The most prized Olympic titles in Alpine skiing will be won this month on downhill courses raced only once before, and lined with trees that are sacred as symbols of fertility.
Only after the South Korean region was picked as host in 2011 were the wide speed tracks in Jeongseon cut through the forest. The mountain is now a pure competition venue for the Pyeongchang Games rather than a hub for ski tourism.
The best downhillers have each had only one World Cup race — in February 2016 for the men, last March for the women — to fully test the jumps and terrain in cold air sweeping down from Siberia.