Medeu Ice Rink

Medeu is a high-altitude outdoor skating rink in a valley of the Trans-Ili Alatau, about half an hour’s drive from the centre of Almaty. Built in the Soviet era for speed skating, its vast ice surface is now open to everyone in season, with skate hire on site and music playing across the ice.

Skating under a clear sky with snowy peaks above is an experience most visitors remember, and beginners can keep to the barriers at the edge. When the ice is gone in summer, the stadium is the starting point for the gondola to Shymbulak and for walks up the long staircase of the dam built to protect the city from mudflows.

The rink usually opens from late autumn to early spring, with evening sessions under floodlights. Combine it with Shymbulak for an easy day in the mountains.