Jeongseon Alpine Centre
Jeongseon Alpine Centre (정선 알파인 경기장) is an alpine skiing area in South Korea. It is located on the slopes of the mountain of Gariwangsan, in Bukpyeong-myeon in the county of Jeongseon. Overview. Jeongseon was a venue for the Pyeongchang Winter Olympics, hosting the alpine speed events of Downhill, Super-G, and Combined. It accommodated 6,000 spectators. The technical events of slalom and giant slalom were scheduled for Yongpyong Resort in the county of Pyeongchang. The capacity of the venue was 6,500 (3,600 Seats / 2,900 Standing). The men's downhill starts at an elevation of , with  a course length of , to a finish area at . The vertical drop of surpasses the minimum drop of required by the International Ski Federation (FIS). The women's downhill has a length of and a vertical drop of . In the initial plan, the men's course was projected to start at another Jung-bong (peak) area, an elevation of , but was integrated with the women's course starting at lower Ha-bong area, with some environmental criticism and protests. The venue Gariwang mountain is one of the most remote areas in South Korea. The centre officially opened in 2016 on  January 22, two weeks prior to its first events, men's World Cup speed The downhill on February 6 was won by Kjetil Jansrud of Norway with a time of 1:41.38, and the super-G the next day was won by Carlo Janka of Switzerland. The women tested the Olympic venue in 2017 with two World Cup speed events in early March. Both races had the same podium finishers with Sofia Goggia of Italy in first, Lindsey Vonn of the United States in second, and Ilka Štuhec of Slovenia in third. Ecological Issues. Environmental groups have raised concerns surrounding the  deforestation from the slopes of Gariwang mountain to build the Jeongseon Alpine Centre. Officials claim it is necessary as it is the only slope that will accommodate Olympic requirements and the forest will be restored after the games are done. Environmental groups are skeptical as the forest includes old growth of ancient and rare species. A nearby stream was diverted into a reservoir at the base of the ski runs. The reservoir supplies water used to create artificial snow for the ski runs.