How much does it cost to go to Kirovsk ski resort?

Yulia lives in Kirovsk and loves skiing. She told how to go to the ski resort in Kirovsk, how much it costs to ski in the Khibiny Mountains and how to have an interesting time there.

Spring is coming. February and March are the snowiest times at ski resorts.

I'll tell you about the small snowy town of Kirovsk. This is simply a paradise for outdoor enthusiasts. Alpine and cross-country skiing, snowboarding, swimming pool and sauna, snowmobile tours.

From the article you will learn:

• what kind of city is this, Kirovsk
• what kind of entertainment does it have?
• when is the best time to go there
• what restaurants are there
• how much does it cost to go to Kirovsk ski resort
• how not to freeze in this city

My name is Yulia, I have been living in Kirovsk for 14 years

I know the city like the back of my hand - where to go, where to eat, what to see and, most importantly, how good it is to relax in Kirovsk. I will be happy to answer all these questions.

This is a small but interesting city.

Kirovsk is a northern town with a population of 25,000 people. Nature here is harsh and unpredictable. But this does not bother either residents or tourists who come here to ski in the Khibiny Mountains.

Where to ski in Kirovsk

There are 2 ski resorts in Kirovsk - one in the city, the other a 20-minute drive from it.

View of Kirovsk from the slopes

The second resort is called Kukisvumchorr . There is only one slope, which is not very suitable for tourists.

I'll tell you about the first one. It's called Big Wood.

I've been skiing on the slopes for 11 years. In addition to the ski slopes, there is a rental and ski service, where they will prepare a snowboard or skis that you rented.

How much does it cost to ski in Kirovsk at the Big Wood ski resort

A complete set for 1 hour of skiing will cost 590 rubles for adults and 355 rubles for children. Inventory can be taken in parts. I recommend that you wear protection, especially at first.

A complete set of protection includes a helmet, hip protection, back protection and elbow protection.

Big Wood has 34 trails of varying lengths and difficulty levels. Almost all of them are illuminated.

You can get to the start by funicular, chairlift, rope tow, or tablet lift (its seat is shaped like a tablet). All lifts are new, with good views of the city.

Now about ski passes

Usually tourists take a 2-hour pass. It costs 650 rubles for adults and 500 rubles for children. It doesn’t smell particularly democratic, but you pay for well-prepared slopes, bright lighting and a pleasant experience.

Big Wood employs 20 alpine skiing and snowboarding instructors with a category of at least B (working with those who are confident on skis or snowboards).

You can choose any instructor on the resort website or directly on site. They can put you on your skis if you are a beginner, or correct your technique if you are already an experienced skier.

For a group lesson with an instructor you will pay 1200 rubles, for an individual lesson – 1900 rubles.

If you want to save money, try to find self-taught instructors (on Avito, for example). Most often these are former athletes. They don't work at the resort, but are very experienced). The prices for their services are usually lower than those of the resort staff.

In addition to skiing and snowboarding, you can ride a snowmobile on Big Wood. You can choose from 15 snowmobile tours of varying difficulty. The price starts from 1,500 rubles and stops at around 40,000 rubles.

How to get to the resort

The resort is located right in the city.

Just walk or drive to the main station and take the funicular up. There you can go to the other side of the mountain or ride on the city side.

Ski slope "Lights of Murmansk"

The modern ski complex “Ogni Murmansk” offers skiers 4 slopes, they are long and gentle, perfect for beginners! For snowboard lovers there is a separate track with jumps, a large number of equipment, its length is 800 m.

Scheme of ski slopes

Both children and adults are trained on this ski slope in the Murmansk region. Under the mentorship of experienced instructors, it is easy to take your first steps in skiing.

Equipment:

• The rope tow is working.
• The trails are illuminated at night
• There is a rental service for equipment, ski clothing and snowmobiles

When is the best time to come to Kirovsk

Sunset in Khibiny

The peak season in the Khibiny Mountains begins in mid-March and ends at the end of April.

