The ski run in the Bitsevsky Forest is located in close proximity to the Moscow Ring Road, as well as. In our opinion, the Romashkovskaya track is better and more interesting than the Bitsevsky one in many respects, with one exception - the ski track in the Bitsevsky Forest boasts the best infrastructure of all that we have seen before.
How to get there?
By car. To enter the parking lot, you will need to exit from outside MKAD at the 37th kilometer, immediately after pedestrian crossing, before reaching the stop "Recreation area" Bitsa ". Exit GPS coordinates: 55.5874N 37.5452E
If you pass this turn, then go to the next one. True, there you will have to go “under the brick” at your own peril and risk. The traffic here is one-way. On the 37th kilometer we enter, on the 36th we leave.
Public transport. From the metro station "Yasenevo" by bus No. 165 or No. 202 to the stop "Recreation Zone Bitsa".
Parking. Parking in the Bitsevsky forest is very large and free. And it even looks guarded, at least there are booths and a barrier at the entrance. The only downside is that they don't seem to clean the snow on it. We advise you to calculate your capabilities if your car has Velcro tires.
Infrastructure
In terms of creating comfortable conditions for cross-country skiers, the track in Bitsa probably has no competitors. There are a lot of buildings for various purposes, belonging to sports club"Alpha-Bitsa".
Right on the starting glade, they sell the equipment necessary for skiers, lubricants, ointments and even clothes.
Near a small cafe with barbecue and hot drinks. You can eat without taking off your skis.
A little further away is the rental and service center. The rental of a set (skis, boots and poles) will cost an adult from 300 rubles for the first hour and 100 rubles for each next hour. For children 100 and 50 rubles respectively. A locker and changing rooms are provided free of charge to store your belongings. The rental is open daily from 9 am to 6 pm.
Professional ski lubrication in a ski service will cost from 1000 rubles. On weekends, the service is open from half past eight in the morning until late in the evening.
Changing rooms are open from morning to 10 pm. V evening time for locker room services you will have to pay 50 rubles.
I would like to note the presence of gazebos, next to which there are barbecue facilities. After a good skiing run, it is quite possible to arrange a good winter picnic.
They did not forget to create a sports complex and a playground. While one adult is riding, the other can keep the kids entertained on the playground.
Starting glade
The place to start skiing begins with a large clearing. In fact, this is not a clearing at all, but the frozen surface of the Upper Znamensky Pond on the Bitsa River. Therefore, the starting glade is located, as it were, in a lowland, and here you can ride the slides from the heart.
track
We tested on ourselves a five-kilometer section of the Bitsa ski track. The route is quite winding and runs along the hillside. The ascents and descents are gentle, in our opinion this section is ideal for those who are already bored with riding on the plains, but it’s still scary to meddle on steep hills.
In addition to the smallest one at five kilometers, there are several longer routes in Bitze. Judging by the scheme of the same confusing. The maximum length of the distance is 24 kilometers.
The authorities have plans to create a large multi-sport park on the territory of Bitsevsky Forest, which will appeal to fans of cross-country, cross-country skiing, biathlon, trail running and other sports. But, as usual, part of the territory will have to be sacrificed, it is planned to be given for development.
But back to the present. It is very crowded here, due to the proximity of the highway to Moscow. Due to the presence of rather gentle slopes, young athletes learn to slide down the hills.
On the track there is a track for both classic and skating. Routes are laid by Buran and sometimes by a snowcat. In Bitsa we met a lot of athletes, in tight suits and professional skis, boots and the like, but there is also a place for amateurs. Nobody bothers anyone.
All types of trees typical for the Moscow region grow in the Bitsevsky forest. Some fir trees in the forest are over 100 years old. In Soviet times, the Bitsevsky forest park belonged to the southwestern forest protection zone of Moscow. Then each district of the capital had its own “sponsored” recreation areas. Bitsa was considered a recreation area of the Moskvoretsky and Soviet district councils.
As we have already noted, the route is winding, the ascents end with a U-turn and a descent. Unfortunately, there are no markings on the ski track in Bitsa. Therefore, in order not to get confused, we recommend that you be careful. And there are a lot of people riding here, you can always ask about the way back.
An evening party is held every year in Bitsa. ski race in memory of Vasily Smolyanov. A prerequisite participation is the presence of a headlamp. In the event that the lantern ceases to shine, the participant must leave the track.
