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while holding hands with his sons Chung-rak and Seong-rak, said,
“[I am] usually so busy at work and have no time to play with my
kids. But [my kids] have been skiing ever since they were little,
so I try my best to come out with them every year for a family
vacation.”
CROWDS OF EXCITED ENERGY Pyeongchang’s Alpensia Resort
was the setting for last year’s hit movie Take Off, also known as
National Athlete. On our way back from a look from the dizzying
heights of the ski jump, we met a group of skiers ascending a
fierce slope. Some of them wore uniforms bearing a taegeukgi
(Korean national flag), and, just as we expected, they were
cross-country skiers training for the 2010 Vancouver Winter
Olympics. The athletes were in their final weeks of rigorous
training before they will travel to Canada to compete at the
Games. Coach Ahn Jin-soo said, “Unlike slope descents where
you just slide down from top to bottom, cross-country skiing has
ups and downs. It requires as much energy and strength as
marathon running.”
Even for mountaineers, winter is a heart-racing season. When
winter arrives and waterfalls freeze, mountain climber Lee
Hyeong-mo always ventures out, geared up with his climbing irons,
picks and ropes to climb the frozen faces. Though the concept of
ice climbing was not popular among Koreans until a few years ago,
the sport has already grown in popularity. In regions all over Korea,
artificial ice climbing walls are created by pouring water over rocks
and waiting for it to freeze. Towangseong Falls of Mount Seorak is
the most famous for its natural ice wall: it’s about 300m high and
boasts three different levels, which has made it well-known to
mountaineers from across Asia. Eoreumgol Valley Ice Wall in
Cheongsong County and the artificial ice wall in Wonju are similarly
popular. For beginners, artificial ice walls are recommended
because of they are wider and more easily accessible.
Lee’s love for ice climbing isn’t just based on the adrenaline
rush. The avid climber says the activity has health benefits and
that the exercise outside in the cold weather is invigorating. “Time
is of the essence, you can only ice climb from December to
mid-February when the falls are frozen. Imagine, it’s a struggle
against gravity! I never forget the thrill that I feel when I reach the
top. That is why I look forward to winter every year.”
The 2010 Vancouver Winter Olympics start this month, an event
that stirs excitement in both the athletes in competition, as well as
the spectators who cheer them on. The world’s attention will be on
the best winter sports athletes from across the globe, including
Kim Yu-na, who many are predicting will win the gold medal in
women’s figure skating. Who will win at the Games will be on
everyone’s minds, but, win or lose, we should applaud all the athletes
who have endured the rigors of training in extreme conditions
to prepare themselves for the Games. As they do every year, sports
will heat us up this winter.
Yonhapnews Agency
Climbers brave Gugok Fall’s ice wall in Chuncheon (top).
Cross-country skiers glide at Alpensia Resort (above).
48
KOREA
FEBRUARY
2010