The 9th Asian Winter Games 2025 will be held in Harbin, Heilongjiang of China, from February 7 to February 14. The event once again makes the ice-and-snow economy a hot topic recently.
2022 Beijing Winter Olympics triggered the rapid growth of ice-and-snow economy and strong consumption for winter sports. More Chinese people have participated in ice & snow sports in recent years. As of April 2024, Chinese winter sports participation has reached 22.13%, with 313 million participants. With the boom of winter sports, ski resorts, snow parks and winter tourism routes, China’s ice-and-snow market is thriving. The market size grew from CNY 270 billion in 2015 to CNY 890 billion in 2023. It is projected that the market will be valued at CNY 970 billion in 2024 and surpass CNY 1 trillion in 2025.
On November 6, 2024, China currently issued guidelines for stimulating the vitality of the ice-and-snow economy through the high-quality development of winter sports, which clearly state that China’s ice-and-snow economy will reach a scale of CNY 1.2 trillion by 2027, and CNY 1.5 trillion by 2030. According to the guidelines, China will adopt a slew of measures to boost the development of the ice-and-snow economy.
Winter Sports Areas
In 2023, there were a total of 2,847 winter sports areas in operation across China, including 1,912 ice skating rinks (67.16%) and 935 ski resorts (32.84%). Chinese ice-and-snow market shows regional differentiation. Due to climatic conditions, winter sports enjoy higher popularity in North China. Eastern and Southern regions are gradually expanding the market through the construction of ice skating rinks.
Ski resorts have strict requirements for insulation materials, which should have excellent insulation performance and superior waterproofness. Therefore, suitable and efficient insulation materials can help ski sites minimize heat transfer, maintain a constant temperature, reduce economic losses and improve energy efficiency.
PU Insulation Materials in Indoor Ski Sites
Polyurethane (PU): PU is one of the commonly used insulation materials in indoor ski sites. It stands out for its excellent insulation properties and lightweight. The foam contains numerous tiny bubbles internally, which act like many small greenhouses, effectively isolating external heat and maintaining a low-temperature environment. Besides, PUF possesses good waterproofing and corrosion resistance, ensuring the long-term stable operation of ski resorts.
Polyisocyanurate (PIR): PIR is a foaming material made by reacting isocyanate with polyether through catalyst, and displays superior physical and fire-resistant properties compared to conventional PUs. Ski resorts have high requirements for the fire protection level of insulation materials to ensure a safe environment. Conventional combustible insulation materials should at least reach the fire safety level of class B1. In comparison to PU panels, PIR insulated panels are a preferable choice for insulation materials in ski sites due to their improved fire resistance.
In practical applications, the insulation systems in indoor ski sites are mainly divided into single-layer insulation and double-layer application. The double-layer system comprises an outer layer (thermal barrier) and an inner layer (insulation layer), providing better insulation effects.
Successful Applications of Polyurethane in Ski Resorts
L*Snow Indoor Skiing Theme Resort (Shanghai)
The Shanghai L*SNOW Indoor Skiing Theme Resort in coastal Lingang area officially opened to the public on September 6, 2024, and was verified by Guinness World Records as the world’s largest indoor ski facility. To ensure that the super-sized indoor space of the ski resort can maintain temperatures between -3°C to +5°C year-round, the project team analyzed the insulation forms in the material-selection process and ultimately chose a rigid PU foam with closed cell structure for wall insulation. They continually optimized the insulation design based on on-site construction conditions and controlled quality for each process.
Changchengling Ski Training Base (Zhangjiakou)
The Changchengling base, jointly built by the General Administration of Sport and government of North China’s Hebei province, is a state-level comprehensive training base for winter sports. It possesses the largest indoor U-shaped ski slope in the world. The training base was completed in 2021 and provided training services to 13 national snow sports teams before the Beijing 2022 Winter Olympics. The total building area of this project is around 12,800 square meters. The main building is a large long-span single-storey steel structure, and the roof is made of PU sandwich panels and waterproofing rolls.
In addition to applications in building insulation for ski sites, PU also plays a role in winter sports.
Ski Boots: Covestro recently launched Desmopan® AP portfolio based on advanced polyether technology. These TPU grades offer high performance and low-carbon advantages, aiding designers and manufacturers in creating durable and sustainable ski boots. Besides that, Desmopan® AP can be compounded with standard polyethers and impact-modified polyesters (such as 38xx range). With their superior mechanical properties, including cold resistance, excellent bonding in 2K applications, and better impact resistance, these TPU compounds are the perfect companion on the slopes.
Skiboards: Entry-level skiboards are typically made of PU foam cores. Its low resilience allows for smooth and controllable skiing. Compared to skiboards with harder metal or high-density wood cores, PU foam skis are lighter, shock-absorbent and cheaper, making them more suitable for beginners. However, skiboards with PU foam cores bend easily and are less stable at higher speeds, along with lower durability. For professional ski enthusiasts and athletes, besides traditional wood, skiboards made of performance foams, such as closed-cell rigid polymethacrylimide (PMI) foam, are preferred.
Skiboard manufacturers mold PU foam into core shapes.
