( CNN ) -- Russian President Vladimir Putin never misses an opportunity to show off his 'action man ' credentials and used a pre-Games visit to the Winter Olympics venue at Sochi to hit the ski slopes . Putin did not test out the runs which will be used by the world 's best in a little over a month , but instead strutted his stuff at an adjacent ski complex run by gas giant Gazprom . Putin , who has staked his personal reputation on making the Games a success at the Black Sea resort , will likely spend several days inspecting the facilities , which come with a reported $ 50 billion price tag . `` In the next days , the president will closely inspect the mountain and coastal sites and again verify the preparations made for the opening of the Olympic and Paralympic Games , '' a Sochi 2014 spokesman said . His arrival in Sochi comes in the aftermath of two deadly explosions in Volgograd , which left over 30 people dead and cast fears over security arrangements for the Winter Games . Security , already tight , has been ratcheted up across Russia and in particular around Sochi . Putin visited a hospital in Volgograd on New Year 's Day to speak with survivors of the blasts before heading 700km north to Sochi . He has cultivated a 'tough guy ' image in the past -- not least as an accomplished judo player -- reaching 6th dan and a similar rank in karate . Putin has variously been pictured horse-riding bare-chested and swimming in a mountain stream in Siberia while on vacation . He has also played ice hockey and sat in a bobsled used by the Russian team preparing for their home Olympics . His prime minister , Dimitri Medvedev , also donned a black ski suit to ski alongside Putin and later inspect facilities .
Vladimir Putin hits the slopes in Sochi . Russian president dons skis on a visit to Winter Games host city . Practices on runs adjacent to the pistes used for Olympic competition . TL;DR The U.S. ski team is set to compete at the 2014 Olympics in Sochi, Russia, this week.