Top-10 -Highest altitude- speedskatingrinks
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Quated from the Mailing List known as "Koeln."

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The idea is that the higher a rink is, the less the air resistance. Therefore faster times should be possible. For the longer distances you  will have to acclimatize(?) though, or you'll meet the 'man with the hammer' in a way you'll long remember. Though nobody seems to know the exact altitude of all speedskating-rinks, I might as well give it a try just to find out whether anybody has corrections and/or additions to the following list:

1. Colorado Springs-Rosemont Reservoir Lake
USA    2865m above sea-level    not in use anymore
Men
500m    39.5    Thomas Gray    USA    26-12-1963
1000m    2.08.9    Howard Wayne Campbell    USA    01-12-1963
5000m    8.03.6    Richard Hunt    USA    26-12-1963
Women
500m    44.4    Jeanne Ashworth    USA    29-12-1963
1000m    1.33.3    Janice Smith    USA    28-12-1963

 2. Keystone
USA    2835m above sea-level     not in use anymore and apparently no man has ever skated there. Women did however (Wch1977)
Women
500m    41.7    Vera Bryndzej    URS    12-02-1977
1000m    1.25.19    Sylvia Burka    CAN    06-02-1977
1500m    2.11.58    Sylvia Burka    CAN    05-02-1977
3000m    4.46.45    Galina Stepanskaja    URS    13-02-1977

 3. Itkol
RUS    2000m above sea-level    not in use anymore, hard to find (just a hotel with sportaccommodations) and nowadays used as ski resort
Men
500m    39.8    Anatoly Lepjosjkin    URS    31-01-1967
1000m    2.07.6    Vladimir Gvozdetskij    URS    06-02-1967

4. Urumqi/Oeroemtsji-Lake Tianchi (Xinjiang/Sinkiang district)
 CHN    1910m above sea-level finally, a highland outdoorrink that is being used
Men
500m    37.31    Hailong Peng    CHN    18-01-1998
1000m    1.16.72    Hailong Peng    CHN    19-01-1998
1500m    1.56.44    Qingbo Feng    CHN    17-01-1998
3000m    4.26.09    Tatsuya Murata    JPN    07-03-1982
5000m    7.25.01    Qingbo Feng    CHN    21-02-1995
10000m    15.19.38    Qingbo Feng    CHN    22-02-1995
Women
500m    40.33(40.31?)    Yanchun You    CHN    19-01-1998
1000m    1.23.72    Lili Huang    CHN    19-01-1998
1500m    2.05.62    Li Song    CHN    17-01-1998
3000m    4.36.39    Li Song    CHN    16-01-1998
5000m    8.04.57    Li Song    CHN    17-01-1998

5. Squaw Valley-Olympic Skating Rink
USA    1890m above sea-level    Olympics 1960    not in use anymore, demolished, freezing installation went to West-Allis (Milwaukee without roof)
Men
500m    39.6    Jevgenij Grishin    URS    28-02-1960
1500m    2.06.3    Juhani Jarvinen    FIN    01-03-1959
3000m    4.29.2    Viktor Kositsjkin    URS    20-02-1960
5000m    7.46.7    Jan Pesman    NED    25-02-1960
10000m    15.46.6    Knut Johannesen    NOR    27-02-1960
Women
500m    45.9    Helga Haase    GDR    20-02-1960
1000m    1.34.1    Klara Guseva    URS    22-02-1960
1500m    2.25.2    Lidija Skoblikova    URS    21-02-1960
3000m    5.14.3    Lidija Skoblikova    URS    23-02-1960

6. Sankt Moritz-Badrutts Park
SWI    1856m above sea-level    Olympics 1928 &1948    not in use anymore
Men
500m    42.0    Georg Krog    NOR    31-01-1939
1000m    1.33.0    Janis Andriksons    LAT    07-02-1935
1500m    2.17.6    Sverre Farstad    NOR    02-02-1948
3000m    5.30.4    Teun Boot    NED    15-01-2024(wrong!!)
5000m    8.28.2    Ivar Ballangrud    NOR    01-02-1939
10000m    17.26.3    Åke Seyffarth    SWE    03-02-1948
Women
500m    64.3    May Torriani    SWI    18-01-1947
1500m    3.10.5    Cocci Rogger    SWI    19-01-1947
5000m?    11.26.2    Cocci Rogger    SWI    18-01-1947

