This year the skating rink at VDNKh was recognized by The World Record Academy as the largest skating rink with artificial ice cover in the world. Its area is 20,549 square meters, it can accommodate 4.5 thousand people. The Village learned how ice appears on the asphalt, what is done at the rink at night, how skates are sharpened and what complaints they make to the first-aid post.
What does a skating rink consist of and how much does it cost
The skating rink at VDNKh has been operating for the third year already. All this time, the installation and maintenance of the ice rink has been carried out by the Russian Ice company. “At first we made a skating rink in Gorky Park, and then we were invited here as well. We evaluated our strengths and decided that we would be able to work with two skating rinks at the same time, ”says the representative of the company Alexander Morozov. According to him, Russian Ice is the only company in Russia that can make ice rinks of this scale. In the first year of operation, the cost of the skating rink and all related structures was 762 million rubles. This year, according to The Village, its cost is close to 400 million rubles.
The skating rink at VDNKh occupies the entire Main Alley: it starts right behind Pavilion No. 1 and goes around the Stone Flower and Friendship of Peoples fountains. There is a children's skating rink and a hockey rink nearby, where amateur teams can come. You can walk around the ice area, or you can go over it along the "Northern Lights" pedestrian bridge.
The main skating rink has five pavilions with skate rental and changing rooms. You can have a bite to eat at mobile food outlets or in a restaurant, where people are allowed to skate and offer slippers. An adult ticket costs from 300 to 600 rubles, and skate rental will cost 150 rubles.
How the cooling system works
The skating rink's artificial turf consists of a cold-transferring surface designed to transport cold liquid (coolant), a refrigeration unit and a collector.
The entire ice rink is divided into seven sections that serve 11 refrigeration units. Their smooth operation and maintenance of the required temperature are monitored by foremen. In the operating mode of the skating rink, the installation cools the coating to minus 5 degrees, during the period of pouring the ice - to minus 8 degrees.
Ethylene glycol acts as a cold carrier - a colorless and odorless liquid. The refrigeration unit cools the coolant, which under pressure enters the collector (about 20 tons for each section), and from there to the surface of the roller. This is how the system is activated: ethylene glycol spreads through the tubes over the entire area of the coating and begins to freeze.
Half of the surface of the skating rink at VDNKh is covered with ice mats - a special canvas made of pipes through which the coolant spreads. These mats can be used anywhere: indoor and outdoor rinks, hockey rinks and ice arenas are made of them. The other half of the roller is based on a proprietary pipe system. The principle of operation is the same, but here each pipe is unwound and welded to the manifold separately. The work is laborious, but the quality of the ice is better, Morozov notes.
The liquid constantly circulates in the tubes under the ice, the pumps do not stop. “We are constantly monitoring ethylene glycol levels. If it falls, then there is a leak somewhere, and we need to look for it, ”the workers say. If the ice layer is too thin, skiers can pierce the tube with a skate, and then a small fountain will pour out onto the surface - a mini-accident must be quickly eliminated. This can also happen with sharp temperature changes from minus 5 to minus 15 degrees: cracks appear on the ice, into which a ridge can fall.
How is the ice rink serviced
The skating rink is closed on Mondays. All this day, as well as at night, work is underway to build up ice: during the day, workers water the coating with hoses, and at night they are replaced by five Olympia ice filling machines. The skating rink is serviced around the clock by three teams, each of which has 12-15 people, and a whole fleet of special equipment.
The same machines operate on the rink during the daily technical break from 15:00 to 17:00. After its start, water, preheated to 60-70 degrees, is poured into the Olympia's 800-liter bunker, and the car is sent to the ice. It cuts off a 1.5-millimeter layer of ice, removing cracks and cuts from the skates, and at the same time floods the surface with hot water - the new ice becomes much stronger and turns out to be perfectly even.
In snowfall, three tractors and four snow blowers, which workers call "snow splashes", are working on the rink. To drive special equipment, you need to have a category C car license. Alexey, who works on an ice-filling machine during our visit, says that he likes it.
How rental works
3,700 pairs of skates are used for hire. The smallest size is 25 and the largest is 48. The main batch of skates was purchased three years ago, since then, some of them have been periodically updated. Before this season, 15% of rental pairs were renewed, and after the end, every third pair of skates may be written off. To make skates last longer, they are periodically dried, treated with antiseptics, if necessary, insoles and laces are changed and, of course, sharpened.
Sharpening points are located in separate rooms of the rental pavilions. There are five automatic machines installed here. The sharpening is arranged as follows: the ridge is fixed on the movable part of the machine, which moves along the edge of a rapidly rotating sharpening stone. Several such passes are required to sharpen the blade, depending on the degree of wear.
