Two rinks in a rock cave 40 metres underground in Turku, built as a civil defence shelter
Varissuo Ice Hall was built into a civil defence shelter and lies in a rock cave 40 metres below the surface. Two rinks of 28 by 60 metres and a gym share the cave. The hall turned 40 in November 2023, and in its early years visitors were taken down from street level by lift.
The ice has a reputation of its own. A long-serving hockey analyst told Yle in 2023 that it compares with the ice of the Montreal Canadiens' home arena, and a drying system installed in the rock over the years keeps humidity off the rinks.
Local hockey players, figure skaters and ringette teams book the ice, and in summer NHL players and top figure skaters train there. The hall was named Practice Hall of the Year for 2022-23. In summer 2022 the first of its users to win the Stanley Cup came back with the trophy.
Admission, rentals and arrival details, researched from official rink information. Source checks stay current for 30 days.
Public skating sessions at Varissuon jäähalli are free of charge and stick-free; sticks and pucks are allowed only on stick sessions, which are held mostly in school holidays, according to the City of Turku.
Source checked · · Official source
The hall has two skate-sharpening points, according to the City of Turku; the page does not mention skate hire.
Source checked · · Official source
The hall is entered through the car-park hall on the Suurpäänkatu side, and the city lists car-park hall parking for the ice hall.
Source checked · · Official source
The city lists a lift to the facilities on weekdays 7.00-15.30 from the Kraatarinkatu side and an accessible section between the 350-person standing stands.
Source checked · · Official source
A source check records what the rink published on that date. Session-specific booking details take precedence.
