One thing not seen much at these Winter Olympic Games has been snow – at least, the type that falls from the sky.

Organisers decided to rely on artificial snow to cover the ground throughout the main competition areas due to the lack of natural snow that falls in the region.

However, that changed on Sunday, with thick snow showers blanketing Zhangjiakou, Yanqing and Beijing in a pristine white coat.

It had snowed a little earlier in these Games, not least on Saturday, when impossibly pristine flakes (the sort you only thought possible if rendered by a cartoon studio) fluttered down onto the snowboard cross competition.

That snow, although a complicating factor for athletes, was relatively easily handled by those on course, with volunteers using leaf blowers to clear any big powder build-ups. Visibility never became an issue.

However, on Sunday it was different. A cold change has precipitated a drop in temperature of around 6 degrees – Sunday's midday temperature at the Zhangjiakou Mountain Media Centre was sitting at -12 degrees Celsius – and some gusty wind.

Volunteers are again out in force, using huge brooms and shovels to sweep the powder away from walkways, stairs and car parks.

But on the snow, things are proving harder to handle.

The second official training for the women's downhill competition in Yanqing was cancelled due to the heavy snowfall making the course treacherous.

Meanwhile, the women's free-ski slopestyle qualification round at the Genting Snow Park in Zhangjiakou has been postponed until Monday as a result of visibility concerns and gusting wind.

Despite the efforts of an army of volunteers on the slopes, the visibility and wind conditions meant that it was unsafe to start proceedings.

Australia's three women's aerials competitors were also left hanging after a tremendous flurry of snow halted any prospect of qualifying taking place on Sunday night.

Busses carrying journalists and support staff up to the Genting Snow Park slipped and slid their way on treacherous roads with minimal visibility, only to find the blizzard-like conditions made safe jumping impossible.

That competition has also been moved to Monday.

Not all outdoor events were cancelled though.

The men's giant slalom continued, but at a cost.

Of the 84 starters, 33 failed to finish their first run — an extraordinary attrition rate of almost 40 per cent, with some clearly coming unstuck by large drifts of powder blowing into their racing line.

Australian Louis Muhlen-Schulte was one of those to finish, in a credible 32nd place.

Norway's Lucas Braathen, who qualified 12th after the first run, said conditions were very difficult.

"It's tough. You don't see anything… it's brutal out there," he said.

His countryman, Henrik Kristoffersen, who was the fourth-placed qualifier after the first run, was more blunt.

"I didn't see shit," he said with a laugh.

"I think it was difficult for everyone."

But he added it was "definitely" safe to race, something echoed by Braaten.

"You see the next gate, which is all you need in this sport. I think that's fair enough," he said.

Both those athletes were able to put down a run, unlike Switzerland's Loic Meillard, who crashed out.

However, he too defended the conditions as being skiable.

"We don't see anything, it's just [having] to react [to what's in front of us]," he said.

"For sure it is frustrating. For sure it's not what I was hoping for, but it's part of the game, part of the sport.

"We've raced in conditions like that, it's not the first time. But of course maybe it is missing a bit some blue lines, some help to know where we go and to avoid any stupid injuries."

Italian Luca De Aliprandini was one of several skiers to praise the state of the artificial snow for making things safe enough to race.

"We did it a lot of times in difficult conditions like this. Maybe the visibility today is one of the worst, but the snow is in good shape," he said after coming down in sixth place.

"That's why I think it's not dangerous. In this visibility, if the snow was no good, it would be really dangerous."

After a short delay as machinery was brought in to clear the powder drifts, the second run was able to take place.

Another seven skiers crashed out, but not Australian Muhlen-Schulte, who finished a brilliant 23rd.

Swiss skier Marco Odermatt won gold.