Article Index :
#1. What Is Medeo Ice Rink?
#2. What Is the History of Medeo?
#3. Why Is Medeo Called the Factory of Records?
#4. What Can You Do at Medeo?
#5. What Is the Medeu Dam and the 842 Steps?
#6. When Is the Best Time to Visit Medeo?
#7. How Do You Get to Medeo and What Does It Cost?
#8. What Should You Know Before You Go?


Medeo , also spelled Medeu , is a high-altitude sports complex in a mountain valley 15 km south-east of Almaty, Kazakhstan. At 1,691 metres above sea level, it holds a genuine world title: the highest outdoor skating rink on the planet, and the largest high-mountain rink ever built.

It is not simply a curiosity. Thin mountain air and ice frozen from pure glacial river water produced conditions so fast that Medeo became known to Soviet athletes as "the factory of records." More than 120 world records in speed skating and related sports have been set on this ice.

For visitors today, Medeo is one of the easiest and most rewarding half-days in Kazakhstan: skate the historic oval, climb the famous staircase, and ride the gondola on toward Shymbulak.

#1. What Is Medeo Ice Rink?

Medeo sits in the Malaya Almatinka river gorge, inside the Ile-Alatau (Zailiysky Alatau) range of the Tian Shan mountains.

1.1 What are the key facts?

Altitude: 1,691 metres above sea level.

Ice surface: around 10,500 m² — one of the largest artificially frozen outdoor rinks anywhere.

Capacity: roughly 8,500 spectators, with up to 3,000 skaters on the ice at once.

Water source: the Malaya Almatinka, giving unusually pure, hard, fast ice.

Distance from Almaty: about 15 km, or 30–40 minutes by road.

1.1.1 Where does the name come from?

The valley is named after Medeu Pusurmanov, a local figure who built winter huts here and helped develop the tract in the 19th century.

You will see both Medeo (the Russianised form) and Medeu (the Kazakh form) used interchangeably on signs, tickets and maps.

#2. What Is the History of Medeo?

2.1 How did the rink begin?

A sanatorium and holiday area operated in the valley from 1930.

Construction of the skating rink began in autumn 1949.

The first competition was held on 4 February 1951 on natural ice frozen by the mountain climate alone.

2.2 What changed in 1972?

The rink was completely rebuilt with an artificial freezing system, ending its dependence on the weather.

Architects Vladimir Katsev and Arystan Kaynarbaev led the project, with over 1,300 workers drafted from across the Soviet Union.

The result was a prestige facility designed to be world-class, and it delivered immediately.

2.2.1 What role has Medeo played beyond sport?

From 1990 to 2005 the arena hosted the Asia Dauysy international pop festival, revived in 2023.

It has long functioned as a social hub for Almaty residents, who come at weekends to skate rather than to compete.

The complex remains a symbol of Kazakh sporting identity and appears on tourism material nationwide.

#3. Why Is Medeo Called the Factory of Records?

3.1 What makes the ice so fast?

Thin air at 1,691 m reduces aerodynamic drag on skaters.

Glacial river water produces exceptionally pure, hard ice with low friction.

Cold, dry mountain conditions keep the surface consistent through the season.

3.2 What has been achieved here?

Over 120 world records have been documented at Medeo, principally in speed skating.

Soviet and later Kazakh national teams used the rink as a primary training base.

The nickname "factory of records" dates from its Soviet-era dominance and is still used locally.

#4. What Can You Do at Medeo?

4.1 What are the winter activities?

Public ice skating on the main outdoor oval, with skate hire and protective gear on site.

Evening sessions under floodlights, with the surrounding peaks lit up — the most atmospheric time to skate.

Watching training and competition, when national squads are on the ice.

4.1.1 What if you have never skated before?

The oval is enormous, so beginners have far more space than at a typical urban rink.

Rental skates, helmets and knee protection are available at the complex.

Sessions run in fixed slots with technical breaks for ice resurfacing between them.

4.2 What can you do in summer?

Indoor ice rink — A 450 m² covered rink has allowed year-round skating since 2022.

Roller rink and skate park — Including one of Central Asia's largest painted skate surfaces.

Cycling, skateboarding, streetball and volleyball on the complex grounds.

Hiking into the surrounding Ile-Alatau gorges, with trails starting nearby.

#5. What Is the Medeu Dam and the 842 Steps?

