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Alexey Smirnof
Threads of twinkling lights have been hung over the rink in a vine-like structure, and the surrounding snow-covered lawns are scattered with sparkling Christmas trees.
Alexey Smirnof
The ice rink is open daily from 10 a.m. to 11 p.m., with a break from 3 p.m.-5 p.m. for the ice to be cleaned and resurfaced.
Alexey Smirnof
Perhaps naturally for a wintry place like Moscow, the most popular sport is ice-skating.
Alexey Smirnof
It seems that almost everything becomes a skating rink in winter. These start appearing in December and stay open through the coldest months of the year.
Alexey Smirnof
While the big freeze is on, iced-over ponds in city parks, outdoor stadiums, and playgrounds, and brand-new ice palaces all welcome inexhaustible flocks of skaters.
Alexey Smirnof
If you go ice-skating here, be prepared for some cultural differences.
Alexey Smirnof
This fashionable pastime unites people from all walks of life: students, trendsetters, successful businessmen, expats and immigrants from Central Asia can all be found twirling around the rink.
Alexey Smirnof
Russians do not skate in orderly circles or clean snow off the ice regularly, and rental skates can be rather shabby.
Alexey Smirnof
These start appearing in December and stay open through the coldest months of the year.
Alexey Smirnof
Unlike the shoebox-sized rinks that tend to appear in European cities around the holidays, the ice rink in Gorky Park is more like Disney’s Adventureland.
Alexey Smirnof
Ice rink in Gorky Park is the biggest open-air ice rink in Europe. This rink, the most modern structure of its kind in Russia, is covered in artificial ice and has an area of 15,000 m2. Its operators hope the ice-rink will be in use right up until spring.
Alexey Smirnof
Despite its impressive size, the ice rink occupies a fairly small area in the middle of the enormous park.
Alexey Smirnof
The ice rink itself covers the central avenue in the park and several of the paths that lead to it, all of which have been covered in ice.
Alexey Smirnof
Wooden rails surround the paths, so for those who have not quite found their feet, there is always the option of clinging to the railings and edging along to the nearest bench.
