Comparison and analysis of skiing injuries at ski resorts in Chongli,China and Japan

Purpose:The rapid development of winter sports requires investigation on injuries in Chongli district,Zhangjiakou city,one of the ski sites of the 2022 Winter Olympics.Careful evaluation is required to observe which injuries are caused under what circumstances,and then we can make corresponding preventive measures and recommendations based on the results.Methods:In this retrospective study,the data of injury cases at ski resorts in China(Chongli district)and Japan were analyzed to provide a reference for the ongoing injury prevention at ski resorts.We collected data on injuries at Wanlong and Fulong ski resorts in Chongli district during the 2017–2018 and 2018-2019 ski seasons.We referred to the skiing injury report issued in February 2020 of a nationwide ski safety statistical service–Japan Ski Safety Association.The causes of injury and specific injured body parts were analyzed based on the data of Chinese and Japanese ski resorts.Statistical significance has been calculated using the Chi-square test.Results:During the 2019–2020 ski season in Japanese ski resorts,the number of reported injuries per 10,000 skiers was 0.93,of which 457(17.3%)were over 50 years old,accounting for a large proportion of injuries,meanwhile in Chongli ski resort,the injury rate of skiers aged 50 and over was 7.1%.The knee joint(23.7%at Wanlong ski resort and 28.4%in Japanese ski resorts)was the most injured body part among Chongli and Japanese skiers.Among snowboarders,shoulder joint injury(17.7%in Japanese ski resorts)was the most common,and injury on hands and fingers(16.3%in Wanlong ski resorts)was the most common.Head injury rates are similar in Chongli,China and Japanese ski resorts(8.2%and 8.7%,respectively).Conclusion:Our analysis demonstrated that injury data recorded among young skiers was higher in Chinese ski resorts(Chongli district)than that in Japanese ski resorts,and elderly skiers made up a larger proportion of skiing injuries in Japanese resorts.Thus,according to our research,the protection of knee joints,shoulder joints,and hands and fingers should be taken seriously.It should pay attention to the teaching of ski poles(for finger protection),and use protective devices such as knee pads,helmets,etc.

Potential impacts of climate change on the spatial distribution of Chinese ski resorts

Chinese skiing tourism is rapidly developing,but it will be potentially affected by snow resources and climate conditions.This study systematically analysed the spatial characteristics of snow resources,climatic conditions and ski resorts in China;revealed the potential impacts of climatic environment on current ski resorts by using Regional Climate Model(RegCM4.4);and proposed suggestions for climate resource assessment and spatial planning of ski resorts.The mean snow depth and snow cover days are more than 4.50 cm and 150 d between the years 2000 and 2014,respectively,in high-latitude areas,where fewer ski resorts are located.In the middle-low latitude areas,the mean snow depth and snow cover days are less than 3.00 cm and 100 d,respectively,with ski resorts being intensively distributed.In most of these areas,the pronounced climate warming exceeded 0.50℃ during the ski period of 2009–2015 relative to 1961–2015,and mean annual precipitation was less than 800 mm,with some even less than 400 mm.In the 2030s and 2050s,the regions with drastic temperature increases are mainly in the Qinghai–Tibetan Plateau,Northeast China,and the Yangtze River Basin.The upper and middle reaches of the Yangtze River are expected to experience reduced snowfalland temperature increases with an almost 1–1.6℃,respectively.In this context,some ski resorts will face major threats because of shortened skiing durations and rising management costs.Skiing tourism should not pursue a one-sided growth rate in the number of ski resorts in areas with short snowpack periods.Instead,it should rely highly on snow resources,climatic conditions,geographical environment,population and economic basis,and rationalise its spatial layout to promote the industry towards sustainable development.

The Spatio-temporal Evolution of Ski Resorts in the Beijing-Tianjin-Hebei Region:Characteristics and Influencing Factors

Ski resorts are one of the bases for the development of ice-snow sports and tourism,and they are also a hot topic of social concern.Taking 117 ski resorts in Beijing,Tianjin and Hebei as the research object,geospatial analysis methods such as kernel density and spatial autocorrelation were used to explore the spatial and temporal distribution patterns of the ski resorts.The geographic detector was used to deeply explore the underlying factors influencing the spatial and temporal distribution of ski resorts in terms of policy factors,natural factors and economic and social factors.This study found that the spatial and temporal distribution of ski resorts in the Beijing-Tianjin-Hebei Region showed a significant Olympic event-driven characteristic.From 2009 to 2021,the spatial pattern of Beijing-Tianjin-Hebei ski resorts has changed from“single-core development”,to a“single-core with multi-point”layout,and then to a“multi-core”layout.The spatial pattern has changed from agglomeration to diffusion.Cold and hot spots of the spatial and temporal characteristics in Beijing-Tianjin-Hebei ski resort have shifted from north to south,from the initial suburbs of Beijing to the southern cities of Baoding,Shijiazhuang,Xingtai and other cities in Hebei Province.The spatial and temporal distribution of Beijing-Tianjin-Hebei ski resorts has been influenced by many factors,from“GDP per capita”to“population density”to“policy quantity”,showing a shift from“Economic-driven”to“population-driven”to“policy-driven”processes.

