Shymbulak - steep fall-lines and yurtas in Kazakhstan

After spending our last spring break in Georgia, we ventured a bit further east this time and headed for Kazakhstan, another untouched spot on my skiing bucket list. We arrived on a night flight from Dubai. The flight time is almost 4,5 hours, but 45 minutes after landing in Almaty, we checked into our hotel in Shymbulak. Driving up to Shymbulak is easy, infrastructure is very impressive with nice wide roads all the way up to Medev, the former Olympic skatestadium. From there, you can either take the gondola or continue on the gated road, which only drivers with permits can pass through.

Shymbulak itself is small with only one hotel at the bottom of the slopes, Hotel Shymbulak, and a little square with several restaurants and cafes. There's even a Paul's, which was quite a surprise in this remote mountain area, but a testimony to the clientele it receives. Hotel Shymbulak is a little bit dated, and rooms could be refreshed , but with a great location and beautiful views, it is still perfect for a family holiday. At the middle station there is also a newer and somewhat more chic hotel with only a few rooms, perfect for anyone who really wants to stay on the mountain as it's only accessible with the gondola.

Shymbulak is only 25km from Almaty and it is flooded by weekend skiers on Saturdays and Sundays. The first thing that greeted us was a live band, local dance groups and a falcon ready to entertain the Almaty middle and upper class who escaped the congested city for some mountain air (and entertainment, allegedly). The majority of the visitors are skiers, all wanting to rent skis and equipment. There is only one place for this, with the worst organization I have ever seen in my life. And of course with no English speaking staff. After hours of mayhem and passing on skis with holes (no kidding) our equipment was not too bad in the end, but word of advise, bring your own skis (if you have), to save you from this painful experience. Ski pass organisation was marginally better, but with no weekly or multi-day pass, we had to go out to buy a new pass every morning.

Once we hit the mountain though, all this pain was soon forgotten. Although Shymbulak is the largest ski resort in Central Asia, it is a very small resort, with only two major gondolas, a chairlift on the top and an anchor lift and kids area at the bottom. Despite the relatively small area, the altitude drop is over 1000 meter and the highest point is above 3200 meters. Snow conditions were great and the mountain can be skied all over, with varying steepness and some really nice ungroomed areas. From the resort there are also lots of possibilities for ski touring. We found a very nice ski instructor for the girls in the local ski school and booked private lessons daily as they couldn't join the group lessons due to language barrier. Our ski instructor Natasha was great though, she spoke fluent English and showed us all the good spots on the mountain.

There is only one real restaurant on the slopes (in that chic hotel at the middle station) but at the top there is also a snack bar and at the bottom there are plenty of cafes and places for light meals. After ski is best enjoyed either at the hotel or at the local bar / pizzeria next door, where they had an impressive selection of beer and even a play area for kids. Night time the little square at the bottom of the lift turned quiet though, as the local residents headed back down town. The few tourists that were left (ie us and a random selection of gulf residents and adventurers) would therefore venture back to the hotel for dinner, but no harm in that. Kazakhstan has a very nice and hearty kitchen, lots of salads, soaps, casseroles, meat and bbq and we tried different things on the menu every day, while spending our evenings in the cozy restaurant with board games and local draughts and wine.

Shymbulak may be a bit small for a full week of skiing (although we managed quite well) but with an impressive fall line, high altitude skiing and great snow conditions I would definitely recommend it for a long weekend. Prices are cheap and the resort is easily accessible from the airport. Do bring your own skis though, or be prepared to take a deep breath before you hit the ski hire mayhem and immerse yourself in the 'cultural experience'. I will take my touring skis next time, to explore more of the beautiful mountains surrounding Shymbulak (and maybe learn a few words of Russian, it may come in handy...)

HOW TO GET THERE?

Flying from Dubai to Almaty with flydubai takes 4h20 minutes. www.flydubai.com.

The flights arrive very early morning so make sure you have transport arranged upon arrival as everything will be closed. The hotel can help with this. Also departing flights leave very early so you will need to book return transport from the hotel.

We stayed at Hotel Shymbulak, which is the only option in the ski resort itself. They can be booked on booking.com or directly on https://shymbulakhotel.kz/en/ . The hotel at the middle station is called Hotel S.N.e.G.

SOME FACTS KAZAKHSTAN

Inhabitants:           19,4 Millions

Surface:            2,724,900 KM2

Language:            Kazakh & Russian

Currency:             Tenge (KZT)