At this time, it is already warm on the slope, the sun is shining, but you catch its rays not during the descent, but in the queue for the lift - there are a lot of people who want to ski in the Khibiny Mountains.

In 2 hours (usually tourists take ski passes during this time) it is possible to go down 3-4 times. This is very little. If you are not afraid of frost and want to ride to your heart's content, it is better to come in winter. In January or December - if you are not afraid of frosts, or in February - if you are not afraid of snowstorms.

People come to Kirovsk with the whole family or alone - no one gets bored here.

Season and weather conditions

Due to the mild snowy climate, the ski season lasts from early November to May.

The average temperature in November is -4°C, in January - -12°C, in May - +5°C. The Khibiny Mountains are located just north of the Arctic Circle, which means that the visitor has the opportunity to see the famous polar night, which lasts from mid-November to the second half of December. In winter, daylight hours are very short and last only 2-3 hours.

Where to stay in Kirovsk

Ski slope in Khibiny
There are 4 hotels, more than 10 hostels, and many rental apartments in Kirovsk.

During the season, the average check for a night in a hotel is 5,000 rubles; you can stay in a hostel for 2,000 rubles per day. An apartment can be found for 2500 rubles.

For me, the coolest option is an apartment.

You can rent daily on Avito, Booking.com and Airbnb. The advantage of the apartments is that they feel like home and the renovation is no worse than in hotels. You can choose an apartment for yourself: price, location, renovation, dates, things you need in the apartment.

Tectonic structures of the Khibiny Mountains

The massif was formed about 390 million years ago. The structure of the Baltic Shield is a large ancient fault in several layers with large cracks and a crystalline base. Therefore, this area is known for its mining.

Fossils of the Khibiny Mountains: apatites, titanomagnetite, sphene, nepheline, feldspar and others

The world's largest deposit of apatite-nepheline ores was discovered here. More than 500 types of minerals have also been found: sapphires, topazes, spinel, etc. Some are found only here, and nowhere else on the planet. The unique region began to be explored back in 1772.

Ski resort, © Sergey Egorin

Where to eat

Every year more and more restaurants are opening in Kirovsk, serving northern delicacies.

Cafe "Gamarjoba"

I recommend checking out the restaurants “Severny”, “At your plate”, “Gamarjoba” and “Bar Barevich”. In the first two, in addition to traditional cuisine, they serve dishes of venison, red fish, and desserts with cloudberries and cranberries. I recommend trying this.

In “Gamarjob”, as you guessed from the name, there are Georgian dishes: chakhokhbili, lula, lagman. Well, if you are an avid lover of roast beef and chateaubriand, Bar Barevich is for you.

The average bill at these restaurants is 1,200 rubles.

Entertainment infrastructure

Bolshoi Vudyavr (the ski resort has trails for various purposes) organizes exciting winter leisure activities for guests: snowmobiling, ice fishing, sports competitions. For snowmobile trips, 12 routes have been developed and tested - walking, training, extreme.

At the beginning of the excursion, each participant undergoes instruction and training and receives a set of ski clothes, an aerosleigh or a snowmobile.

Ice fishing enthusiasts take part in salmon fishing. On modernized boats, accompanied by guides, they go to the deep Umba River. An unusual boat trip brings vivid emotions and is remembered for many years.

There is a snowboard park on the Yuzhny slope, equipped with a separate lift and freestyle facilities . Vacationers who wish to do so can master the training springboard and slidebox. Children conquer small wooden figures in a separate area.

Closer to the northern slope there is a tubing track. Vacationers of all ages enjoy skiing here. Children's and adult tubes are available at the rental point. There is a special room for parents with children where they can leave their children. Under the guidance of teachers, they draw, sculpt, put together puzzles, and read. Active guys exercise on sports equipment and jump on trampolines.

Paragliding is very popular among vacationers. The starting point is located on the southern slope, and the finishing site is on the northern slope. The flight direction does not cross the slopes, so it does not pose a danger to skiers.