How the instructors and the first-aid post work
At the rink you can see many people in red and gray uniforms - these are instructors. They monitor the order, speed of the riders and the safety of the movement. On this skating rink, as on most others, it is customary to skate counterclockwise. “Why exactly? Maybe the tradition of right-hand traffic played a role, or maybe the direction of traffic in the stadiums. When everyone is going in the same direction, it is much easier to avoid collisions, ”they say at the rink.
Among the instructors there are masters teaching visitors the basics of ice skating. One hour of one-to-one lesson costs a thousand rubles. If a visitor to the skating rink needs medical assistance, he can also contact the instructors. They will take him to the first-aid post, and in extreme cases they will take him on a special sleigh.
Recently, a new ice skating rink, the largest in St. Petersburg, was opened in the northern capital. We invite you to find out what other cities can boast of the largest ice rinks in the world:
10th place
Zillertal valley, Seefeld ski resort, Austria
ice rink area - 1.500 m2
The 1.500 m² ice rink in the Ziller Valley in the Austrian ski resort of Seefeld invites everyone to go ice skating from December to March.
9th place
Place Hotel de Ville, Paris City Hall, France
ice rink area - 1.635 m²
The most popular ice rink in Paris is installed every year at the walls of the city hall. The 1.635 m² ice arena has become a favorite destination for Parisians and tourists year after year.
8th place
skating rink Wollman Rink, New York, USA
ice rink area - 2.600 m²
The Wollman Rink in New York has an area of 2.600 m². This beautiful and spacious ice arena has repeatedly featured in various plots of numerous romantic films filmed in Hollywood. By the way, here you can easily meet Jim Carrey, Hugh Jackman and Kate Hudson, skating.
7th place
Red Square, Russia
ice rink area - 2.700 m²
The main skating rink in Russia is undoubtedly the ice rink, which has been installed on Red Square for the sixth year in a row. The skating rink covers an area of 2.700 m², which is 1/10 of the main square of Moscow.
6th place
Specific park, Saint Petersburg, Russia
ice rink area - 4.000 m2
Visitors to the Udelny Park in St. Petersburg can ride a brand new skating rink, which is currently in test mode. The area of the largest St. Petersburg ice rink is 4.000 m².
5th place
park them. Gorky, Moscow, Russia
ice rink area - 15.000 m²
Another popular skating rink in Moscow is the skating rink in the park. Gorky, covering an area of 15,000 m². Geographically, it is divided into four skating rinks: children's, hockey, dance and main.
4th place
Mexico City, Mexico
ice rink area - 32.000 m²
The largest ice rink in Mexico is the ice rink installed in the capital. The ice rink is the world's largest artificial ice rink and is listed in the Guinness Book of Records. Its coverage covers an area of 32,000 m².
3rd place
Rideau Canal, Ottawa, Canada
ice rink area - 1.620.000 m2
The largest ice rink in Canada is located in the capital of the country, Ottawa, and occupies the Rideau Canal. Its area is 1.620.000 m². It's funny, but many residents hardly take off their skates in winter, getting anywhere in the central part of the city, thanks to the most environmentally friendly type of "public transport".
2nd place
Lake Paterswoldsemer, near Groningen, Netherlands
ice rink area - 2.700.000 m2
The Netherlands is also one of the countries with one of the world's largest ice rinks. Every winter it becomes Lake Paterswoldsemer, located near the city of Groningen, in the north of the country. The area of the ice skating rink, stretching for 10 km in length, is 2.700.000 m². A strong crust of ice that covers the water surface in winter lasts until the beginning of spring.
1st place
mountain lake Zhu, Switzerland
ice rink area - 5.000.000 m2
But the world's largest ice rink, with an area of 5.000.000 m², is the Swiss mountain lake Zhu. True, this ice rink is a kind of "exclusive": a beautiful lake freezes only for 2 weeks a year, but during this time fans of this sport have time to visit the ice carnival evenings organized here, as well as figure skating competitions.
+ bonus
Eiffel Tower, Paris, France
area - 200 m2
It may not be the largest, but one of the most unusual and romantic skating rinks. Located on the Eiffel Tower, in the heart of the French capital, it is the most visited Christmas ice rink in the world. At a height of 57 meters, there is a 200 m² ice rink, where you can ski while admiring the stunning panorama of Paris. The pleasant, festive atmosphere is supported by original lighting effects and French music.
How do you like the idea of ice skating?
There are many skating rinks in Moscow, and the largest and highest quality, of course, in Sokolniki and Gorky Park.
The ranks of the largest ice rinks were replenished yesterday! On November 28, VDNKh opened another one - the largest in the world!
