Moscow Sports & Outdoors

Moscow region has hundreds of accessible lakes, ponds, rivers and reservoirs, but local health officials have so far approved for swimming only a few within the city limits.

The city's sanitation and epidemiological service has found that only nine areas safe for swimming in the entire capital at the start of the 2005 summer season (17.06.05).

At Serebryany Bor in northwestern Moscow, which is arguably the most popular swimming location in Moscow, beaches No. 2 and No. 3 made the cut, as did the Khimki-2 beach, also in northwestern Moscow. In western Moscow, the Meshcherskoye Ozero and the Rublyovo beaches on the shores of the Rublyovsky reservoir were declared safe to swim at. Beloye Ozero, in the eastern part of the city, and Akademicheskiye Prudy, in the north, were both approved.
Inspectors found dangerously high quantities of harmful bacteria at Borisovskiye Prudy in southern Moscow they have labeled the zone unfit for swimming.

In the Moscow region, samples from the perennially polluted Moscow River in the Voskresensk district contained unsafe levels of bacterial content, and levels in samples from the Ozerskoi district and from the Oka River also failed to meet safety standards.

Health inspectors will continue to inspect swimming spots across Moscow daily. For more information, interested tourists should check their webpage at
www.mossanepid.ru.

There are three ski hills in Moscow.

I have only been to one, Vorobyovy Gory, which is located between Luiznikiy Park and Moscow State University. This is a very high elevation and commands excellent views over Moscow. It is worth a visit also in the Spring, Summer and Fall just for the views. There is also a bar and a restaurant there.

As far as skiing goes, it is good enough for beginners and novices that just want to start the sport or practice a little before taking a real ski vacation. At Vorobyovy Gory there is also a ski jump, but I did not see anyone using it. Therefore, I don't know if there are competitions or not?

Equipment: The three ski hillls are

Vorobyovy Gory with is within walking distance of the Vorobyovy Gory metro station.

Krylatskoye which is located near the Krylatskoye metro, but then you have to take the number 829 bus another four kilometers to 51 Krylatskya Ulitsa.

Kant ski hill which is located near the Nagornaya metro. From the metro station walk five minutes to 75 Elektrolitny Proyezd.

Like many Prairie cities in the Mid-West and in Canada that get real winter, there are small ski hills which allow novices the chance to hone their skills before heading to the mountains for real ski adventures. Moscow is no exception. When winter is long, dark and cold the best remedy is simply to get out and enjoy it. Moscow has many small ski hills outside the city within an hour or an hour and half drive. However, due to the difficulty of getting there, traffic and finding them, it is not practical for everyone.

Equipment: However, within the city limits are also some smaller ski hills with a verticle drop of 250-300 meters, which is just long enough to get the hang of skiing or snowboarding and learn the basics. The nice part is that these hills within the city limits are accessible with the Moscow metro.

Rental of snowboard gear costs RUB 350 per hour or RUB 1.400 per day. There is a refundable deposit of RUB 10.000 for the equipment. Lift tickets cost RUB 150 per day. With artificial snow and lights, they have skiing afterwork up until midnight. Near the ski hills you will find cafés and restaurants. Some like Vorobyovy Gory near Moscow State University enjoy a panoramic view over Moscow at night, which is worth the visit regardless.

$1 = 28 rubles

Home of Moscow Dynamo Ice Hockey Team, and sight of the Canada-USSR ice hockey championships in 1972 & 1974.

Equipment: Last winter I played on two teams that played at Mala Sportivna Arena in Luihzniky Park which is the home of Moscow Dynamo. It was like playing in a shrine for me, as some of the games in the 1972 Canada-USSR series were also played in this arena.

Sometimes before we played, Dynamo were also playing, so we used to slip-in through the players entrance to watch the games. The only arena I ever played in where they have metal detectors at the doors, including the players' entrance.

I wore a jersey that I bought on Stariy Arbat of Alexander Ovechkin (#32), who was considered one of the best young players, who was meant to play this season in the NHL. Instead the NHL came to him. He has lot's of NHL players on his team now to act as mentors, and of course, I would assume with all the pros now playing in the Russian league, that the level of play has improved, too. Therefore, it will help a lot of these young players make the jump from their national leagues to the NHL.

