Comprised of only 15 sports, the Winter Olympics cannot match the sheer size of the 50 sports offered at its summer counterpart. Nonetheless, nearly 3,000 athletes from more than 90 countries around the world are scheduled to converged on China’s second-largest city to compete in 109 events from February 4-20. To prepare you for the 2022 Winter Olympics in Beijing, here are fun facts you may not know about the 15 Winter Olympic sports.

Alpine Skiing

It’s still called alpine skiing, even if it’s in the Xiaohaituo Mountain Area in northwest Yanqing instead of the European Alps, and skiers can reach up to 90 mph.

Biathlon

Commemorating the ancient practice of hunting for food, the biathlon combines the stamina of cross-country skiing with the precision of shooting at targets 160 feet away.

Bobsleigh

Two and four-person crews careen down an ice-covered track with sharp turns at 80-90 mph. What could go wrong?

Cross Country Skiing

Dominated by the Nordic countries, this sport boasts athletes that can cover over 30 miles on snow in just over two hours.

Curling

Each stone weighs 44 pounds and is made from ailsite stones, which have very low water absorption.

Figure Skating

The oldest Winter Olympic sport, figure skating competition dates back to 1908 when the gold medal went to Ulrich Salchow, whose backwards take-off jump is still used today.

Freestyle Skiing

Once known as “hotdogging,” freestyle skiing has grown to five events for men and women, including aerials, halfpipe, moguls, slopestyle, a fast ski cross race, and new to the Olympics in 2022, big air events.

Ice Hockey

Hockey comes from the old French word “hocquet” which means “stick.”

Luge

More French influence. Luge is the French word for “sledge” or a “sleigh” mounted by runners. Just like when you go sledding with your kids, a luge has no brakes.

Nordic Combined

Deemed to determine the “ultimate winter athlete,” this event combines the explosiveness of ski jumping with the endurance of cross-country skiing. Using the Gundersen method, the winner of the ski jump gets a head start of 4 seconds for every point ahead of second place.

Short Track Speed Skating

In the Olympics since 1992, short track includes rapid, crowded races that quickly became a fan favorite. The 5,000-meter race for men consists of a whopping 45 laps.

Skeleton

Referring to the small sled under your body as opposed to what’s left of you after heading down a speedy ice track face first, skeleton is for the kids who refused to heed their mom’s advice to sit on their bottom.

Ski Jumping

Despite jumping from as high as 90 meters, a ski jumper is never more than approximately 20 feet off the ground.

Snowboard

In the half-pipe, snowboarding’s most-famed contest, snowboarders ride in a U-shaped trench with 22-foot-high walls and perform tricks like an alley-oop McTwist, a 540-backside rodeo mute grab, and a 1080 cab double cork stalefish grab.

Speed Skating

With room to spare, two international size hockey rinks can fit inside a long track oval of 500 meters.