Its area is 20.5 thousand square meters. And this is only the area of the ice cover, the entire skating rink with its infrastructure occupies about 57 thousand square meters. Such achievements in the field of winter leisure became possible thanks to the Moscow mayor Sergei Sobyanin, who heads the headquarters for the revival of VDNKh.
We decided to gather our blogging party and go for a ride. In addition, on the evening of the opening day, they promised to show an incredible show.
In the middle of the skating rink, we noticed a huge crane, and immediately realized that there would be something grandiose. Indeed, at a height of 17 meters, a huge structure was hovering in the air, resembling a chandelier, on which drummers and acrobats of the French flying theater La Compagnie Transe Express were suspended.
"Heavenly Carillon" - that was the name of the show. Actually, this is the name of the flying construction in the shape of a lotus flower, which was spinning and changing its shape throughout the show.
Along the entire perimeter of the skating rink there are several entrances to the skating rink, there is a rental of skates, and all of them are brand new, and on some of them even the tag has not been removed yet. The skates are comfortable, very high quality.
The only thing that confused me a little was that either the skates were poorly sharpened or the ice was already a little battered by that time. Well, the truth is, yesterday there was just a full house, there were a lot of people who wanted to ride. Hopefully the cover will be cleaned and updated regularly.
The skating rink is divided into several parts: a lovers' alley, a children's area, an extreme zone, there is even a hockey rink for those who like to play, and a huge ice space for those who like to just ride in a circle.
The entire area of the ice rink is decorated with various light figures, as well as a bridge iridescent with all the colors of the rainbow. Projectors that change the light are installed along the entire route.
And, of course, there are many food outlets and toilets on the territory of the ice rink and next to it. It is very comfortable.
Happy bloggers))) 
The guys and I were very pleased. I am sure I will come here many more times this winter!
World of travel
1692
27.12.17 11:11
During these mysterious New Year's Eve, the squares of many cities (including Palace Square in St. Petersburg, Red Square in Moscow, or opposite the majestic Somerset House in London) turned into delightfully beautiful skating rinks, where young people, and children, and romantic-minded couples, and veterans are in a hurry. skates. Festive illumination, music and exquisite decoration make the ice rinks just fabulous! Today we will take a look at the most unusual ice rinks in the world.
Ice patterns: the most unusual ice rinks in the world
Vintage Depot in Minneapolis
One of America's oldest depots, a tall vaulted building in Minneapolis, Minnesota, was built in the late 19th century to “park” trains that passed the Milwaukee Road line. The last train left here in 1871. But the historic building was not abandoned - it turned into an atmospheric hotel "The Renaissance Minneapolis", which is equipped with one of the most unusual skating rinks in the United States.
The gem of Chicago park Maggie Daly
Chicago's stunning city ice rink is part of the expansive and beautiful Maggie Daley Park. Although the skating rink only opened in 2014, it has gained incredible popularity, and today a sea of townspeople eager for winter entertainment flocks here. The design of the ice rink was developed by the architect Michael van Valkenburg, and the most valuable thing about this ice strip is that it offers charming views of Chicago, especially mesmerizing at dusk - in the overflow of a necklace of lights.
Transforming pool at Nathan Phillips Square in Toronto
Nathan Phillips Square in the heart of Toronto is located directly opposite the city hall and was designed in 1965 by the same architect Vilho Revell in collaboration with landscape designer Richard Strong. The square is a treasure trove of landmarks, including Henry Moore's Archer, a statue of Winston Churchill and a stunning pool surrounded by the so-called Arches of Liberty (which includes part of a replica of the Berlin Wall). In winter, the pool turns into a luxurious ice skating rink, a center of attraction for both locals and tourists.
At the Brooklyn Samuel Gee and Ethel LeFrac Center: Silver Against Blue Sky
The most famous ice rink in New York is the Rockefeller Center ice rink. But, if you are ready to leave hospitable Manhattan and head to Brooklyn, then a pleasant surprise awaits you. No buildings were built in Lakeside Prospect Park from the 19th century until 2013, but the Samuel Gee and Ethel LeFrac Center recently grew here (designed by Tod Williams Billie Tsien Architects). The highlight of the Center has become a wonderful skating rink. The peculiarity of this ice rink is an unusual ceiling, deep blue, with carved silver lines running into each other like waves.
Ingalls Center: Yale University Legend
The ice rink, or rather, the Ingalls center, is the pride of Yale University (New Haven, Connecticut). The full name of the building is David S. Ingalls Skating Rink, by Eero Saarinen, Yale University, USA, it is named after the benefactors, father and son, both at one time were captains of the university's hockey team.