Vasily Smolyanov was the creator and manufacturer of the Vasko headlamp. Organizer and judge of many competitions in skiing, cycling and orienteering. In 2012, Vasily was hit to death while riding a bicycle.
Sometimes the track leaves the forest and enters clearings and edges overgrown with cow parsnip. It’s not as cozy here as in the forest, the wind is blowing, you can see the smoke and steam from the Moscow chimneys.
Yes, and Moscow itself is visible quite well, if it were not for the high-rise buildings of sleeping areas, the whole city would be clearly visible from here. After all, the route runs along the Teplostan Upland. Here, a few kilometers away, in Uzkoy, is the highest point of our capital - 255 meters. The ski track in the Bitsevsky forest passes through the Vysokaya mountain (235 meters above sea level).
But the most beauty, of course, is in the forest. Young Christmas trees covered with snow are guarded by tall ash and linden trees. They are gaining strength, it will take several years and the spruces will already rise above other trees. And then a hurricane will fly in and knock them down to make way for the young growth. The main thing is that a person does not destroy, does not interfere.
This is where our walk came to an end. We again returned to the starting point, to the pond on the river Bitz. The reservoir is formed by a five-meter dam, even in winter the water on the dam does not always freeze, forming a small waterfall.
Bitza river. It originates from the springs of the Teplostan Upland in Moscow, crosses the Moscow Ring Road and flows into Pakhra. The length of the river is 24 kilometers. The origin of the name Bitsa is unclear. One of the versions believes that from the Russian word "bitsy" - a place of a fight, murder, slaughter. According to another version, this word has roots in the Baltic languages and means "bee".
We continue to acquaint you with the ski slopes of the Moscow region.
Today our story is about ski slopes ah Bitsevsky park.
Bitsevsky Park is a specially protected natural area located in the south-west of Moscow. The length of the park from north to south is 10 km, from west to east - 1.5-4 km.
You can get to the western side of the park from the metro stations "Konkovo" or "Novoyasenevskaya", and to the east - from the stations "Yuzhnaya", "Prazhskaya", "Ul. Academician Yangel" and "Annino".
A dense network of rivers, streams, numerous ravines and ravines, a variety of forest types create a unique landscape of the park, so the terrain here is quite hilly.
The park has several ski slopes, each of which is about 5 kilometers long.
There are trails for both classic and skating.
Most of the trails (95%) pass through the forest.
If we talk about the service, then next to ski slope"Narrow" has a heated locker room, a toilet and a cafe. Travel from the metro station "Yasenevo" - tram 85 or bus 642 to the stop Sportbaza "Uzkoe".
There is a stable skating track only in the southern part of the park - a "flat" 5-ka in the area of \u200b\u200bRed Mayak Street (the nearest metro station Prazhskaya), popularly known as the TRP track.
In the diagram below, it is marked in blue.
Another ridge 5, the so-called Anninskaya, with an excellent elevation difference, is located south of the clearing between the metro stations Novoyasenevskaya and st. Academician Yangel, indicated in blue in the diagram below. In recent winters, these tracks have been rolled with special equipment.
For lovers classic move in Bitsevsky Park too a good choice. A walking track with a calm relief starts from the Krasny Mayak base (the nearest metro station Prazhskaya) - it is marked in blue on the main map. 
On the main scheme, the skating tracks discussed above are marked in red.
Trained skiers will enjoy the classic sports 5-ka on a forest lift (check-in from the Novoyasenevskaya metro station). This trail is not very well known and is not marked on the main ski map, but we are sure you will enjoy its ravine dives and short but steep climbs. The route is drawn in red.
The ski season is just beginning, and there is still not enough snow to prepare the ski slopes with a snowcat. However, cross-country skiers have already started their training in Bitsevsky Park, and they are waiting for the tracks to be prepared with special equipment, which we will definitely inform you about.
Ski maps provided by the Orienteering Club
Journalists of the Kyrgyz Republic have prepared a small guide to the best places for skiing in the capital. There is not much time left, so you need to choose proven routes.
As it turned out, there are not many official ski routes in the city. They are in 37 parks, but the total length is no more than 120 kilometers (this is about more than three kilometers per park). Each ski track can be driven from end to end in 25 minutes.
Sokolniki
For visitors, there are four rentals at once: in the parterre part on the 5th Luchevoi Prosek, the Main Alley, at the intersection of Pesochnaya Alley and Mitkovsky Proyezd, on the Bolshoi Putyaevsky Pond.
