Although snow cannons are required to cover the hills solidly in snow, Kyiv’s snowboarders and skiers have already occupied the place. Oksana Faryna The only place in Kyiv where you can already see the “real” winter deal is Protasiv Yar ski complex, located in a 20-minute walking distance from the Respublikanskiy Stadium metro station.

Last week, three snow cannons already started shooting artificial snow onto the two hills, immediately attracting snowboarders followed by skiers. By this weekend (Dec. 20-21), both ski lifts should start working and this will mean the official opening of ski season in Kyiv.

Usually Protasiv Yar opens in November. But this year the unusually warm weather prevented the snow cannons from starting until Dec. 9. Now they are operating nonstop. “The temperature needs to be at least three degrees below zero for the water to freeze,” explained Mykola Kashuba, who manages the snow cannons. “The pump station brings the water into the guns though pipes. Special mechanisms such as atomizers break the water up into very small drops or even dust. The ventilator blows these drops and they fall down as snow. These machines are from the Austrian firm Lenko. They are very expensive, approximately $80,000,” he added.

It will take one or two weeks to cover both hills with snow completely. Last weekend only the lower part of the hills was covered in snow. Still, even that was a real joy for people, hungry for some real winter sports fun. On the other hand, it is not very convenient to ski while snow guns are working because they create a kind of snowstorm.

On the territory of Protasiv Yar, there are two ski runs at different heights and people can choose the more suitable one based on their skiing skills. The easy ski run that is 500 meters long with a 70-meter drop is for beginners and amateurs, and naturally a great place to train before setting out to the real snow-capped mountains. The small hill is equipped with a single-seat ski lift. The more rapid ski run is 300 meters long with the same 70-meter drop, supplied with a double-seated ski lift. It is for use by experienced skiers and snowboarders.

Protasiv Yar complex rents skis and snowboards, has a cafe and restaurant for rest breaks and even a skiing school where you can hire an instructor for Hr 120-150 for one lesson. This year, the prices for skis and snowboards (see below) remained the same as last year. Unfortunately, the same can’t be said about ski lifts, the cafe and restaurant.

To pay for ski lifts you should get an electronic card (leaving Hr 10 as deposit). You'll also need to deposit money on the card itself and use it as an ID card near the ticket gate until the money runs out. You can also use an electronic card to pay for the rental services.

Celebrating New Year’s Day at Protasiv Yar has become a good tradition for many skiing fans. “We plan to have a buffet table, costing Hr 70 – 150 per person (exact prices are still unknown). But the rest of the prices will remain the same as usual,” said Svitlana Korol, director of Protasiv Yar. “Some people stay here the whole night, others come on Jan. 1 in the afternoon. So, for us, the work doesn’t stop during the holidays.”


Protasiv Yar ski complex (23 A Protasiv Yar, Respublikanskiy Stadium metro station, marshrutka numbers 495, 450).

Ski lifts operate from 10 a.m. till 10 p.m; every day till 5 p.m. one lift is Hr 3, after 5 p.m., Hr 4.5; on weekends and holidays the small ski lift is Hr 7, the big ski lift is Hr 8; night from Saturday to Sunday (10:30 p.m. – 4 a.m.) – Hr 120.

Ski rental – Hr 17 – 25 for children, Hr 45 – 120 for adults.

Snowboard with shoes – Hr 115 and Hr 130.

Prices are given for the first two hours, each succeeding hour is twice as cheap.

For rental, you’ll be asked to leave your passport, driver’s license or money as a deposit.

Rental – 528-9260

Cafe – 528-1751

Administration – 528-3757

www.gora.com.ua



Skiing School – 529-6974

www.oleniski.kiev.ua