The building, which can seat 3,500 people, was built between 1953 and 1958. The locals nicknamed him "The Whale". Now it is estimated at $ 1.5 million (which is more than double the original cost). In 1970, a terrorist attack took place in the center - right during a protest concert, two bombs were thrown into the building, damaging the glass doors and the roof.
Liege Arena: in the womb of the "whale"
By the way about the whale! If you want to know how the prophet Jonah felt when he was swallowed by a giant whale, then you need to visit the building of the Liege Ice Rink in Belgium. The brainchild of architecture firms Bureau d'Etudes Weinand and L'Escaut grew up in Liege in 2012. It is a dramatic silvery structure covered in 200,000 shimmering aluminum plates, and a whale head dome at the back “hugs” the entrance to the parking lot. The playful appearance (either a marine mammal or an airship) hides a serious sports facility - an Olympic ice rink with an area of 1800 sq. meters with a capacity of 1200 people. When the arena is free of competition, the skating rink is open to skaters.
Near the Turkish city of Kayseri: surreal windows
Nine miles from the Turkish town of Kayseri is one of the quirkiest skating rinks on our list. It was built in 2009 by an Istanbul architecture firm. Both the sharp corners of the roof and the sloping columns that resemble parts of a dinosaur skeleton are unique.
The skating rink is open all year round. Its area is 2000 sq. meters and the snow-white interior are illuminated by fancy lamps, but the most memorable part of the ice rink is the windows of amorphous surreal forms with multi-colored glass.
Pyongyang Ice Rink: a futuristic hulk
The futuristic structure, which can seat 6,000 people, was opened in 1982 in Pyongyang and was the first indoor ice rink in the DPRK. Until now, this particular ice rink remains the largest in North Korea. The 60 m long and 30 m wide arena hosts ice hockey games, speed skating and figure skating competitions - under the gaze of “glorious leader” Kim Jong Un, watching the audience from large posters. According to the Lonely Planet website, the skating rink “can sometimes be visited” and just to skate.
At the Parisian Grand Palais: extravaganza in the palace
The grandiose Grand Palais in the style of Beaux-Arts (Beaux-Arts) opened its doors in the center of Paris, next to the Champs Elysees, in 1900. Since then, it has been "overgrown" with exquisite halls and premises with different functions.
It hosts art exhibitions, grand fashion shows, sports competitions, and every winter, starting in 2012, a stunning temporary skating rink is organized - the largest of all skating rinks in France. The combination of a tall domed ceiling, huge plasma screens and spectacular light shows makes the skating rink one of the most impressive ice arenas in the world.
At Jumeirah Vittaveli: under the tropical sun, with a backdrop of palm trees
The luxurious resort Jumeirah Vittaveli (Bolifushi, Maldives) has prepared an extensive entertainment program for its guests for New Year and Christmas. It includes not only fire shows, beach parties, congratulations from Santa Claus and Snegurochka, carnivals, but also the construction of the first ice skating rink in the region.
The peculiarity of the unusual eco-skating rink is that it will be open all year round. So guests of the hotel can enjoy skiing on ice melting in the tropical sun against the backdrop of turquoise waves and palm trees. Interestingly, this state-of-the-art skating rink does not need any additional filling (i.e. water) or electricity. The skating rink is a wonderful, truly magical gift for everyone who has decided to relax in Jumeirah Vittaveli!
Ice rink at Constitution Square in Mexico City
Since 2007, the largest ice rink in the world has been flooded before the New Year in one of the central squares of the Mexican capital. Its area exceeds 3,200 square meters, and can accommodate up to 14 thousand people a day. Having become a landmark in Mexico City, this skating rink, located on the Plaza Socalo, is listed as the largest water rink in the Guinness Book of Records.
A skating rink in a hot country
It is not an easy task to flood an outdoor ice rink in Mexico, a country with a very hot climate. To maintain the required temperature, special devices were created, which were connected to pipes (in total, they took 84 meters), passing under the ice.
Opening of an ice rink in Mexico City
The opening of the ice rink in Mexico City was celebrated with a grandiose colorful show, which was attended by thousands of city residents and tourists. Slides of artificial snow were built next to it, delighting the visitors of the holiday with sledding, and a New Year's fifty-meter tree with a diameter of 20 meters was also built. Famous stars of show business performed at the five-hour New Year's performance, professional skaters delighted with their New Year's program, and a choir of 300 children sang Christmas songs.
Memorable New Year project
According to the mayor of Mexico City, this New Year's project, which will be remembered for a long time by residents and guests of the city, cost $ 1.5 million, and the ice rink was built with funds donated by a group of Mexican businessmen. Admission to the skating rink is free for absolutely everyone. In addition, skates for hire are also given out free of charge, however, for this you need to stand in a long line from a huge number of people who want to visit the record-breaking ice rink.