At the foot of the hill on which the resort is located, there is the Bolshoy Vudyavr reservoir. The name translates as “lake in the mountains.” The natural reservoir supplies the city and nearby villages with clean water. On the lake you can swim, sunbathe, and fish for trout.

The city swimming pool, open all year round, is considered a wonderful form of recreation. Tourists are attracted by water slides, a bathhouse, a sauna, and a massage room. Swimming competitions and water games are held in the pool.

Not only sports but also cultural institutions of Kirovsk are available to vacationers: museums, exhibitions, cinemas.

They are visited with pleasure by both local residents and city guests:

• Stone Museum – organized by the Apatit mining enterprise. The center's exhibitions present the rarest specimens of mountain stones from all over the world. A separate stand displays minerals from the Kola Peninsula. In addition to stones, in the museum you can see a collection of ancient telephone sets and models of modern mines. Today the museum is the main attraction of Kirovsk. From an ordinary museum, it has become a modern interactive platform with space for creative and educational leisure for citizens.

• Khibiny Local Lore Museum - founded in 1934 in honor of S. M. Kirov. The following exhibitions are constantly working and being replenished: Development of the Khibiny, Construction of Kirovsk, Kirovsk and the years of the Great Patriotic War, Natural world of the Khibiny, Khibiny on the canvases of artists. The most visited hall of the museum is Animals of the Khibiny. Introduces tourists to stuffed animals and birds of the region, made by experienced taxidermist A. Flerov.

• The Museum of the Writer Venedikt Erofeev is located in the building of the Main Library of the city. Founded in the fall of 2001 by local artist D. Novitsky. Until 2008, it was the only museum of the writer not only in Russia, but also in the world. In December 2008, a literary and museum exhibition began operating in Petushki. The future writer lived and studied at school in the small polar city of Kirovsk. In his first book, “Notes of a Psychopath,” Venedikt Erofeev describes the places of Kirovsk and talks about the real inhabitants of the town. The museum halls are decorated in a whimsical and unusual way, attracting attention with the smallest details. Soviet-era items take visitors back to the distant times of the Soviet Union. The excursion begins at point A - the birthplace of Erofeev and ends at point B, where it tells about the literary heritage of the writer and theatrical plays staged based on his stories.

What to do in Kirovsk besides skiing

If you are tired of conquering the ski slopes, I suggest going to the Museum and Exhibition Center.

It is located in the city center. There you will get acquainted with the history of the city and its enterprises. Sometimes exhibitions are held here, and geologists give lectures about the Kola Peninsula. All this is free and interesting.

If you don't mind listening to jazz or watching plays and concerts, stop by the Kirov Palace of Culture.

If your imagination has now drawn a gray brick building with rural discos, hurry to stop it. There is good repair here, professional presenters and teachers. I myself practice singing at the Palace of Culture and often perform at concerts here. Therefore, I am responsible to you for high-quality and original numbers.

20 km from Kirovsk there is the city of Apatity .

Apart from walking around the shopping center, there is nothing to do there. You can go to Apatity by minibus 102. Drive 20 min.

Also, a 20-minute drive from Kirovsk, only in the other direction, there is the Tirvas sanatorium .

There you can swim in the pool with mountain views, go to the sauna and hammam. Tirvasa offers massage, water and mud therapy, and a salt room. After the procedures, have lunch at the restaurant. Lunch there costs 300 rubles.

Next to Tirvas there is the Snow Village .

This is not a metaphor: it is really made of snow. All the houses and statues were built by visiting craftsmen. There are excursions inside the large snow house, they are different every year.

Price: 800 rubles - adults, 400 rubles - children.

Ski slope near Kirovsk

Near the village and the sanatorium there is a ski track at the Tirvas stadium. It has 3 tracks of 1.5, 3 and 5 km. They are all illuminated and ironed. You can get from Kirovsk to this place by bus No. 12 or by bus “Tirvas” (runs less frequently than the first).