It is warm inside, there is a map of the park with traced routes. There is also a left-luggage office for visitors, where you can hand over ordinary shoes for the duration of skiing.
A track for laser biathlon has opened on the Golden Pond, which differs from the classic one by a shorter distance and the use of laser rifles. In one race, the participant passes five laps (1250 m) and four firing lines.
Pros: There is an all-weather ski track laid by a snowcat, which is used to train professional ski slopes. Its length: 2 km, the total length of the park's routes: 45 km.
Minuses: It is impossible to ride here - tourists use all the ski tracks as paths. Only the all-weather track was fenced with a net from people. I didn’t like the inventory: the boots are attached crookedly, the heel barely hits the ski.
Opening hours: 9.00 - 21.00 (at 19.00 they stop giving skis).
Price: plastic - 150 rubles for 2 hours, semi-plastic - 80 rubles for 2 hours. A session of laser biathlon costs 500 rubles.
"Kuzminki"
The official ski track is quite short: only 3-4 kilometers. But homemade tracks stretch for tens of kilometers!
Several rental points: not far from the main entrance, near the Vlakhernskoye estate, on Zarechye street.
Starting this year, there are biathlon laser rifles for rent to feel like an Olympian, and bicycles with special winter tires.
Encounters with husky dogs are one of the most unusual entertainments of the season. You can get acquainted with them, take pictures, and children can ride on husky-drawn cheesecakes.
pros: there are always the right sizes of boots and skis. You can skate along the paths. There are hills near the ponds! Pleased with the number of additional services.
Minuses: The classic track is completely trampled. There is no backlight.
Opening hours: 9.00 - 20.00 (at 17.00 they stop giving skis).
Price: plastic skis- 200 rubles per hour. Biathlon equipment - 250 rubles per hour. Husky ride - 500 rubles per 15 minutes.
Art. m. "Kuzminki", "Volzhskaya".
"Sparrow Hills"
Vorobyovy Gory now belongs to Gorky Park. But officially you can ski here only near the observation deck.
The official route stretches for only 3.8 kilometers. There is one rental. To get to him, you will have to pay 300 - 500 rubles (depending on the time and day of the week). The rental point is located in the fenced area of the sports complex.
Pros: What elevation changes! You go from hill to hill. Trails with lighting. There are many amateur tracks - MSU students ride on them on weekdays.
Minuses: The place is clearly not for amateurs, you must be able to turn at speed. There is little space on the official track.
Opening hours: Mondays from 20.00 to 22.00, Tuesday to Friday from 10.00 to 15.00 and from 20.00 to 22.00, Saturdays from 15.00 to 22.00 and Sundays from 10.00 to 22.00.
Price: plastic skis - 100 rubles for 1 hour + entrance fee from 300 rubles.
Art. m. "Sparrow Hills".
"Izmailovo"
16 kilometers of ski tracks, three rental points. Skating - only along park paths.
Pros: There are long routes: 3, 5 and 8 kilometers.
Minuses: The ski track often crosses walking paths. In this place, there is bare asphalt - you either have to take off your skis or slowly cross the obstacle. Frequent pauses spoil the pleasure.
Opening hours: 12.00 - 20.00 (at 19.00 they stop giving skis) on weekdays and from 10.00 to 22.00 on weekends.
Price: plastic skis - 200 rubles for 1 hour. Security deposit: document or 3000 rubles.
Art. m. "Izmailovskaya", "Partisanskaya".
"Fili"
9.5 km of ski tracks, two rentals.
Pros: The park has three official ski tracks for 1, 3 and 5 kilometers. All of them are of decent quality - regional competitions of skiers are regularly held here. The route goes through picturesque places through the forest.
Minuses: There is no lighting. Due to the fact that the route is laid through the trees, it quickly starts to get dark here.
Opening hours: 9.00 - 20.00 (at 19.00 they stop giving skis).
Price: plastic skis - 150 rubles for 1 hour.
Art. m. "Filyevsky park", "Pioneer".
Bitsevsky forest
The total length of the slopes: 24.5 km, there is a large ski base.
pros: there is a good equipment rental, comfortable changing cabins and lockers for storing things.
Minuses: expensive rental
Opening hours: from 9.00 to 18.00 (at 17.00 they stop giving skis).
Price: plastic skis - 300-500 rubles for 1 hour.
When renting skis, a cup of tea and a wardrobe for things are free of charge.
