You would think that preparation of the snow surface for an Olympic Games competition is done by professional groomers in the newest computerized grooming machines.  However, for those of you involved in outdoor sports, you know the weather can throw a last-minute wrench in your wheels, such that all the modern machines become useless and old fashion smarts or equipment can save the day.

During the 2022 Olympic Games at the Cross-Country and Biathlon venues in Zhangjiakou the wind became our wrench.  Just minutes after our meticulous grooming the wind would blow snow onto the competition surfaces, filling in the classical tracks or creating uneven snow across the wide competition trails.  We would delay the grooming closer to competition start, but the skiers and the wax technicians needed a couple of hours to test the snow, the skis and the wax, giving the wind plenty of time to do its damage.

This is when our light grooming equipment and our manual techniques came into use.  Snowmobiles with light grooming attachments create a much smaller and lighter footprint than a large grooming machine, and do not affect or alter the snow surface nearly as dramatic. 

Often light tilling or milling of the snow is all it takes to crate an even skiing surface, even dragging a piece of fence along the three biathlon finish lanes helped create a fair sprint in case of a tight race (see photo below).

Of course, snowmobiles with rollers and the famous “Ginzu groomer” were more efficient in the last-minute preparation of the longer course loops and the entire stadiums.

Leaf blowers were handy in removing the snow that the wind had filled in the classical tracks with.  With the light snow in the cold Chinese temperatures, removing the snow by blowers were much more efficient than any other way.

The key to successful grooming for big events is to have all types of grooming equipment ready to go!