I really miss playing hockey. For me it was one really great thing about living in Moscow last winter.

Russians love figure skating.

As a Canadian, I cannot really understand it. I am plain old-fashioned. Girls figure skate, boys play hockey, and if you're a boy and figure skate, then you better hope you're an Olympian because otherwise you won't get much sympathy or respect in Canada. Perhaps times change.

However, in Russia, everyone is proud of their world-class figure skaters, men & women.

Equipment: Of course, it was not with a little schadenfreude that the French & Russian judges got caught cheating at the 2002 Winter Games in Salt Lake City and, without stripping the Russian couple of their gold medal, awarded a second to the patently better Canadian pair.

The 2002 Olympics were a disgrace for the Russians. Not only did they not do near as well as they used to under the old Soviet system, but many of their athletes, especially in cross-country skiing, were disqualified for blood-doping offences.

However, this appears to have had an effect on Russian sports, and since then Russian athletes have been working extra hard to earn the respect of other athletes & fans, and to once again prove they are some of the best winter athletes in the world.

Without a doubt, one of the funnest things I did last winter was skating outdoors on the flooded skating rinks, but not just rinks, also footpaths, parking lots, ponds, almost in everypark around the city. The most famous is of course Gorsky Park, not only this one. I also played hockey, but indoors. However, the ice is sometimes not very good. You have to be careful, especially when skating backwards, not to fall into a deep crack or hole in the ice. Could crack your head, or break your leg. Also, people throw gum wrappers and other articles on the ice, which get covered over in the snow, and then you can easily step on them, causing you to fall. So be careful, but enjoy.

Equipment: I know you can rent, but I do not have the prices. However, I know it was not too expensive. Mind you the skates were old, and the quality poor, so better to have your own.

If you're from Canada or N. United States, maybe Skandinavia or the then named Czechoslovakia, perhaps you spent many early mornings getting up to go to hockey practice or figure skating lessons. Cold arenas, moms & dads freezing their butts off up in the stands, hot coffee keeping their hands warms. Chatting to friends and neighbors. It is part of our national psyche.

I had almost put all those memories out of my mind until I moved to Moscow and started playing hockey again. I had a great time. For one thing, the arenas are quite run down, so you get the feeling just from the building that it is 20-years ago.

Also, when you visit one of the many outdoor skating arenas around the city, the changing facilities are just like I remember as a kid. Lacing them up, heading out into the cold night, gulping down lung fulls of fresh air. Rosey cheeks and frozen toes. Heading in to warm-up, and then going back out again until they closed the outdoor rink for the evening.

Good clean fun.

Look at the photo - small dot upon the clouds is me.

To repeat this you just need to go about 100 km from Moscow to the small town Volokolamsk and visit avia-club.

4 hours of express training, 1000 rubles (~$30) and you will jump from 800 m from the plane with the automatic (w/o ring) parachute.

Equipment: Parachute D-2U was invented in late 30-s for army and considered to be the most reliable till now (99%). You shoud do nothing after jump - after 3...4 sec of fall rope will pull it out of the bag and you will see outscurts like from the giant big weel. ;-)))

(for this 1% left you will have an other parachute - smaller one on your paunch ;-)))

Directions:
Thanks to Anna (pinik) for correct directions in VT forum:

Hello,

I found the followind web-page: www.dropzone.ru/alferievo.shtml but its in Russian only.
It's written there that in case you are going by suburbian train (elektrichka) you should take the one that is going from Tushino station to Volokolamsk (it takes about 2 hours). Then on arriving to Volokolamsk take a bus (or even better marshrutka - a kind of mini-bus) going to Lotoshino - about 40 minutes. The stop is called Suvorovo. Then, turn back (to the direction from where the bus arrived) and look for the red-brick church - accross to the church there is a road that is going to the aerodrome (about 3km). It's also possible to take a taxi from the railway station to the place (Alferyevo).
Another variant is to take a bus from Tushino station that is going to Lotoshino, Mikoulino or Osheykino. But it's necessary to take a ticket at least 1 hour before the bus departure. Also go to the Suvorovo stop.

You may try to contact web-site authors by the e-mails from the first page (www.dropzone.ru/).

Hope it will help,
Anna