Technologies

Winter Olympics: No snow, no problems… yet

The Beijing Games use almost 100% artificial snow, as climate change threatens to change winter sports forever.

Organizers of the 2022 Winter Olympics, which officially opened on Friday, have been using dozens of snow generators and hundreds of snowblowers to create 1.2 million cubic meters of powder (or about 42.4 million cubic feet).

The Games in Beijing will mark the first time athletes will compete almost entirely on artificial snow, according to a report from London’s Loughbough University.

That’ll likely become the norm as climate change continues, according to the report’s findings, «starting with lower-altitude slopes and raising pressure and costs on higher-[altitude] resorts.»

But generating fake snow has a high environmental cost, the authors say. «Even if powered by renewables, a huge amount of energy is needed which is both costly and can be a significant drain on water resources.»

And winter athletes say the artificial turf is less safe.

«Artificial snow is icier, therefore faster and more dangerous,» Estonian biathlete Johanna Taliharm told the Associated Press in January. «It also hurts more if you fall outside of the course when there is no fluffy snowbank, but a rocky and muddy hard ground.»

Team USA cross-country coach Chris Grover said landing in it «can feel like falling on concrete.»

Not everyone is critical of the fake stuff. Australian snowboarder Matt Cox, who’s making his Olympic debut at Beijing, told Reuters that «with the cold temps here, it’s dreamy snow.»

Artificial snow is more of a tightly packed frozen slush, made from water droplets that are broken up by a high-pressure pump and then crystalize into frozen flakes.

Read more: How to watch the Beijing Winter Olympics: Everything to know

The International Olympic Committee maintains that artificial snow is used regularly at International Ski Federation competitions «and does not make the courses more dangerous.»

«To the contrary, it creates a more consistent surface from the top to bottom — or start to finish — of a course,» an IOC spokesperson told CNET. «The iciness and density of the surface is dependent on the needs of the given competition and the preparation of the course, not on the source of the snow.»

Most ski and snowboarding events at the Beijing Games will take place in Zhangjiakou, about 110 miles northwest of Beijing, including freestyle, cross-country, ski jumping and biathlon. Skating and several additional snow events are being held at the Capital Indoor Stadium in central Beijing.

Bobsled, luge and Alpine skiing events will be held in Yanqing, a mountainous area about 45 miles from downtown Beijing that’s rich in water resources, according to the IOC. Water supplies for the Olympic venues there will come from the nearby Foyukou Reservoir.

The IOC says that the electricity used to make the snow is from renewable wind and solar energy sources. In addition, water-conservation efforts have been instituted, including snow farming — preserving and relocating previous accumulation — and harvesting melted snow in retaining lakes at the end of the season.

According to the committee, water usage related to snow sports for the Games won’t impact nearby citizens’ consumption or agriculture needs.

«The regions where the snow-sport events will be held are constantly very cold,» the IOC representative said. «This allows a very efficient snow production and does not require the constant reproduction of snow, like in many ski resorts elsewhere in the world where the temperature fluctuations lead to a regular melting of the snow during a season.»

However, another recent study found that, by the year 2080, only one of the past 21 Winter Olympic hosts will still have sufficient winter conditions for the Games.

The ideal conditions for making artificial snow are a «wet-bulb temperature» of about 20 degrees Fahrenheit, representing a combination of the actual temperature and the amount of moisture in the air. But the 2026 Winter Games are slated to be held in Milan, where temperatures rarely dip that low.

The 2022 Winter Olympics in Beijing opened on Feb. 4 and will run until Feb. 20.

Technologies

Memorial Day Sale: Google’s Pixel 9 Series Has Up to $300 Off Right Now

Get the standard Pixel 9 or the more premium Pixel 9 Fold for less with these incredible Memorial Day deals.

Android users who want to upgrade to a shiny new phone are always going to be pleased if they check out the Google Pixel 9 lineup. Right now is a great time to pick one up too, because the Memorial Day deals are in full swing, and they can save you some serious cash.

In fact, right now you can get your hands on this line of phones with up to $300 off right now on Amazon, meaning you can get one for as little as $599. You can save even more money if you’ve got a phone to trade in and go with Best Buy too.

There is so much to love about the Pixel 9 series, including its sleek design, the impressive camera setup and even AI features such as the ability to search for content in screenshots, create images from scratch using Pixel Studio app and more.

Pricing varies depending on which model you choose, along with the exact configurations, but there are plenty of options for nearly everyone right now. As a rule, the base Pixel 9 lists for $799 — but right now you can save $200 and score yours for just $599. It’s also our pick for the best phone for Android purists.

Hey, did you know? CNET Deals texts are free, easy and save you money.

