Medeu: Skating the World’s Highest Ice Rink (2026)

High in a mountain gorge above Almaty sits a slab of ice with an outsized place in sporting history — a rink where, for decades, the world’s fastest skaters came to break records that seemed impossible anywhere else.

Medeu is the highest large ice rink in the world, an open-air speed-skating oval at 1,691 metres in the Zailiysky Alatau just outside Almaty. With 10,500 square metres of ice fed by pure mountain water, it earned the nickname “the factory of records,” and today it is a wonderful place to skate, sightsee, climb the famous dam and ride the gondola up to the ski slopes above. It is one of the easiest and most rewarding half-days out of the city.

This guide covers the history and the records, how to get there, skating practicalities and rough 2026 prices, the extraordinary mudflow dam and its 842 steps, and how to combine Medeu with the ski resort above. Prices are approximate — quoted in tenge with dollars alongside at about 470 KZT to the dollar — and worth confirming on arrival.

Medeu at a glance

The “factory of records”: a short history

Medeu (you will also see the Soviet-era spelling Medeo) takes its name from Medeu Pusurmanov, who built winter shelters in this tract of the mountains long ago. The first natural-ice rink opened here in February 1951, and it made an immediate splash: on its opening competitions, skaters set a string of world and all-Union records, and the legend of the place was born.

The rink most visitors picture, though, dates from 1972, when Medeu was rebuilt with an artificial-ice system that let it hold perfect ice for months. Over the following decades more than a hundred and twenty world speed-skating records fell here — some sources say well over two hundred across all the sports contested — an astonishing tally for a single venue that cemented its “factory of records” nickname.

Why the ice is so fast

The secret is the setting. At 1,691 metres the air is thin and offers less resistance, the surrounding mountains shelter the oval from wind, high-altitude sunshine and low pressure help, and the ice itself is frozen from exceptionally pure glacial meltwater off the Malaya Almatinka river. Put together, those factors made skaters measurably faster here than at sea level — which is exactly why the world’s best kept coming to chase times they could not touch elsewhere.

Where is Medeu and how to get there

Medeu sits about 15 kilometres south-east of central Almaty, up the Medeu gorge in the Zailiysky Alatau. The journey takes roughly 30 to 45 minutes and is genuinely scenic as the city gives way to forested slopes.

By bus

City bus #12 runs from the Dostyk–Kurmangazy area of central Almaty up to the Medeu terminal at the end of the line; on busy weekends extra services sometimes run. It is cheap and easy, and our getting around Almaty guide explains the Onay transport card you will need.

By taxi or car

A Yandex Go taxi from central Almaty costs roughly 1,000–1,500 KZT and drops you right at the complex — the simplest option, especially with skates or families in tow. You can drive and park too, though the car park fills on peak weekends. From here, the gondola continues up to the ski resort, so many people arrive at Medeu and carry straight on up the mountain.

Ice skating at Medeu

For all its record-breaking history, Medeu is first and foremost a place ordinary visitors come to skate, and gliding around that vast oval with snow-laden peaks rising on every side is a genuine thrill.

Season and sessions

The skating season runs roughly from November into March or April, with the ice cleared and resurfaced between public sessions through the day. The rink is huge, so even when it is busy there is room to move, and evening sessions under the lights are especially atmospheric.

Prices and skate rental

Entry to the complex itself is generally free; you pay for your skating session and, if you need them, skate rental. Reckon on something in the region of 1,500 KZT for an adult skating session and around 1,000 KZT to hire skates, usually with a deposit or an ID left as security. These figures move around and are worth confirming on the day, but the headline is that a skate at the world’s highest rink costs just a few dollars.

What to bring and tips

Dress warmly in layers, bring gloves (they are usually required on the ice and your hands will thank you if you fall), and wear thick socks for the rental boots. Weekday sessions are quieter than weekends. Remember you are at altitude, so you may tire faster than expected — take breaks and enjoy the mountain air. Non-skaters can happily watch from the stands or the surrounding terraces.

The Medeu Dam and the 842 steps

Rising just above the rink is one of the most important structures in Almaty’s history: the Medeu Dam, a huge earth barrier built in the late 1960s to protect the city from seli — the terrifying mudflows that surge down these gorges when glacial lakes burst or heavy rain hits. In 1973 the dam proved its worth spectacularly, stopping an enormous flow of water and debris that would otherwise have devastated Almaty below.

For visitors, the dam means one thing: the climb. A staircase of 842 steps — locals call it the “Health Ladder” — runs up the face of the dam to a viewpoint at the top, and puffing your way up it (all the more challenging at this altitude) is a rite of passage. From the top you get a superb view back down over the ice oval and out across the valley. Skyrunners race up it; the rest of us take it slowly and count.

Combining Medeu with Shymbulak

The single best thing about Medeu is that it is the gateway to the mountains above. From the complex, a modern gondola with eight-person cabins — launched for the 2011 Asian Winter Games — climbs about 4.5 kilometres up to the Shymbulak ski resort and on toward Talgar Pass at around 3,200 metres, taking roughly 15 to 20 minutes. That means you can skate at Medeu in the morning and be on the ski slopes, or simply admiring the high peaks, by lunchtime. Our full guide to Shymbulak ski resort covers the skiing, the gondola and the sightseeing up top. Together, the rink and the resort make what I think is the finest winter day out anywhere near Almaty.

