If you want to broaden your ski and snowboard horizons, follow in the footsteps of Prince Harry and plan a visit to the ‘Heavenly Mountains’ of Kazakhstan. LISA YOUNG provides a pre season taste of what you will find when you get there
Most people have preconceptions of Kazakhstan… perhaps of a weather-beaten man on horseback holding a golden eagle, the desert of the Asian Steppe, or world-famous mosques and mausoleums.
There is all of that, but you might be surprised to discover that it is a young, sophisticated and modern nation and it’s a country that wants to be taken seriously.
On 16 December 2021, Kazakhstan celebrated 30 years of independence from the Soviet Union. In those three decades, the world’s ninth-largest country has asserted itself as an economic powerhouse, putting youth, education, entrepreneurialism and diversity at the core of its priorities, aiming to join the ranks of the most developed countries by 2050.
With a population of just 18.75 million (in 2020), Kazakhstan sits in the middle of the historic Silk Road, the network of ancient trade routes established during the Han Dynasty of China. Its capital city is Nur-Sultan, the official languages are Kazakh and Russian, the main religion is Islam, and you’ll be able to do a lot with the local currency, the Kazakhstani tenge (KZT).
In October I flew into Almaty, it’s largest city, which rivals any western metropolis with trendy bars, chic nightclubs, international-style restaurants, and high-end shopping. The already snow-capped peaks of the Tian Shan mountains formed a picturesque background, but I was just a little too early to ski. The ski season generally runs from late November to May.
Kazakhstan may not be the first destination that comes to mind when you think of a winter holiday, but the Tian Shan (Heavenly Mountain) – a system of ranges that extends across Central Asia and cuts across southeast Kazakhstan – offers spectacular skiing opportunities.
The mountains here are home to the elusive snow leopard. During the coronavirus lockdown, a snow leopard family was spotted on a popular hiking path near Almaty. The protected big cats are rarely spotted, let alone near a city.
From the luxury of the Rixos Hotel in bustling Almaty, I drove 15km to the wilderness of the Maloalmatinsky Gorge and Kazakhstan’s largest ski destination, the Shymbulak Mountain Resort, 3,200m above sea level, with breath-taking scenery. You can easily reach the resort from any part of the city by bus or taxi.
There are many benefits of skiing here – a long ski season, great pistes, backcountry and heli-skiing, reasonably priced international flights (I connected through Istanbul), cheap ski passes, proximity to a big city, fabulous restaurants, and a different culture to explore. Plus, with a few extra non-ski days during your trip, you can visit the stunning steppes, Charyn Canyon, and Big Almaty Lake in thee-Alatau National Park.
I stopped to explore Medeu Ice Rink, the highest skating rink on earth and a training base for many world-class skaters. It was built in 1972 for speed and figure skating, using glacial water from the surrounding mountains.
It has a small museum with mementos of celebrities who have visited, including a guest book with the signature of Russian politician Leonid Brezhnev, former Secretary General of the communist party of the Soviet Union, who visited the rink in the 70s.
The rink is an easy cable car ride from the ski resort for those that want a few fun-filled hours away from the slopes. It’s also a popular place for Almaty locals to watch ice speedway racing on weekends.
The mountain road twists higher into the mountains and I drove past the vast Medeu mudflow protection dam, built to protect the city from devastating mud slides. In 1973, the dam protected the city by holding back some 4.5 million cubic metres of water and debris which poured down the gorge.
When I reached Shymbulak, I found large, luxurious homes around the base station, some private and some rental. For now, the resort is frequented mostly by local, Russian and Korean skiers, as well as winter sports enthusiasts from Ukraine and India. I also ran into an American, Mark Ouellette, a tourist from Pennsylvania on his first visit to Kazakhstan.
“The natural surroundings are breath-taking and the food too. I’d recommend this place to anyone, especially for the landscapes. The locals are friendly and hospitable, and I’ve had no difficulties at all in getting around because lots of people speak English and it’s easy to navigate using taxis,” he said.
The resort has been the location for international political meetings, and Vladimir Putin has been here to ski. In 2014, Prince Harry flew in by helicopter for a private skiing holiday.
Shymbulak’s Doppelmayr gondola is one of the longest in the world at 4,050 metres long. Each winter, the gondola, built in 2011, carries around 2,000 people an hour up the mountain to the slopes.
You can see most of the runs from the base station as they are in a bowl-shaped setting. There are roughly 20km of pistes for both skiers and snowboarders, all named and classified with the European green, blue, red and black colour-coded system (roughly 4km beginner, 10km intermediate, 6km advanced). There is a ski school with English, Russian, and Kazakh speaking instructors, plus guides for backcountry skiing and ski touring.
Inside the chalet restaurant at Shymbulak base station PHOTO: Lisa Young
The base station’s Chalet Restaurant offers an alpine-style dining experience and you’d be forgiven for thinking you were in the French Alps. The food is very good, and dishes include hearty mountain food and lots of salads, meat dishes… and sometimes horse meat in various guises. That’s a local delicacy.
Typical traditional dishes and beverages might include Khachapuri (flatbread with cheese), Baursak (small pieces of dough fried in oil), Shalapor Mare’s Milk (a sour or fermented horse milk drink) and Georgian wine.
On Thursdays and Saturdays, the cable car and some lifts stay open late for night skiing. Horse riding through the winter snow is also an option.
Come with an open mind and ready to be amazed by this hidden gem of a country.
If you’re lucky, you may even see a snow leopard!
TRAVEL FACTS
Getting to Kazakhstan and Almaty:
Direct flights on Air Astana (a Kazakh airline) from London Heathrow to the capitol Nur Sultan operate on Saturdays and Wednesdays, with connecting flights to Almaty and other airports within the country and internationally. The flight time is 6 hours 49 minutes (3,479 miles). Air Astana is a modern airline with great links around Kazakhstan: airastana.com/global/en-us
Skating Rink: medeu.kz
Rixos Hotel Almaty: rixos.com/en/hotel-resort/rixos-almaty
Shymbulak Mountain Resort: shymbulak.com
Shyambulak Mountain Resort ski pass prices 2021/2022 season:
Prices are listed in GBP and KZT (Kazakhstani Tenge).
Adult weekend day pass: KZT 11,400 (£19.50); weekdays KZT 7,600 (£13).
Ages 11 to 23: weekend day pass KZT 11,400 (£19.50); weekdays KZT 5,300 (£9).
Children aged 6 to 10: weekend day pass KZT 4,800 (£8.30); weekdays KZT 2,900 (£5).
Ski passes purchased online receive 5% discount.
Ski passes purchased on the official ‘Shyambulak’ app receive a 15% discount.
Children from 3 years and up can attend ski school and for snowboarding school it’s from 8 years old. Personal or group lessons are available for kids and adults with Kazakh or Russian instructors.
Lisa Young visited Kazakhstan by invitation from the Nursultan Nazarbayev Foundation:
Categories: Resort News & Reports