The advantage of a holiday in Kirovsk is that you can do everything, everywhere in a week. And go skiing, and go to a museum, and to a spa. There are also no traffic jams in Kirovsk.

Lapland-Lapar Stan

Lapar-Stan or Loparstan (formerly “Lapland”) is a ski resort located near the city of Monchegorsk, about 115 km from Murmansk.

The base is considered one of the best in the region in terms of natural conditions, number and complexity of trails.

The ski season opens in November and almost always lasts until early May.

It is coldest (up to -13-15 degrees) from December to mid-February; in other months the temperature is within -5 degrees.

The polar night begins in Monchegorsk on December 10 and lasts until January 2.

How to get there?

To get to Lapar-stan, you must first get to one of the two large nearby cities - Murmansk or Apatity.

You can do this from Moscow and St. Petersburg either by plane or by rail.

From these cities you can get to Monchegorsk by regular bus, which runs several times a day.

From Murmansk you can also take a train ticket to Olenegorsk and from this station get to Lapar-stan by minibus or taxi.

Travelers in their own car need to drive along the federal highway to the P-21 highway and follow it to Monchegorsk.

Cars enter the city along the Station Highway, follow it onto Metallurgov Avenue and turn onto Lenin Avenue.

You need to follow this road to the holiday village of Rizh-guba. All the ski slopes of the complex are located in this direction.

Trails, lifts

There are blue, red and green trails on the slopes of the base. The longest reaches 1200 meters. The highest point reaches 465 meters, the difference between heights is 245 meters.

For freeriders, there is a 1.5 km wide descent through virgin soil.

There are two rope tow lifts and a baby lift. A snowpark has been built for snowboarders, and a cheesecake skiing track for children.

The trails are regularly cleared by snow groomers, and if there is no snow, two snow guns are turned on. In the evening the slopes are illuminated.

In the spring, on windy days, lovers of windsurfing and kiting come to Lapar-stan and ride on Lake Imandra. In the sports and fitness center you can sign up for fitness classes and visit the sauna.

Accommodation and meals

Accommodation at the resort is not provided. You can stay at the Sever Hotel, located at the exit from Monchegorsk, or in apartments located on Lenin Street.

In the village "Rizh-Guba" there is a recreation center RIZH, where rooms are also often available.

You can eat in between skiing and warm up with tea at the Chum cafe.

Lapar-Stan is valued for:

1. One of the longest skiing seasons.
2. The trails are quite long and have varying levels of difficulty.
3. Preparing slopes with snowcats and making snow as necessary.
4. Possibility of visiting the slopes with children who can ride cheesecakes.

The disadvantage of the resort is the lack of its own hotel, a small amount of entertainment in winter.

How much does it cost to go to Kirovsk ski resort?

I calculated an approximate budget for the week. For this money you can go out in style. I considered traveling by plane because it was faster.

The nearest airport to Kirovsk is in Apatity. It's called Khibiny. There is also a railway station in Apatity (it takes more than a day to travel by train), but more on that below.

How much does it cost to go skiing in Kirovsk:

• Flight Moscow-Apatity 2 sides - 31,000 rubles
• Or a reserved seat from Moscow round-trip - from 4,000 rubles.
• Taxi from the airport/train station to Kirovsk 2nd way - 1,400 rubles.
• Accommodation (in a rented apartment) - 17,500 rubles.
• Meals (dinner in a restaurant and buying groceries in a store) - 21,000 rubles.
• Ski pass for an adult - 6,000 rubles.
• Entertainment/souvenirs: RUB 1,000.

Total:

• by plane – RUB 71,900.
• by train – 29,900 rub..

If you compare it with a holiday in Krasnaya Polyana using the same approximate calculation, Krasnaya Polyana turns out to be more expensive.

