drop:	765 m (2,510 ft)
Length:	2.704 km (1.68 mi)
Time record:	1:31.87 (Corinne Suter)

It is approximately 90 kilometres (56 mi) northwest of Beijing, which hosted the speed alpine skiing events of the 2022 Winter Olympics. The course was designed by Bernhard Russi, assisted by Didier Defago; both are Olympic downhill champions (1972, 2010) from Switzerland. According to Russi, "Rock" is most similar to the "Birds of Prey" course in the United States, located at Beaver Creek, Colorado.^[3]

This course has a very unusual terrain configuration, which has no resemblance to any other top level course around the world, as it runs mostly along the top of the ridge and in the canyon in bottom part.^{[citation needed]}

History

Bernhard Russi, a retired Swiss downhill racer and course architect who planned and constructed six Olympic downhill courses, designed this very steep and unusual course for seven years.^[3][4]

Two years prior to the Olympics, men's World Cup events (downhill, super-G) were scheduled for this course in February 2020, but were cancelled due to the COVID-19 pandemic.^[5]

On 7 February 2022, Beat Feuz took the gold medal at downhill, his last missing trophy, at premiere competition on this course. Adrian Smiseth Sejersted set the course top speed record at 139.7 km/h (86.8 mph).^[6]

Olympics

Men

Location in China

Date	Type	Gold	Silver	Bronze
7 February 2022	DH	Beat Feuz	Johan Clarey	Matthias Mayer
8 February 2022	SG	Matthias Mayer	Ryan Cochran-Siegle	Aleksander Aamodt Kilde
10 February 2022	AC	Johannes Strolz	Aleksander Aamodt Kilde	James Crawford

• Slalom in men's Alpine combined event was held on "Ice River" course.

Women

Date	Type	Gold	Silver	Bronze
11 February 2022	SG	Lara Gut-Behrami	Mirjam Puchner	Michelle Gisin
15 February 2022	DH	Corinne Suter	Sofia Goggia	Nadia Delago
17 February 2022	AC	Michelle Gisin	Wendy Holdener	Federica Brignone

• Slalom in women's Alpine combined event was held on "Ice River" course.

World Cup

Men

Date	Type	Winner	Second	Third
15 February 2020	DH	cancelled due to the COVID-19 pandemic
16 February 2020	SG

Profile

Course is very wavy and curvy in the upper section, very steep in midsection, and gliding part in bottom section. Course has long and fast curves, steep transitions and four big jumps.^{[citation needed]}

Course sections

• Start, High Cloud, Pine Forest, White Face, Galleria, Dwen Dwen jump, Silk Road, Sugar jump, Roller Coaster, Rhon Rhon jump, Haituo Bowl, Canyon, Cliff jump, Finish.^{[citation needed]}