Image of Asia: Testing downhill course for Olympic skiers

In this photo by Mark Schiefelbein, Switzerland's Nils Mani skis during the second training session for a World Cup downhill event in Jeongseon, South Korea, that also is a test event for the Pyeongchang 2018 Winter Olympics. The Jeongseon Alpine Center is rare in that it has only the competition course, a training run and a slalom course and the venue will be restored to its natural state when the games end. The area forest is a pilgrimage site for women who pray for fertility at certain sacred trees, and the local Gangwon province decided on the forest restoration in agreement with environmentalists years earlier. Some ski officials say a permanent facility would be used by Koreans and would help grow the sport.