 7. Cortina-Lagua Misurina
ITA    1756m above sea-level    Olympics 1956    not in use anymore
Men
500m    40.2    Jevgenij Grishin    URS    28-01-1956
1000m    1.28.6    Olle Malmsten    SWE    22-01-1956
1500m    2.08.6    Jevgenij Grishin + Jurij Mikhajlov    URS    30-01-1956
3000m    4.54.0    Kornel Pajor    SWE    22-01-1956
5000m    7.48.7    Boris Shilkov    URS    29-01-1956
10000m    16.35.9    Sigge Ericsson    SWE    31-01-1956
Women
500m    53.8    Helga Margreiter    ITA    04-02-1956
1000m    1.49.9    Helga Margreiter    ITA    05-02-1956
3000m    6.08.5    Edda Zambon    ITA    06-02-1956

8. Samjion
DPK    1700m above sea-level
500m    38.2    Jong-Nam Chang    PRK    12-03-1993
1000m    1.17.5    Jong-Nam Chang    PRK    12-03-1993
1500m    1.58.6    In-Chol Choi    PRK    11-03-1994
3000m     4.26.0    Yong-Hun Song    PRK    08-02-1987
5000m    7.30.09    Sergej Fjodorov    URS    16-02-1989
10000m    15.19.98    Sergej Fjodorov    URS    18-02-1989
Women
500m    41.90    Hwa Son Song    PRK    22-12-1991
1000m    1.25.4    ?
1500m    2.14.90    Gang-Ok Li    PRK    17-02-1989
3000m    4.52.0    Claudia Pechstein    GDR    08-02-1987
5000m    8.24.84    Ok Nam Hong    PRK    18-02-1989

9. Medeu (Medeo) - Kompleks Medeu
KZK    1691m above sea-level
Men
500m    36.23    Nick Thometz    USA    26-03-1987
1000m    1.12,05    Nick Thometz    USA    26-03-1987
1500m    1.52.29    Viktor Sjasjerin    URS    23-12-1989
3000m    3.56.65    Sergej Martchuk    URS    11-02-1977
5000m    6.49.15    Viktor Sjasjerin    URS    23-03-1984
10000m    13.54.81    Igor Malkov    URS    28-12-1983
Women
500m    39.28    Bonnie Blair    USA    26-03-1987
1000m    1.19.31    Natalja Petrusjova-Perfiljova    URS    26-03-1983
1500m    1.59.30    Karin Kania-Enke    GDR    22-03-1986
3000m    4.17.20    Gunda Kleemann    GDR    25-03-1988
5000m    7.20.99    Andrea Ehrig-Mitscherlich    GDR    22-03-1986

10. Butte - High Altitude Sports Center
USA    1679m above sea-level
Men
500m    35.27    Hiroyasu Shimizu    JPN    23-01-2000
1000m    1.10.44    Jeremy Wotherspoon    CAN    22-01-2000
1500m    1.53.33    Joey Cheek    USA    21-11-1999
3000m    3.59.40    Jelmer Beulenkamp    NED    28-02-1997
5000m    6.57.18    Johann Olav Koss    NOR    16-12-1990
10000m    14.37.24    Thomas Bos    NED    28-03-1992
Women
500m    39.00    Eriko Sanmiya    USA(wrong!!JPN is correct)     23-01-2000
1000m    1.16.96    Chris Witty    USA    23-01-2000
1500m    2.01.45    Karin Kania-Enke    GDR    28-11-1987
3000m    4.20.27    Karin Kania-Enke    GDR    29-11-1987
5000m    8.02.06    Emese Hunyady    AUT    06-02-1994

Apart from the mistakes I may have made in the correct altitude, some things are really remarkable.
1. Most of these rinks are in the USA
2. Most of these rinks are not being used anymore!
3. These are all outdoor-rinks!

Rinks which didn't make the list because the altitude is unknown (yet) to me,
1. Tsakhadzor-mysterious former soviet highland rink, finally located in Armenia and also known nowadays as Thekenis
It is being used, like Itkol, as a skiing-resort
2. Salt Lake City - Oquirrh Park    The place of the next Olympics. I known it is on a higher altitude than Calgary, which will make it a prime contender for being the fastest rink in the world. The Olympics will sure help for getting awfully fast rink-records.

or because they're high, but just not high enough:
Davos    1560m
Madonna di Campiglio    1450m
Cortina d'Ampezzo    1401m
Ulan Bator    1350m
Ikoinomura and/or Yatsugadake    1300m
Lake Csorba, the place of the European Championship of 1900     1200m
Collalbo-Ritten/Renon Kunsteisbahn    1198m
Collalbo-Lagua di Costalovara    1156m
Koumi    1123m


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