Resilience:Analyzing the Crisis Management of Ski Resorts in China

Resilience has become an important concept for the ski resorts of China,which have suffered heavy losses due to COVID-19.In order to help China’s ski resort service industry successfully adapt to the crisis and achieve sustainable development,the goal of this paper is to develop the definition of resilience of the ski resort service industry through interviews based on the concept and general analysis framework of resilience.The ski resort resilience theory analysis framework is then constructed from the three basic elements(market,skiing,and stakeholders)and four system features(flexibility,adaptability,and collaborative learning ability).The results indicate several measures that can be taken to spread risk:enrich the product supply;eliminate risks and build a multi-agent networked industrial governance system;and establish a risk prevention and management mechanism based on a multi-organization alternative learning mechanism to overcome the difficulties encountered in the development of ski resorts.

Assessing the externalities of a ski resort in Tzoumerka:willingness to pay in order to promote or to prevent its construction

The present study aims to assess the externalities of a ski resort,that is planned to be built at Tzoumerka mountains,in Greece.The research relies on the Contingent Valuation method,which indirectly estimates the economic value of environmental and other nonmarket assets,based on the expressed preferences of members of a social group.The investigation was based on primary data.The core idea of questionnaire’s design,is subject to the use of a double WTP(willingness to pay)question,aiming at the monetary assessment of the attitude of the residents,regarding the upcoming infrastructure project,taking into account both its positive and its negative externalities.Depending on the attitude of the survey respondents,they were asked to decide if they wish to offer an amount of money either to promote or to prevent the construction of the ski resort.Parametric and non-parametric models were then applied in order to calculate in economic terms the expressed opinion of the respondents.The primary question to be answered is whether the willingness to build the ski resort holds a higher economic value than the desire to prevent it.According to the results of the survey,the vast majority of residents(92.4%)supported the idea of building the ski resort,projecting their apparent desire for the tourist and economic development of the area.The reinforcement of the construction idea of the project was estimated on average at €378,200.The very low proportion of the participants who disagreed with the project(5%),did not allow the economic assessment of its prevention,leaving room for further research into the application of Contingent Valuation method and its contribution in cost-benefit analysis and decision making,regarding upcoming projects.

Establishment and Maintenance of Grass Skiing Resort Turf Based on Climatic Characteristics of Western Sichuan

In recent years, a new type of leisure sport—grass skiing, has been introduced from abroad. However, there is no standard design system for this type of turf. This paper, based on climatic characteristics of western Sichuan, introduced the requirements of the construction of grass skiing resort turf in western Sichuan as well as its maintenance management mode, and tried to explore the standard system of turf establishment and maintenance management of grass skiing resort in western Sichuan.

The Moderating Effect of the Ski Resort Environment on the Skier’s Travel Radius under the Restriction of Skill Consumption

Starting from the skill characteristics of ski tourism,this paper discusses the impact of consumer skill on travel decisions,and the moderating effect of the ski resort’s comprehensive leisure environment(including the ski resort sports environment and the regional cultural tourism environment),in order to both understand their impacts on the travel distance characteristics of skiers and attempt to provide necessary research support for the development of China’s ski industry and the construction of destinations.Based on the data from multi-period visitor surveys,this paper constructs the consumption skill-travel radius decision-making influence model under the moderating effect of the ski resort comprehensive leisure environment.The results show three main characteristics.(1)The travel radius obviously differs among skiers with different skill levels.The skill level of skiers has a significant positive effect on the larger travel radius,and a significant negative effect on the smaller travel radius.That is,skiers with a higher skill level are more inclined to undertake long-distance skiing travel,while skiers with a lower skill level are more inclined to undertake short-distance skiing travel.(2)The comprehensive leisure environment has a significant moderating effect on the skiers’travel radius,with a significant positive impact on enlarging the travel radius,while the influences on high-skill and low-skill skiers are significantly higher than on middle-skill skiers.(3)In the comprehensive leisure environment,there are differences in the moderating effect of the ski resort sports environment and the regional cultural tourism environment on the skiers travel radius,and the positive moderating effect of the ski resort sports environment on the high-skill skiers’travel radius is more obvious.While the regional cultural tourism environment has a more obvious positive moderating effect on the travel radius of non-skiers and junior skiers,it is more conducive to promoting domestic travel.In general,the skier skill level in China was generally lower,and the ski resort comprehensive leisure environment optimization is conducive to overcoming the limitation of the travel radius caused by the disadvantageous skill level of consumers.However,to promote the development of China’s ski industry in the long run,it is necessary to focus on improving the consumer’s ski skill level,but prevent the risk of losing high-skill consumers overseas.In the course of improving the level of domestic ski sports facilities,we should also focus on the domestic leisure cultural tourism environment to better enhance the attractiveness of domestic ski destinations.