However, the Pixel 9 Pro and Pixel 9 Pro XL also made the list as the top Google phones you can get. They retail for $999 and $1,099, respectively. However, you can get your hands on the 6.3-inch model for as low as $799 or the 6.8-inch model for as little as $899. Of course, if you’re looking for a foldable phone, you’ll enjoy the Google Pixel 9 Pro Fold. It typically starts at $1,799, but it’s down to as low as $1,499 right now — a whopping $300 discount.

SMARTPHONE DEALS OF THE WEEK

Samsung Galaxy S25 Edge 256GB Unlocked Phone With $50 Amazon Gift Card (Black):

$1,100 (save $50)
Google Pixel 9 Pro 128GB Unlocked Phone (Obsidian):

$799 (save $200)
Samsung Galaxy A16 5G 128GB Unlocked Phone (Blue Black, 2025 Release):

$176 (save $24)
Moto G Stylus 5G 256GB Unlocked Phone(2024 Model, Caramel Latte):

$300 (save $100)
Apple iPhone 14 128GB Unlocked Phone (Refurbished, Midnight):

$357 (save $273)

Deals are selected by the CNET Group commerce team, and may be unrelated to this article.

Why this deal matters

Right now you can save up to $300 off select Pixel 9 series phones at Amazon. The Google Pixel 9 series is chock-full of great options with a lot of features we loved, but that usually carries a large price tag. Saving up to $300 goes a long way, and as these prices are at record lows, we don’t expect the cost to drop any lower any time soon. Getting any of these phones at a discount is a great find, but these prices likely won’t stick around for long, so act fast if you’re interested.

Technologies

Today’s NYT Mini Crossword Answers for Friday, May 23

Here are the answers for The New York Times Mini Crossword for May 23.

Looking for the most recent Mini Crossword answer? Click here for today’s Mini Crossword hints, as well as our daily answers and hints for The New York Times Wordle, Strands, Connections and Connections: Sports Edition puzzles.

Today’s NYT Mini Crossword isn’t too tough. Lots of similar clues ask you to solve for a certain word, and then add a Y. Need some help with today’s Mini Crossword? Read on. And if you could use some hints and guidance for daily solving, check out our Mini Crossword tips.

The Mini Crossword is just one of many games in the Times’ games collection. If you’re looking for today’s Wordle, Connections, Connections: Sports Edition and Strands answers, you can visit CNET’s NYT puzzle hints page.

Read more: Tips and Tricks for Solving The New York Times Mini Crossword

Let’s get at those Mini Crossword clues and answers.

Mini across clues and answers

1A clue: Chooses to receive marketing emails, with «in»
Answer: OPTS

5A clue: Buck ___, first Black coach in Major League Baseball (1962)
Answer: ONEIL

6A clue: Like your epidermis?
Answer: SKINNY

7A clue: Like the element Fe?
Answer: IRONY

8A clue: Quite a lot of
Answer: MANY

Mini down clues and answers

1D clue: Bulb in the kitchen
Answer: ONION

2D clue: Like an ink-filled writing tool?
Answer: PENNY

3D clue: Microscopic
Answer: TINY

4D clue: Acting deviously
Answer: SLY

5D clue: Green gumbo ingredient
Answer: OKRA

6D clue: ___ card (smartphone chip)
Answer: SIM

How to play more Mini Crosswords

The New York Times Games section offers a large number of online games, but only some of them are free for all to play. You can play the current day’s Mini Crossword for free, but you’ll need a subscription to the Times Games section to play older puzzles from the archives.

Technologies

Today’s NYT Connections: Sports Edition Hints and Answers for May 23, #242

Hints and answers for the NYT Connections: Sports Edition puzzle, No. 242, for May 23.

Looking for the most recent regular Connections answers? Click here for today’s Connections hints, as well as our daily answers and hints for The New York Times Mini Crossword, Wordle and Strands puzzles.

Connections: Sports Edition might be tough today. Read on for hints and the answers.

Connections: Sports Edition is out of beta now, making its debut on Super Bowl Sunday, Feb. 9. That’s a sign that the game has earned enough loyal players that The Athletic, the subscription-based sports journalism site owned by the Times, will continue to publish it. It doesn’t show up in the NYT Games app but now appears in The Athletic’s own app. Or you can continue to play it free online.

Read more: NYT Connections: Sports Edition Puzzle Comes Out of Beta

Hints for today’s Connections: Sports Edition groups

Here are four hints for the groupings in today’s Connections: Sports Edition puzzle, ranked from the easiest yellow group to the tough (and sometimes bizarre) purple group.

Yellow group hint: Which year are you?

Green group hint: College conference.

Blue group hint: LA hoops stars.

Purple group hint: Football hometowns.