• Flight Moscow-Sochi 2 sides - 10,000 rubles.
• Or a reserved seat from Moscow round-trip - from 3,600 rubles.
• Taxi from the airport/train station to the hotel in Krasnaya Polyana 2 times - 4,500 rubles.
• Accommodation near Rosa Khutor with breakfast - 35,550 rubles.
• Meals (dinner and lunch in a restaurant) - 14,000 rubles.
• Ski pass for an adult - 14,700 rubles.
• Entertainment/souvenirs - 3,000 rubles.

Total:

• by plane – 81,750 rubles .
• by train – 75,350 rub..

Read more about the ski resort Krasnaya Polyana here

If you can’t stand winter, I don’t recommend going to Kirovsk. It's winter there all year round. The Sochi resort is more suitable for you. But skiing in Kirovsk is no worse than in Sochi.

Equipment rental

Bolshoi Vudyavr (the ski resort has 2 rental points) offers new sports equipment for rent to those interested. Rental employees will select a snowboard, skis or sled, taking into account the person’s age and athletic training.

Renting a full adult ski set costs 600 rubles. at one o'clock. Children's - 360 rub. at one o'clock. Snowboards, skis, and sleds are issued for 1 day on the security of a passport or driver's license.

Rental of equipment for 2-7 days is carried out strictly on the security of the following amount of money:

How to get to Kirovsk ski resort

View of Kirovsk

You can get to Kirovsk by plane, train or car.

The plane arrives in Apatity.

From there you can get to Kirovsk by taxi or bus No. 130 for 250 rubles. A taxi will cost 700 rubles.

You can also get to Kirovsk by train

From Moscow, take the Arktika train to Murmansk. And a little over a day later, get off at Apatity station. There is also train No. 092A, which is a little cheaper.

You can get to Kirovsk by taxi or by bus No. 131.

By car from Moscow it is almost 2000 km.

The journey along the Kola highway will take 20 hours. If you can get there without stopping to sleep, that's great. But I advise you to spend the night at the Inema motel in the city of Podporozhye. A single room costs RUB 1,900 per night (breakfast included).

Ski complex "South Slope"

Another urban ski complex in Murmansk is the Southern Slope. It opened in 1999 and has since become very popular with many skiers. Currently, the Southern Slope is a modern complex equipped with the necessary equipment.

The slopes of the complex have a very diverse terrain, suitable for both beginners and experienced athletes. Separate trails are reserved for tubing enthusiasts and children.

The slopes are equipped with two rope tows, which are illuminated at night.

There is a sports school of the Olympic reserve at the complex, where children study and use equipment for free.

The slopes are well maintained with the help of snow groomers; during periods of little snow, snow cannons are used on the slopes.

GLK "Southern Slope" constantly holds city and regional competitions for children and adults.

Big Woodyavr

The next morning we went to realize the main goal of this trip - to ride

Bolshoy Vudyavr, main entrance

This building houses the ticket office, rentals and restrooms, and you can also purchase snowmobile excursions. For two ski passes for five days we paid 5,300 rubles each. The cashier advised me to keep the receipt and take a photo of the ski pass - if lost, it can be restored.

Having completed the formalities, we went to the main lift (the only one) and went up. Regular booths, a little strange in height - you won’t be able to stand up in them to your full height, they are low.

Bolshoy Vudyavr, main cabin lift

Big Woodyavr, inside the cabin

Bolshoy Vudyavr, top lift station

The weather on our first day was not particularly friendly - cold and windy, sometimes there was fog and light snow. Nevertheless, I decided to go around all the available routes to understand how everything works here.

From the top station of the cabin lift you can go either down to the starting station or to the southern slope, to which there are two tracks - red and black.

Big Woodyavr, view from the North to the South elephant

Bolshoy Vudyavr, view of the chairlift and restaurant

The building of a panoramic restaurant is being completed at the top

On the roof of an old abandoned station

The red route is good and long, but at the end there is a flat section about 500 m long, and snowboarders have about 200 m to go. No matter how hard I tried, it never worked! The black track, in my opinion, is not entirely black, rather red. It is not very long, so I only had to drive along it once, and I didn’t want to do any more. They say that last year it was located differently, and it was more interesting.