Snow in Moscow this year fell a little late, but the more joy for skiers. The correspondent of "Antenna" traveled around the best routes and reports the details.
Aleshkinsky forest
The wide track is suitable for both skate and classic. The length of the main circle is 7 km. Part of the course (about 1.5 km in an open field) is well lit and well laid out. Now mostly skiers go there. Snow cannons work. Fresh snow, if necessary, is transported throughout the distance. The route is monitored by employees of Moskomsport. There are warm locker rooms - separately for men and women.
How to get there: Vilis Latsis Street, 26, metro station "Planernaya", then by buses 96 and 88 to the stop "Polyclinic 97"
Inventory rental: 150 rub. - hour, 200 rubles. - 2 hours. No deposit needed, your passport details are overwritten. Great selection of skis and boots.
"Alpha - Bitsa"
One of the most fashionable and famous tracks in Moscow is located next to the ring road and Butovsky forest. But it is convenient to get there both by public transport and by car, there is parking. The length of the track is about 25 km, but on days with little snow, skiers mainly ski on frozen ponds and fields - this is 3 km. After snowfalls, the route increases. Since the track goes in loops, it is easy to combine the distance you need. Those who do not like climbs can limit themselves to circles around the fields. Competitions are often held on weekends, sometimes even in the evening. Skiers light their way with headlamps. The Alfa-Bitsa sports club is engaged in the preparation of the track. It was laid professionally with the help of a snowcat. Suitable for both skate and classic. There is a wardrobe with comfortable locker rooms; lockers for those who rent equipment are free. Works from 9 am to 6 pm. Boots - from the 31st size to the 47th. Shoes are always dry, as the electric dryer works.
How to get there: 36th km of Moscow Ring Road. Buses 202, 165 from the Yasenevo metro station, 962 from the Dmitry Donskoy Bulvar metro station, 37 from the Tyoply Stan metro station to the Bitsa Recreation Zone stop.
Equipment rental (skis, boots, poles): from 300 to 500 rubles. in the first hour, every next 60 minutes - 100 rubles. Deposit - 3000 rubles.
Izmailovsky park
It consists of two parts: the park of culture and recreation "Izmailovo" and the Izmailovsky forest park. The border runs along the Main Alley. Skiing is possible in both parts. Officially, there are three tracks for the classics in the Park of Culture and Leisure - 3, 5 and 8 km. But in reality there are only signs “Start” and “Finish”, and the ski track itself was hardly visible in mid-January, moreover, in some places it intersected with hiking trails. In the forested part, the situation is almost the same: there are no normal tracks, and the roots of trees sticking out from under the snow interfere with skiing. But the nature is beautiful, you ride as if a hundred kilometers from civilization. When it snows, there is more room to maneuver. If the snow cover melts, skiers go to the Red Pond. The rental (and it is only in the “cultural” part of the park) has one big minus: you can’t leave things there. But there is a cafe nearby.
How to get there: m. "Partizanskaya", m. "Highway Enthusiasts". Inventory rental: 200 rub. per hour, deposit - 3000 rubles. or passport.
Sokolniki Park"
In total, the park has approximately 45 km of ski slopes for classic skiing. But basically they are all “wild”, therefore their quality leaves much to be desired. At the end of last year, Sokolniki opened the first all-weather track with artificial snow, which is groomed with a snowcat. True, it could not stand the December thaw and melted. I had to refill. Its length is 2.2 km. But only half of the distance has been covered qualitatively - the one that runs along the Luchevy glades. There you can ride both skate and classic. The same wide area is illuminated. The track is even partially fenced with a two-meter grid so that strangers do not stop by. For the rest, it passes through the forest, where you can only go in a classic way along a narrow ski track. At the box office, it is embarrassing that visitors who come to the free skating rink use it, so there is a catastrophic lack of space to change shoes. But there are many cafes in which you can then warm up.
How to get there: m. "Sokolniki"
Equipment rental: 150 rub. for 2 hours. Deposit - 4000 rubles. for one pair of skis or your choice - 1000 rubles. plus a passport. Renting a cell in a wardrobe - 100 rubles.
Fili Park
There are also three routes laid here: 1, 3 and 5 km. They are prepared for lovers of the classic course, so that skiers do not interfere with others walking along the snow-covered alleys. The ski track is narrow, but at least it was visible. The relief of the distance is flat - without steep ascents and descents. You can rent skis.