Beijing Winter Paralympics: Slushy Snow And T-Shirts As Spring Approaches

Cross-country skiers ploughed through slushy snow wearing T-shirts on day five of the Beijing Winter Paralympics Wednesday as spring-like weather pushed temperatures well above freezing. The warm spell caught some athletes off guard on the largely man-made snow at the Zhangjiakou cross-country event where six gold medals were up for grabs. Competitors in the Olympics last month had battled blizzard conditions and a brutal wind chill, with some events postponed because of the weather. This time it was the opposite problem.  Cross-country skier Birgit Skarstein, who competes in the women's sitting category, likened the weather to July back home in Norway as temperatures in nearby Zhangjiakou city nudged a balmy 17 degrees Celsius (63 Fahrenheit).

Up on the slopes temperatures were about 10 degrees cooler, but still well above freezing as the artificial snow began to melt.

"It was really sucky conditions out there, you could feel the skis being drawn into the ground," she told AFP.

"You pull and you feel like you're stuck in glue," said Skarstein, who raced in short sleeves.

"It was really slushy," she said, adding at times she felt like her exhausted arms would fall off. "These kinds of conditions draw your energy out of the body."

For Canadian visually impaired cross-country skier Brian McKeever, 43, who won his 15th Paralympic gold medal, the conditions proved advantageous.

"Honestly, I think for us it's probably an advantage (because my guide Russell Kennedy and I) don't have as much pure speed and power as some of the younger guys," he told AFP.

"This is more about finesse."

Fellow Canadian Natalie Wilkie won the women's standing category -- helping her country climb to second spot on the medals table with seven gold