Contest #513: Medeu, Almaty, Kazakhstan

Advertised as “The Highest Skating Rink in the World” (it’s not, there’s one in Breckenridge, Colorado, USA that, at 3445 m is over twice as high), Medeu is a speed skating rink that is also used for Bandy (similar to hockey, but with a ball instead of a puck).

Upon its completion in 1951, Medeu became the premier training and competition site for Speed Skating for the Soviet Union. Many world records in speed skating were set here until the costs of maintaining and promoting Medeu proved to be too much for Kazakhstan post-USSR.

Medeobanen2.jpg

In the summer, the site was used as a concert ground where the “Азия Дауысы” (Voice of Asia) music festival from 1990 to 2004.

The site is protected by a mud-flow dam just to the south (slightly out of the picture).

Those who found this place before the hint included:

  • Phil Ower
  • David Kozina
  • mehmet durmus
  • Garfield
  • Andy McConnell
  • Lighthouse
  • Eloy Cano
  • hhgygy

and after:

  • Rob de Wolff
  • Tuxedo Jones

Contest #512 – Fliegeberg, Berlin, Germany

Otto Lilienthal was a pioneer in gliders. Starting in 1891, he was one of the first to fly in these and not immediately die in the process. In 1894, he got tired of traveling all over Germany to find good launch spots, so he decided to build one near his home in Lichterfelde, which is now part of Berlin.

Some years after his death in 1896 (yes, his luck ran out with respect to glider flights and he broke his neck during a crash), the monument was added to the top of the artificial hill. The monument consists of a bronze globe with a circular pavilion.

Those who took off here and landed before the hint included:

  • hhgygy
  • Eloy Cano
  • Rodrigo Jurado
  • David Kozina
  • mehmet durmus
  • Lighthouse
  • Garfield
  • Ridicully
  • Phil Ower
  • Rob de Wolff

And after the hint:

  • Andy McConnell
  • Ashwini Agrawal
  • Chris Nason
  • Declan Moore
  • Luís Filipe Miguel

Contest #511: the wall they call El Capitan in Yosemite National Park, USA

Another wall contest – this time a 900 metre monster in Yosemite National Park in California, USA.

It has been a climbing challenge for years, with The Nose in the Centre of the contest image at first conquered in 1957 in a monstrous 47 day effort.

Climbs by groups now can be done in a few days or for those going fast, a few hours.

A route named Freerider was recently climbed in about 4 hours, incredible to me as a non-climber.

An article on the first free climb of El Capitan

Found this wall:

  • Glenmorren
  • Lighthouse
  • hhgygy
  • Phil Ower
  • Eloy Cano
  • Garfield
  • Jeather
  • Chris Nason
  • mehmet durmus
  • Ridicully
  • Andy McConnell
  • Steve Hoge
  • David Kozina
  • Rodrigo Jurado
  • Tuxedo Jones

After the hint:

  • LawnBoy
  • Ben S
  • Declan Moore
  • donaaronio
  • Rob de Wolff

Contest #511 Hint

A horizontal view would make this contest very easy – but you will have to wait for the reveal post to get that.

While waiting, think about early attempts taking days and then about someone doing this in less than 4 hours.