Chelyabinsk's Largest Ice Rink Draws Winter Crowds

Chelyabinsk residents are increasingly choosing to spend their free time not in shopping malls or on the couch at home, but outdoors. In winter, one of the main attractions for city residents becomes the Ski Base sports and recreation center in the Kurchatov District. People come here with families, groups of friends, and for romantic dates — to ski and skate, take a walk in the forest, or simply change their surroundings without leaving the city.

Since December, the ski base has been flooding one of the largest rinks in the region, with illumination, music, and skate rentals. You can also have fun and useful time by renting skis or Finnish sleds. There are only four weekends left until the end of winter. It is worth planning active snowy weekends in advance, as the residents of the North-West know how to do.

Sport, nature and family recreation

On weekends, the ski base area noticeably comes alive: on the ski track both amateurs and experienced athletes train, on the rink — children and adults, and along the paths you can meet fans of Nordic walking.

— «Great place to relax. The forest is beautiful, especially in winter: pines, birches, squirrels running around. People are active: skiing and skating, and many do Nordic walking to stay in shape. The weather is wonderful. On weekends it»s lively here, everyone is busy with their own thing. A real place of attraction,« shared Valentina, a ski base employee.

— «We are an active family, we love sports. In winter we regularly visit this place: we skate and ski, enjoy the fresh air almost every weekend. In summer we prefer to spend time in the ecopark,» said local resident Olga.

Beloved. Accessible. Safe.

During the mass skating season, the ski base becomes one of the most popular places for Chelyabinsk residents and visitors, especially during the New Year holidays and warm winter weekends. The rink attracts visitors of all ages — both toddlers and adults can be seen on the ice at the same time. This is largely due to the accessibility of the format: prices for skating and rentals remain affordable: 400 rubles ($4 at current rates) for unlimited adult access, 300 rubles ($3) for children, and with your own skates even cheaper — 200 rubles ($2) and 150 rubles ($2), making skating on the rink budget-friendly and the skating time unlimited.

The ice field covering 7,000 square meters is truly impressive in size — the space allows comfortable skating even when the number of visitors increases significantly and can reach almost 1,000 people. For those taking their first steps on the ice, special supports are provided, which are actively used by children and adult beginners.

The base has a large rental fleet. Here you can choose skates and skis in various sizes.

— «We lead an active lifestyle ourselves and love skating. Our children also eagerly take to the ice. This year we regularly visit only this rink — it»s great here: fresh air, everyone walks with their families,« says a resident of the Parkovy microdistrict.

— «I am already 78 years old, but I come here every year to skate. The rink is really good. I usually prefer to come on weekdays when there are fewer people, so I can calmly practice elements and not collide with anyone. Today I took a walk in the forest, I wanted to relax and support those who love skating,» said Vladimir, a visitor to the ski base.

— «For the second weekend in a row we are spending time here. The child is delighted with skating, fresh air and great weather. And it»s convenient — we live nearby,« noted Lyubov, a Chelyabinsk resident.

— «It»s great that there are no timed skating sessions here — you come, put on your skates, and skate as much as you want. You don«t rush, you»re not tied down, you don«t adjust, you don»t wait. It«s like in the forest: you come — walk, you get tired — leave,» shares amateur athlete Yevgeny.

This winter the base is operating as usual, the rink is maintained daily: every night for several hours four people renew the ice and prepare the facility for the morning opening, and they plan to work like this until mid-March. Experienced figure skaters note that gliding is a pleasure, there are no ruts or chips on the surface as before, which is especially important for safety given the large number of children and beginners.

Residents say that there used to be difficulties with rental sizes and availability of skates. But this season the sports equipment was updated — now there is more new equipment, and even during peak hours everyone has enough. Adding 180 pairs of skates to the arsenal was an initiative of the developer Brusnika.

In December last year, it became known that the ski base was included in a comprehensive territory development project. The Chelyabinsk administration concluded a comprehensive development (KRT) agreement with Brusnika. The public is actively discussing the upcoming modernization of the beloved recreation spot. Local residents and athletes are concerned about possible demolition or change of purpose of the all-season facility.

Has the ice broken?

According to Brusnika, the rink will remain, will not stop operating for a single season, and will not decrease in area.

— «According to the KRT agreement, the investor is obliged to build a sports and fitness complex with an area of more than 3,000 square meters on the territory,» commented Dmitry Stupin, director of Brusnika«s branch in Chelyabinsk and Perm. »We have already begun developing a project that will include modern comfortable changing rooms, serving outdoor football fields in summer and the rink in winter, bicycle and ski rentals, table tennis, a cafe, and much more.«

As the developer«s representatives assured, all key elements — the rink, the ski base, and the opportunity to play outdoor sports — will be preserved. And already this year, by the start of the summer season, the football field should be renovated. Next to it, the construction of another stadium — an indoor one — is planned so that athletes can train year-round. In the future, the functionality of the space is planned to be expanded only.

According to the investor company, the ski base along with the sports equipment rental rooms will move from the old building to the new FOC (sports and fitness complex) building, with large-scale transformations planned for 2027.