Visiting Medeu in summer

Medeu is not just a winter destination. Since 2022 the complex has operated year-round, with a summer roller-skating season on the oval and, painted across the surface, a vast 4,000-square-metre artwork billed as the largest horizontal graffiti in Central Asia. The gondola runs in summer too, and the complex sits at the trailheads for some lovely hikes — up toward Kimassar, over to the Kok-Zhailyau plateau, and on into the high valleys. If you are here in the warmer months, our hiking in Kazakhstan guide points the way.

Practical information

Opening hours vary by season and day, but the rink typically runs sessions from around 10:00 on weekdays and earlier at weekends, into the evening, with breaks to resurface the ice. Entry to the grounds is free, so even if you do not skate you can wander, climb the dam and take in the views for nothing. There is parking, a few kiosks and cafes, and toilets on site. One thing to note: there have been reports of a planned reconstruction of the complex, which could affect hours, prices or access, so it is worth checking official channels close to your visit. For planning the season, our best time to visit Kazakhstan guide helps.

Tips for your visit

Go on a weekday if you can, both for quieter ice and an easier climb up the dam. Arrive in the morning to combine a skate with the gondola up to Shymbulak in one trip. Dress warmer than you would in the city — the gorge is higher and colder, and the wind can bite. Bring some cash for skate rental and the kiosks, wear proper footwear with grip for the icy steps, and take the altitude gently. And do climb those 842 steps at least once: the view from the top of the dam, back down over the great white oval, is the shot everyone remembers.

A venue with a legacy

Medeu’s record-breaking golden age was not a one-off. The rink hosted the European Speed Skating Championships in 1974 and remained a fixture on the international circuit for years, drawing the sport’s biggest names to test themselves against its famously fast ice. More recently it played a starring role at the 2011 Asian Winter Games and the 2017 Almaty Winter Universiade, and it has staged world bandy — the fast, football-on-ice sport beloved across the former Soviet world. Standing in the empty stands on a quiet morning, it is easy to feel the weight of all that history in a place that looks, at first glance, like a simply gorgeous municipal ice rink.

That blend of the everyday and the legendary is part of Medeu’s charm. On any given winter afternoon you will see wobbling beginners, kids chasing each other, and the occasional serious skater carving smooth, fast laps where world records once fell — all under the same ring of white peaks.

The setting: the Medeu gorge

Even without the skating and the history, the location would justify the trip. The complex fills the floor of a steep, forested gorge in the Zailiysky Alatau, with spruce-clad slopes rising on either side and snow-dusted ridgelines above. The air is clean and cold, a world away from the winter haze that can settle over the city below, and the light in the late afternoon turns the surrounding peaks gold. It is one of the quickest ways to swap a big Central Asian city for genuine high-mountain scenery — you can be among the pines within an hour of leaving your hotel.

That contrast, from city streets to alpine gorge in a single short bus ride, is exactly what makes the mountains above Almaty so special, and Medeu is the gateway to all of it.

Making a day of it: Medeu and central Almaty

Medeu works beautifully as half of a full Almaty day. Many people head up in the morning to skate and climb the dam, then come back down to explore the city in the afternoon — or do it the other way round. Pair it with the cable car up Kok-Tobe for another mountain-view perspective, a wander through the city’s parks and markets, or a warming meal of Kazakh classics. Our guide to things to do in Almaty is full of ideas for the rest of the day, and the Almaty itinerary ties it all together.

If you have a full day for the mountains, though, the classic move is to keep going up: skate at Medeu, then take the gondola to the ski slopes and the Talgar Pass viewpoint above. It is hard to beat as an introduction to what makes this corner of Kazakhstan so memorable in winter.

Is Medeu worth visiting?

Without hesitation, yes. Medeu delivers on three fronts at once: it is a genuine world-famous sporting landmark, a lovely place to skate or simply stroll, and the gateway to the ski slopes and hiking trails above. It is cheap — free to enter, a few dollars to skate — easy to reach, and spectacularly set. Whether you lace up a pair of skates, puff up the 842 steps, or just ride the gondola through for the views, it earns its place on any winter visit to Almaty, and it rewards a summer visit too. Of all the easy half-days out of the city, this is the one I recommend first.

What to wear and when to go

Medeu sits higher and colder than the city, so dress for real winter: warm layers, a windproof jacket, a hat, and gloves you can skate in. Wear boots with grip for the icy paths and the dam steps, and bring sunglasses for the bright glare off the snow. The quietest, most pleasant times are weekday mornings, when the ice is fresh and the dam climb is uncrowded; weekends and holidays bring big local crowds, which is fun in its own way but busier. Aim to be up early if you want to combine skating with the gondola ride to the slopes above before the afternoon queues build.

Frequently asked questions

Final thoughts

Medeu is one of those rare places that is both a genuine piece of world sporting history and a straightforward, joyful thing to do on a winter afternoon. Skate a few laps of the great oval, climb the 842 steps for the view, then ride the gondola up to the ski slopes above — all within an easy trip of central Almaty. Confirm the current hours and any reconstruction news before you go, wrap up warm, and enjoy the highest ice in the world. Plan the rest of your winter trip with our Kazakhstan in winter guide and pair it with a day at Shymbulak.

Photo credits

Images via the Kazakhstan Tourism Guide media library, sourced from Wikimedia Commons: Medeu rink aerial and skaters — Kefi, CC0; Almaty winter mountains — Nikolai Bulykin, CC BY-SA 4.0; Medeu–Shymbulak gondola — Matti Blume, CC BY-SA 4.0. All via Wikimedia Commons.