5.1 Why was the dam built?

Constructed in 1966 to protect Almaty from catastrophic mudflows and rockslides coming down the valley.

It blocks the Malaya Almatinka from surging into the city and holds a reservoir of roughly 6 million cubic metres.

It also contributes to Almaty's water supply and agricultural irrigation.

5.2 What is the Health Ladder?

A staircase of 842 steps climbs from the rink to the top of the dam at 1,733 m.

Locals treat it as a fitness ritual, and it is used in skyrunning competitions.

The reward at the top is a panorama across the valley, the rink and the mountains behind Almaty.

5.2.1 How hard is the climb?

Most reasonably fit visitors manage it in 20–35 minutes with breaks.

The altitude makes it noticeably harder than the step count suggests.

There is a road alternative if you would rather not walk it.

6. What Else Is Nearby?

Shymbulak Mountain Resort — Central Asia's leading ski resort, reached by gondola directly from Medeu. Skiing runs roughly mid-November to April; alpine hiking in summer.

Butakovsky Gorge — A short drive away, with an accessible waterfall hike.

Ile-Alatau National Park — Extensive trail network through spruce forest and high meadow.

Big Almaty Lake — A separate excursion, but often paired with Medeu on a mountain day.

Kok Tobe — Back toward the city, ideal for sunset after a morning at Medeu.

#7. When Is the Best Time to Visit Medeo?

7.1 What is the verdict?

December to February is the best time for the classic Medeo experience — outdoor skating on snow-framed ice.

November and March still offer skating with noticeably thinner crowds.

September and October are superb for the dam climb and photography, with golden foliage in the gorge.

Summer is worth visiting for the views, gondola and indoor rink, but the outdoor oval is not the same spectacle.

7.1.1 What time of day is best?

Morning — Quietest ice and the clearest mountain light.

Late afternoon — Best for combining skating with the dam climb at golden hour.

Evening — Floodlit sessions are the most memorable, but also the busiest.

#8. How Do You Get to Medeo and What Does It Cost?

8.1 How do you reach Medeo from Almaty?

Bus #12 runs from Dostyk Avenue in central Almaty, roughly every 30 minutes — cheap and scenic.

Taxi or ride-hailing app takes about 30 minutes and is inexpensive by international standards.

Organised tours typically bundle Medeu, Shymbulak and Kok Tobe into one day.

8.2 What are the prices and hours?

Entry to the complex is generally free; you pay for skating, rentals and the gondola.

Skating tickets run roughly 1,500 KZT for adults and 1,000 KZT for children per session, with under-6s often free.

Sessions typically run from around 10:00 to 22:00, with technical breaks for ice resurfacing (commonly early afternoon and mid-evening).

Skate rental is charged separately and usually requires a deposit or ID.

8.2.1 Should you book ahead?

Weekday sessions rarely require booking.

Weekends, school holidays and New Year get very busy — arrive early or buy tickets in advance.

Prices and schedules change seasonally, so confirm on the day before travelling up.

#9. What Should You Know Before You Go?

9.1 What should you wear and bring?

Warm layers, gloves and a hat — the valley is consistently colder than the city.

Thick socks for rental skates, which are firm and rarely a perfect fit.

Sunglasses and high-SPF sunscreen — mountain UV reflecting off ice is intense even in winter.

Cash in tenge — useful for rentals, deposits and small cafés.

9.2 What practical points catch people out?

Altitude — At 1,691 m most people feel fine, but the 842 steps will feel harder than expected.

Technical breaks — Turning up mid-break means waiting; check session times first.

Weather closures — Heavy snow can occasionally affect the mountain road.

Seasonality — The outdoor rink is a winter attraction; in summer the indoor rink substitutes.

9.2.1 How long should you spend there?

Two to three hours — Skating session plus a café stop.

Half a day — Adds the dam climb and time for photographs.

Full day — Continue by gondola to Shymbulak for skiing or alpine hiking.

9.2.1.1 A suggested Medeo half-day plan

09:30 — Bus #12 or taxi up from central Almaty.

10:00 — First skating session on the outdoor oval.

11:30 — Climb the 842 steps to the dam viewpoint.

12:30 — Café stop, then gondola to Shymbulak or return to the city.

Ready to skate the world's highest rink, then climb 842 steps for a view across the Tian Shan?