Where to ski in Minsk: best places in and out of the city

If you like mountain skiing we have good news for you. Despite being far away from real montains Minsk can offer some interesting places to keep you in form

Tweet

Winter, like the hero of the cartoon “Nehochuha”, resisted for long but finally came. Even stroke with a heavy frost and covered towns with snow making Belarusian skiers and snowboarders especially delighted. The country’s ski centers finally got down to work. AFISHA.TUT.BY checked the current pricing of winter entertainments and concrete types of the services offered.

 

“Silichy”: extreme trails for snowboarding

“Silichy”  which is in 30-minute drive from Minsk upnorth to Vitebsk direction offers skiers four tracks with 100-meter height differentials. Snowboarders are invited to enjoy the extreme-park with springboards that has no analogues in the country. However, helmets are obligatory at the admission to the park. The main slopes are serviced by two chairlifts (for 4 and 2 persons).

 

 

There are two rental posts in “Silichy”; the second one is located close to the training track. The trail for beginners is equipped with a ski lift. An individual instructor will help you to learn skiing or snowboarding much faster. You can train on the track as well as with the help of an apparatus which simulates sliding down a slope. Those who aren’t ready to shackle themselves in plastic ski boots can either go tubing or spend an hour on the indoor ice rink. “Silichy” also offers a track for cross-country skiing and a health path for trekking.

Where: Minsk region, Logoysk area, hamlet Silichy, 32 km from Minsk.
How much:
Ski-pass for 2 hours: on a weekday – Br 150000, on the weekend – Br 250000.
A ticket for the whole day – Br 350000/550000.
Rental of equipment for skiing for 2 hours – Br 90000/130000,
for snowboarding – Br 90000/130000,
for cross-country skiing – Br 100000.
Services of an instructor – Br 250000.
One session on a simulator (60 min) – Br 200000.
Skate rental (1 hour) – Br 25000, entrance ticket – Br 40000/50000.
1 ride on a tube – Br 15000.

 

“Logoysk”: the romantic of night skiing

 

 

Not far from “Silichy” one can find a ski complex “Logoysk”. Three out of four tracks are gently sloping which makes beginners feel safe and comfortable on them. Speed and slalom lovers will be pleased with the fourth steep trail. Two ski lifts help people to ascend the slopes: a chair and a surface lift. On Fridays, Saturdays and betweentimes Sundays the complex is opened for night skiing (usually till 2 A.M.).

“Logoysk” has got a track for beginners with a ski lift and individual instructors. There is also a slope for tubing “Veselaya vatrushka” nearby. One can go cross-country skiing at a special skiing and biathlon base “Zayachya Polyana” instead of downhill skiing or snowboarding.

Where: Minsk region, Logoysk area, 37 km from Minsk.
How much:
Ski-pass for 2 hours: on a weekday – Br 130000, on the weekend – Br 230000.
A ticket with access from 10.00 to 22.00 – Br 320000/450000.
Night skiing from 22.00 to 02.00 – Br 200000.
An hour at the track for beginners – Br 80000/120000.
Rental of equipment for skiing for 2 hours – Br 90000/120000,
for snowboarding – Br 90000/120000,
for cross-country skiing – Br 100000.
An hour with an instructor – Br 250000.
1 ride on a tube – Br 20000.

 

 

“Solnechnaya dolina”: training facilities within Minsk

 

 

You might not need to leave the city in order to do skiing or snowboarding. The complex “Solnechnaya dolina” in Kurasoushchyna district will help you. Snowboarders appreciate the place for a snow park and democratic prices. Those who experience skiing for the first time will notice that nobody flies down the training track while the length of the slope is sufficient for beginners. By the way, it is “Solnechnaya dolina” that holds the training of young skiers of the Belarusian Federation of Skiing and Snowboarding. And in mid-January “Dolina” celebrates a snow holiday.