Both the red and black routes connect right in the area of ​​this flat section, at the end of which there is a chair lift, on which you can go back to the upper station of the cable lift, or you can go down below - to the building in which there is a cafe and other useful skiers services.

The lower station of the rope tow is also located here.

Bolshoi Vudyavr, slope map

The resort has two ski areas - the northern and southern slope. The trails on the northern slope run along the cabin lift - they are wide, long and comfortable for any level of skiing. The routes of the southern slope are laid along two rope tows. They are my biggest disappointment of the resort.

Wide slopes of the North, next to the ski lift of the Northern Elephant resort

Wide routes of the North, along the cabin lift

Bolshoy Vudyavr, drag lifts of the Southern slope

Bolshoy Vudyavr, rope tows in the South

In addition to being slow and taking a long time to get up, they are also uncomfortable - personally, from the pressure of the yoke handle, my leg then ached, as if I had been lying down

In total, the guests of Bolshoi Vudyavr have at their disposal: one cabin lift, one slow chair lift, three rope tows and 2 indoor travelators.

In general, the trails are good for beginners and for intermediate students who don't need much yet. Of course, I was a little bored; there was a lack of variety of routes and landscapes.

There are two cafes on the resort premises. One is near the cabin lift at the lower station, the second is near the rope tow on the southern slope, also at the lower station.

The latter is clearly better - tastier food, lower prices and more fun.

Bolshoy Vudyavr, cafe on the Southern Elephant

Bolshoy Vudyavr, inside the cafe on the Southern Elephant

inside the cafe on the Southern Elephant

And Marcel hangs out there - a rescue dog who won’t miss a single chicken on the guests’ plates, looking at you with devoted eyes until he gets his

The dog Marcel inside the cafe on the Southern Elephant

Marcel the dog is eyeing your dinner

We became very close friends over lunch

Prices in the cafe are reasonable - soup from 180 to 240 rubles, buckwheat - 100 rubles, puff pastries - 90 rubles, hot dishes from 240 to 350 rubles. Local prices compared to Rosa Khutor are two times lower.

It is clear that the resort is being monitored - all the trails are marked. For example, such signs are placed on a rope tow where they can wobble. Very nice.

A sign indicating that there may be storms during the ascent of the rope tow

A sign that it may be stormy during the ascent

View of the rope tow on the southern slope

Of course, I haven’t seen the employees who stand and look at each departing guest as if they were at Rosa Khutor; here they sit in their booths.

We rode for five days. In two of them, the main routes were completely closed due to bad weather, only the lower training routes were open. We did not use the ski pass that day; the money is not refunded in such cases. If you want to play it safe, take option five out of seven if you plan not to go on some days. We took five out of five because it was cheaper.

I have five years of skating experience, four of which I skated at Rosa Khutor, so I can only compare with it. On “Rose”, of course, the nature is more picturesque due to the forest landscapes, and the mountains are different, rocky. There are many more trails and they are different. On the “Bolshoy Vudyavr” the nature is more monotonous and everything is arranged differently.

However, Rosa Khutor costs 2-3 times more;) Therefore, we have no complaints, just stating the facts. If you are lucky with the weather, then spending 4-5 days in Kirovsk and riding is the best option - more than that, I think, will be boring.

We usually skied from 11 am to 6 pm, there is no evening skiing here, the slopes close at 18:00 on Monday and Sunday, the rest of the time at 19:00. Strange, of course. Almost all the routes are illuminated and could be open until late in the evening.

Southern slope during the wind, Kirovsk

South slope from chairlift during wind

Upper station of the chairlift, Bolshoy Vudyavr

After skiing, we went home for dinner or went to the Tirvas sanatorium - there was a good buffet for 350 rubles. per person with Russian cuisine: a couple of soups to choose from, 4–5 types of hot dishes, 3–4 side dishes, 4–6 salads, fruits, compote, tea and muffins for dessert. Very good and quite tasty for only 350 rubles.