Does Beijing Have Any Snow? Where the Winter Olympics Games 2022 Venues Are Located

Just six months after the Tokyo 2021 summer Olympics, the Beijing Winter Olympics is finally here.

This year, 91 countries will be taking part in the games, with 1,581 men and 1,290 women taking part, the most gender-balanced games in history.

Over two weeks, athletes will be competing in skiing, snowboarding, curling, bobsled, and ice skating to name a few of the sports in freezing cold temperatures—but does Beijing actually have any snow?

Newsweek has everything you need to know about the snow at the games and where exactly the venues are located.

Does Beijing Have Any Snow?

Yes, Beijing does have some snow, but not very much. In fact, Beijing will be lucky to get any sort of snowfall. The weather will be cold for sure for the athletes but it is very unlikely they will be taking to the slopes in real snow.

The Beijing Winter Olympics will be using almost 100 percent artificial snow, supplied by snow generators and snow blockers. This isn't the first time artificial snow has been used in Olympic history, but it is one of the few times the fake snow will make up the majority of the locations.

A report released by the U.K.'s Loughborough University details the Beijng Winter Olympics will use 49 million gallons (186 million liters) of water and 130 snowmaking machines to create the artificial snow.

There will also be 300 snowmaking guns and eight water cooling towers. The electricity used to make the snow will come from renewable wind and solar energy sources.

There is also water-conservation efforts in place, explains CNET.

The use of artificial snow has had a mixed response from athletes, with some believing it makes things a little more dangerous.

Estonian biathlete Johanna Taliharm told The Associated Press: "Artificial snow is icier, therefore faster and more dangerous. It also hurts more if you fall outside of the course when there is no fluffy snowbank, but just rocky and muddy hard ground."

However, New Zealand snowboarder Zoi Sadowski Synnott, told Reuters: "The snow is actually amazing, the man-made stuff. I think because of how cold it is you have to be really aggressive with how you ride."

Where The Winter Olympics Games 2022 Venues Are Located

There are three different locations at the Winter Olympics in Beijing: The Beijing, Yanqing, and Zhangjiakou zones.

Zhangjiakou Zone

The majority of ski and snowboarding events such as freestyle, cross-country, ski jumping, and biathlon will take place in Zhangjiakou, a city 180 kilometers northwest of Beijing.

Events will take place at the National Ski Jumping Centre, The National Cross-Country Centre, and the Genting Snow Park.

Yanging Zone

The bobsled, luge and skeleton and Alpine skiing events will be held in the mountains of Yanqing, 75 miles outside of central Beijing.

Locations include the National Alpine Ski Centre and the National Sliding Centre.

Bejing Zone

The National Stadium, known as the "birds nest" will be home to the Winter Olympics opening and closing ceremonies.

Figure skating and short track speed skating will be held at the Capital Indoor Stadium in Central Beijing.

Also in the Beijing Zone is the National Aquatics Centre which has been transformed into the "Ice Cube" to host the curling competitions.

The National Indoor Stadium and The Wukesong Sports Centre will host the ice hockey competitions whilst The National Speed Skating Oval, nicknamed "the ice ribbon" will host speed skating.

Freestyle Skiing Band snowboard Big Air competitions will occur at the Big Air Shougang.

The 2022 Winter Olympics in Beijing begins on February 4, 2022, with the games ending on Sunday, February 20.