This season new equipment for snowboarding was brought to the rental posts: boards, helmets and bright colored boots. Among other services the complex offers rent of tubes, cross-country skis, services of instructors and an opportunity to practice at a professional training apparatus for mountain skiers.

Where: Minsk, Korzhenevskogo street, 45.
How much:
Ski-pass for 2 hours: on a weekday – Br 65000, on the weekend – Br 80000.
A ticket for the whole day – Br 100000/120000.
Rental of equipment for skiing for 2 hours – Br 75000/115000,
for snowboarding – Br 80000/120000,
for cross-country skiing – Br 70000 (3 hours).
An hour with an instructor – Br 250000.

 

 

Park of active holiday “Yakutskiye gory”: trails for tubing and snowmobiles

 

 

About 37 km far from Minsk in the direction of Dzerzhinsk there operates one of the first skiing complexes in the country – “Yakutskiye gory”. Experienced skiers will get bored here. But beginners are certain to love the place. The ski track started working on January 8. Its length is 480 meters with height differentials of 60 meters. There are only two of these differentials, hence, you won’t manage to gather uncontrollable speed. A surface lift runs along the single trail.

So far, there are a few slopes for tubing as well as tracks for snowmobiles and quad bikes in “Yakuty”. Getting here without your own car is going to be problematic since there is no direct public transport.

Where: Dzerzhinsk region, hamlet Yakuty (35 km from the Minsk Ring Road).
How much:
1 hour of tube rental – Br 100000.
Quad biking (0.9 km) – Br 50000.
Ski-pass for 10 climbs on a weekday – Br 80000, on weekends – Br 110000.
Rental of equipment for skiing for an hour – Br 50000/70000,
for snowboarding – Br 60000/90000,
for cross-country skiing – Br 30000.
Training with an instructor – Br 250000.

 

 

 

“Vesta”: skis as a bonus to rest in the sanatorium

 

 

In January 2014 a mountain was constructed near the sports and recreational complex “Vesta”. The height of the only ski trail is 37.5 meters which is the best bet for beginners and families with children. There also is a training track and slope for tubing. The place hasn’t been advertised heavily yet, therefore, no queues in sight.

The ice rink in “Vesta” started operating this year. Beyond skates it offers hockey sticks for rent. The prices are moderate, but experienced skiers will quickly get bored here. The rink, “vatrushky”, skis are rather a bonus to recreational activities in sanatorium “Vesta” whose quests can enjoy discounts on winter entertainments.

Where: 37 km from Minsk in Dzerzhinsk region.
How much:
Ski-pass for 2 hours: on a weekday – Br 55000, on weekends – Br 70000.
Rental of equipment for skiing for 2 hours – Br 80000/105000,
for snowboarding – Br 80000/105000,
for cross-country skiing – Br 50000.
Skate rental for an hour – Br 30000, entrance to the ice rink – Br 35000.
Rental of tubes for an hour – Br 60000/70000.

 

 
***
So, for two hours of fun you should be ready to pay in total from Br 200000 to Br 250000 on a weekday and from Br 300000 to Br 380000 on the weekend per person (for ski-pass and equipment). A family of two adults and a child will pay up to Br 950000 for the same service package for two hours. And that doesn’t include transportation, food and other entertainments.

In “Silichy” and “Logoysk” you will find the highest prices but at the same time the most advanced infrastructure. The most budget option for a skier is “Yakutskiye gory”, but it’s only possible to get there by your own vehicle. The closest complex to Minsk is “Solnechnaya dolyna”, a place suitable for beginners and snowboarders.

It’s worth noting that the prices increased by Br 10000/30000 for a service over the summer. Thus, a two-hour ski-pass on the weekend in “Silichy” costed Br 220000 last year compared to Br 250000 this year. The price rise in “Logoysk” was more significant: two hours on a ski lift costed Br 160000 in the 2014/2015 season while this season it is already Br 230000 (on weekends).