gorny vozduh (mountain air)

Likes: Lifts, Low rates, Cafe at every stop, quality service, skillful instructors, great snow! Dislikes: Traffic congestion at the entrance

amazing view. full of oxygen. i can live there 365 days. no boring. just lay down relax and watch the the amazing view of the town/mountains

Great place for snowboard/ski-lovers in winter and for sky-divers and mountain bicycles lovers in summer!Also good city view from the top of the hill!You can have great trip on the cable way

Ive been to Gorniy Vozduh many times in winter and summer. The mountain is visible from most parts of the city and is around a 15-20 min drive from the expat camps on the outskirts of the city or a 5-10 min drive if you are in the city. You can pay to park at one of the couple of car parks at the bottom of the slope or just park for free on the streets if there is available space.The entrance is easily found and opposite where you enter the ski lifts is where you pay (which isn't properly signed). You can buy a season pass (only available for a limited time prior to the season opening) which provides unlimited entrance day and night for around $800, although a single run only costs about $5 so unless you are going there a lot its not worth doing it. You can also buy day passes to visit. I didn't see anywhere to rent skis although im told you can do this. I bought some in one of the many sports stores that do sell them here.There is no specific bag storage, i used to go to the sports centre across the road from the entrance and pay a guy 100r to gold my bags (sometimes it was free) but i wouldn't leave any valuables there.There is a cafe at the bottom of the slope, half way and at the top which sell alcohol, soft drinks and food, but its not the best.It is a good ski slope, not to the standard of Europe or USA/Canada however the location is good and the runs are ok so its good for a few hours. There are 11 ski runs of varying difficulty to go down although only 1 or 2 are for absolute beginners, most are intermediate runs. Depending on time of day you may have to queue to get into a ski lift however i never queued more than 10 mins for this. A good tip is just before the ski season starts you can ski from half way up the mountain for a couple of $ a time as they only charge for skiing when the season actually opens.In summer the ski lifts are still open to take you to the top. It is nice to walk around and take in the view of the city. I also think you can mountain bike down the mountain however I'm not sure if they allow you to take your bike in the ski lift or not as i haven't done this.

On a good day, Gornij Vozduh is fabulous. The lifts are cheap (100r to half way, 100r more to get to the top), there are virtually no queues ( except in the mid afternoon on a weekend) and the lift system is new and world-class.The slopes are well groomed, and the new Serpentine is a 4.5 km green run from top to bottom.... Great for skiers, but a few flat places for boarders. They are still creating all the facilities on the slopes, I saw a crèche being constructed above the restaurant at the mid-station, for example. The are no lessons for kids in English. These can be organised locally, if you know the right people. There are a couple of cafes at the top which do a good espresso, hot choc or mulled wine... They also do shashlik and borsch. The toilet situation is not great. At the top it is a couple of long-drops, ditto the bottom, although you can sometimes blag your way into a cafe I have been told. The gondola is new, and in very good condition. You pre pay your lifts on a plastic card at the bottom and scan them each time you go on the lifts. This is best done in the mornings, as the queues (although that is an optimistic word- sometimes it is more like a scrum which can be unsettling!) can be very long. The mountain is best enjoyed in the morning before the Yuzhno crowds wake up. Parking is an experience, basically drive up and park anywhere you can. Best to face your car down the hill though as if you are leaving in the afternoons the car situation can be crazy. There is a pay carpark there too which is a bit better to use. There is night skiing, and regular competitions for the very keen. This year, Burton put in a new board park which looks very impressive. All in all, we are lucky to have this facility on our doorstep.

Gorniy Vozduk is a large hill in Yuzhno Sakhalinsk, about 500m vertical drop, with 7 ski runs (2 on the back, 4 on the front and 1 new one this year I think) a mix of beginner and intermediate difficulty. There's a gondola on the west slopes (often a long t-bar tow rope is running as well) and a t-bar tow rope only on the south slopes - be warned that this t-bar takes about 20 minutes to the top so can be quite challenging for the beginner boarder. There are a couple of rental places for skis and boards, lessons for the kids, and quite a lot of in area off piste (tree skiing) as well as access to some out-of-bounds backcountry.There are a few cafes to get a hot drink and something to eat, and there is night skiing most evenings on the west slope. The hill is typically closed on Mondays for grooming.The hill is also great for mountain biking and hiking in the summer!

