Medeu: the high-altitude rink, the mudflow dam and the gorge

Medeu is a mountain valley on the Malaya Almatinka river, right on the south-eastern edge of Almaty. It is famous for two things: an open-air speed-skating rink at 1,691 m and a huge mudflow dam just behind it. City bus No. 12 gets you there. The key thing to know for 2026: the rink is closed for reconstruction, with reopening planned for the fourth quarter of 2027. The dam, its long stairway, the hiking trails and the gondola up to Shymbulak are still very much worth the ride up.

What Medeu is

The valley takes its name from Medeu Pusurmanov, who, according to English Wikipedia, built three wooden houses here for his family to winter in. Skating on natural ice began in 1951 — Wikipedia gives 5 February 1951 as opening day. The current artificial-ice rink opened on 28 December 1972.

The record count varies: Russian Wikipedia says about 320, while the English article gives both “over 120” and “over 200” in different paragraphs. Either way, those records earned Medeu the nickname “record factory”.

The Medeu mudflow dam

The dam sits on the eastern slope of Mokhnataya Sopka at around 1,750 m, directly behind the sports complex. It was not built in the usual way but created by directed explosions: the first on 21 October 1966, the second on 14 April 1967. Some 8.5 million m³ of rock went into it.

It was tested within a year. On 15 July 1973 a mudflow of up to 5.3 million m³ (Russian Wikipedia; the English article says about 4.5 million m³) came down the valley and the dam stopped it. The basin filled up, so the crest was raised; the structure was finished in 1980. Locals call the granite stairway the “stairs of health” — at the top you look down on the rink and out over the city.

Getting to Medeu

By bus. Bus No. 12 runs from Almaty-2 railway station to the Medeu sports complex. Since 6 March 2024 the route has used new gas-powered Yutong buses, 16 on weekdays and 20 at weekends (NUR.KZ). Check times on the day in a transit app.

By car. The road climbs Dostyk Avenue up the valley, but driving is changing. On 12 June 2026 the Constitutional Court struck down the city’s 2016 restrictions, and on 18 September 2026 the city council approved a new entry procedure for the Medeu park and Shymbulak (Bes.media). Petrol and diesel cars will be restricted; electric cars may enter on weekdays but not at weekends or on holidays. About 700 vehicles pass the checkpoint every day.

The rink reconstruction

Bes.media reported in January 2025 that the works would run until 2027, paid for by the city, to bring the arena up to International Skating Union standards. When Tengrinews visited in December 2025, the cooling system and stand seats had been removed and guards kept people out. Plans include new refrigeration, gas supply, AI ice monitoring, a four-star hotel, a rehab centre, an eco-park and two footbridges. For winter 2025/2026 the city promised 11 free seasonal rinks elsewhere in Almaty.

When to go

With the rink shut, come for the dam and the trails. June to October is the easy window for the hikes that start here, according to Tengrinews. The stairway is climbed in winter too — the Tengrinews reporter went up on 11 December 2025.

Hikes and sights from Medeu

• Butakovka waterfall — about 15 m high, 2.5–3 hours one way via the Maly Komissarovsky pass (Tengrinews).
• Gorelnik — reachable by eco-bus if you ask the driver to stop at the forester’s house.
• Kok-Zhailau — a plateau between the Small and Big Almaty gorges; one trail starts at the Ak-Bulak stop below Medeu.
• Shymbulak — the ski resort up the valley; the 4.5 km gondola takes up to 15 minutes.

What it costs

Medeu is a regional park, not a national park, so the MRP-based national park fees do not apply. Old rink prices are no longer relevant and new ones have not been announced. The gondola to Shymbulak is paid; the resort publishes current fares.

More near Almaty

• Ile-Alatau National Park — and why Medeu is not part of it.
• Nature near Almaty: 15 day trips
• Big Almaty Lake — the next gorge west, now walk-in only.
• Turgen waterfalls