Qualla: Snow Ruyi National Ski Jumping Centre

Snow Ruyi National Ski Jumping Centre: Introduction

Sat, 14 Mar 2026 00:00:00 GMT

From the air, the ski jumping venue at Zhangjiakou looks like an ancient Chinese ornament dropped into the mountains. That was the point. Designed by architect Zhang Li, the National Ski Jumping Centre earned its nickname "Snow Ruyi" because its curved profile echoes the shape of a ruyi -- a ceremonial scepter symbolizing good luck in Chinese culture. Built into the gap between two mountain ridges 180 kilometers northwest of Beijing, the facility took its unconventional site and turned architectural constraint into the defining image of the 2022 Winter Olympics.

Snow Ruyi National Ski Jumping Centre: Building Between Two Mountains

Sat, 14 Mar 2026 00:00:00 GMT

Construction began in 2017 in Chongli District, Zhangjiakou, Hebei Province, with an original completion target of 2019. The unconventional location between two hills complicated the engineering significantly, pushing the timeline to November 2020. The Olympic ski jumping stadium...

Snow Ruyi National Ski Jumping Centre: Olympic Fire on the Snow

Sat, 14 Mar 2026 00:00:00 GMT

The COVID-19 pandemic forced the cancellation of all international test events during the 2020-21 season, meaning the facility's premiere competition came at a Continental Cup event in December 2021. German ski jumper David Siegel won the inaugural large hill event and set the fi...

Snow Ruyi National Ski Jumping Centre: Controversy at Altitude

Sat, 14 Mar 2026 00:00:00 GMT

The most dramatic storyline at Snow Ruyi had nothing to do with flight distances. On February 7, 2022, the inaugural Olympic mixed team ski jumping event descended into controversy when five female jumpers from Japan, Austria, Germany, and Norway were disqualified for equipment v...

Snow Ruyi National Ski Jumping Centre: From Olympic Stage to Training Ground

Sat, 14 Mar 2026 00:00:00 GMT

The ultimate hill record at Snow Ruyi was set not during competition but during a Nordic combined training session on February 14, 2022, when Germany's Vinzenz Geiger soared to 142.5 meters on the large hill. Austria won the men's large hill team gold that same day. After the Gam...