Take the skilift from the bottom of the hill (behind the soccer stadium near Victory Square) to the intermediate level, then a separate lift to the top. You must buy a ticket at the bottom (I didn't and got turned around at the intermediate level to go back down and get one!). Even though it was May it was snowing at the top. There is a tent where you can get hot coffee, cocoa and snacks and rest a bit. I saw many kids take their bikes up on the ski lift (the seats lift up to make room) and then ride down the mountain. When the clouds cleared there were great views of Yuzhno. This hill is very near the city and once I got back down the hill I realized the tent at the top is viewable throughout the city. The ride up, coffee and the ride back down took about an hour, so it's very quick and very scenic...well worth the time.

One of "must-visit" attractions in Yuzhno-Sakhalinsk.In winter (actually even longer - approximately November to April) popular as a skiing spot, in summer time as an observation site. If you need good views of the town and its surroundings (Yuzno-Sakhalinsk with suburbs, located in a valley confined with chains of mountains in the East and West) and good photos, go for it.Would rate it as "Excellent" but for its current condition. It's still in the process of renovation lacking some amenities for more comfortable and prolonged leisure activities, which particularly matters in summer when people visit this place for hiking and sightseeing.Note: there is no entrance fee for the observation site, but a common (also the easiest and fastest) way to get there is to use a rope way which is fee-paying.

Great location, nice views, rather cheap. Great spot for 3-4 hours ride. Like it.

Приехали в отпуск на 4 дня, перечитали сайт - в первый день профилактические работы. Прилетели:первый день - метель,второй день - работают 40% спусков,третий день - профилактика,четвертый - примчались к 9:00, еще ничего не работает (видимо с 9:00 это начала работы персонала, так бы и писали во времени работы). Стоит очередь на подъемники человек 100, время 9:30, подъемники так и не запустили, в 15:00 надо быть в аэропорту. Очень расстроена работой комплекса, безответственным и пофигистичны отношением к клиентам.

Не нравится, что спортсмены в приоритете. Постоянно перекрыты большинство склонов, даже в том случае, когда закончены тренировки спортсменов. Даже в выходные дни трассы закрыты.

Самый лучший на Дальнем востоке горнолыжный комплекс. Каждый год что то новое строят. Мягкий натуральный снег. Ухоженные трассы. Расположение просто супер. Аэропорт прямо в городе. Полчаса до гостиницы. Можно снять квартиру рядом с горой. Или на такси тоже недорого с любого места в городе.Бывает конечно с погодой не повезет. Ну и нужно смотреть графики мероприятий проводимых на горе. Можно попасть когда не все трассы будут открыты. Природа сказочная. Виды завораживающие. Фрирайда навалом. В общем все супер.

Просто супер, когда практически в черте города отличная горнолыжная трасса, да не одна. сел на автобус, вышел на остановке и катайся... для всех возрастов.... не надо ехать на машине куда-то, селиться в гостиницу, потом обратно и т.п..

Катались в течение недели. В этом году на средней станции в прокате оставляли свое снаряжение чтобы не возить каждый день из гостиницы. Очень удобно + на ночь ваши ботинки разместят в специальную сушку, и на утро вы снова чувствуете комфорт при катании.

курорт очень хорош!1. кафе есть на всех станциях.2. ФРИРАЙД!3. фуникулёры, кресло, бугель - да, немного, но есть.4. пусть гора и 600м, но трасс наделали достаточно для города и туристов.5. пухляк! снег как в Шерегеше, мягкий, сказка!нет:1. скипасов на 2 и более дней нет.2. очереди на подъёмник в будний день в том числе.