The head coach of a regional ski mountaineering team in China shares his insights into the sport which will make its Asian Winter Games debut in the northeastern Chinese city of Harbin next month.
At the Harbin Asian Winter Games schedule for February 7-14, athletes competing in ski mountaineering will race to complete a set course. The event consists of three races -- the men’s sprint, women’s sprint, and the mixed relay.
Langjia Duoji, a former professional ski mountaineering athlete, is now the head coach of the ski mountaineering team of southwest China's Xizang Autonomous Region.
Speaking with the China Global Television Network (CGTN) during the team's training in northeast China's Jilin Province, Langjia Duoji elaborated on ski mountaineering and his enthusiasm for the sport.
"Ski mountaineering is a winter sport derived from mountaineering. It is mainly about climbing, with skiing as a secondary element," he said.
"To me, the greatest appeal of ski mountaineering is the sense of reaching the summit, step by step. It is tough, but when you get to the top, it feels like it is all worth it. You feel like you've conquered everything," added the ski mountaineering veteran.
Ski mountaineering is also set to debut as a new event at the 2026 Milano-Cortina Winter Olympics.
Traditionally, residents of snow-covered mountainous regions worldwide have practiced ski mountaineering as a mode of transport. It evolved into a competitive sport in Europe, where modern sports developed early. To this day, in the Alps and the Pyrenees, locals still treat ski mountaineering as a recreational activity, climbing snow-capped mountains with friends for a coffee before descending together.
Ski mountaineering to make debut at upcoming Asian Winter Games in China's Harbin
An increasing number of German consumers are considering buying electric vehicles (EVs) in the face of high fuel prices, according to a recent survey by the largest German online car trading platform, mobile.de.
As the Middle East tensions continue to drive up international oil and gas prices, the cost of automotive fuel has been rising steadily in many European countries.
According to fuel price data compiled by the German Association of the Automotive Industry, since the United States and Israel launched military strikes against Iran on February 28, gasoline prices in Germany have risen by nearly 20 percent, while diesel prices have shot up by more than 30 percent.
Results from a recent survey by mobile.de show that if gasoline prices remain at current high levels, 43 percent of respondents said they would switch to EVs, and 36 percent cited long-term cost savings as the most important reason for considering an EV purchase.
Additionally, the platform's data show that inquiries about used EVs surged by 66 percent in the first half of March.
"We are absolutely seeing much more interest on mobile.de for electric cars. What the German energy transition couldn't do, this current geopolitical situation has done in terms of transition to electric cars," said Ajay Bhatia, CEO of mobile.de.
In addition to high oil prices, government subsidies are also a key factor driving German consumers to consider purchasing EVs.
The German government announced the resumption of subsidies in January of this year, planning to invest 3 billion euros over the next few years to provide purchase subsidies for some 800,000 EVs.
Driven by the combined effects of high oil prices and subsidy policies, German consumers' interest in EVs has grown clearly. However, it remains to be seen whether this shift will evolve into a more sustained market trend.
"How long it will stay is anyone's guess, but at the moment we're absolutely seeing an increase, and sometimes these transitions need a catalyst. And this is definitely a catalyst that is seeing the transition to electric cars speed up," said Bhatia.
More Germans interested in buying EVs due to high oil prices: survey
