Shymbulak, one of Kazakhstan’s best resorts, is a great choice for skiers and snowboarders of all levels, as well as the non-skiers!
If you’re staying in Almaty then you’ll want to see the mountains, so why not visit Shymbulak Mountain Resort. In the winter, Shymbulak is a great choice for skiers and snowboarders of all ability levels. While not the only ski resort accessible from Almaty, it’s certainly the most popular. It has a great vibe, a number of bustling restaurants, and a large ski school. There are so many reasons Shymbulak is a great choice for your next ski holiday! And at 3200m above sea level, it also has the longest ski season of all the Almaty resorts.
Shymbulak is your best choice if you are wanting to ski or snowboard early or late in the season. The season generally lasts from November/December through to April making it the longest of the Almaty ski resorts. This 2023-2024 season started in early December, which is a moderately late start (we’re having a warm winter!). However, I would expect the season to continue until late March or even early April.
Is Shymbulak a great choice for beginners?
Shymbulak has a steeper main run than the other resorts in the region, however, it’s a fine ski resort for those who are at beginner and intermediate levels. There are two beginner slopes to the left as you exit the gondola. The ski school is right next to the gentlest one, part of the same complex as the Cashier and Information Desks. Talgar Pass is also a friendly slope on the non-city side of the mountain.
Shymbulak is a great choice if you need an instructor. Both my kids are now taking lessons with one of the wonderful English speaking instructors from the ski school. My son (3) is on the smaller beginner slope and my daughter (6) has advanced onto the bigger and more challenging one. I have only used the ski school myself here once before but I have spent a lot of time practicing on the main slope. Living in such close proximity to the resort has given me a great opportunity to become a better skier, and so now I am on my way to reaching an intermediate level! And I have enjoyed Shymbulak from the start, even when I was a beginner.
As I mentioned, there are two beginner slopes at the base of the slope. The true beginner slope has two magic carpet lifts (one on either side of the run), one of which appears to be for classes and instructors only. The second beginner slope is a slightly more advanced (longer and steeper) slope with a T Bar lift.
All of Shymbulak’s slopes are usually well-groomed making them manageable for various ability levels. The chairlifts run from 9am to about 4pm/5pm (the chairlifts further up the mountain close closer to 4pm).
Is Shymbulak a great choice for expert skiers?
Expert skiers and boarders may not feel as challenged at Shymbulak as they would in some of the world’s bigger resorts. The slopes here are pretty good in my opinion, however, I am not an expert skier. There is one main run, which, while challenging to beginners, can be easily conquered by experienced skiers. The main run also has some smaller paths off to the sides, and they offer some more excitement.
But do not fear, my expert skiers, the Shymbulak area is a great choice for you too – consider joining a ski tour group in the back country if you’re looking for a challenge. While I am nowhere near the level required to take part in these trips, I do hear they are fun! I would recommend contacting a local ski tour company such as Freeride who many of my (expert skier) friends rate highly.
If you’re busy during the day, Shymbulak is a great choice for you as night skiing is available several times per week during ski season. The chairlifts stop for 2 hours for the pre-night ski grooming on Tuesday, Thursday and Saturday nights (for the 2023-2024 season anyway). Then the lifts run 7pm till 11pm. Night skiing is super popular here so do be prepared for a crowd.
Can children enjoy Shymbulak too?
Yes, Shymbulak is a great choice for young skiers as well as little non-skiers. Visitors with small kids can find a cool new creche called El Kiddo next to the ski school. It is 4,500 KZT for the first hour, and the price per hour gets subsequently cheaper. Kids 3 and under need a babysitter or an accompanying adult (adult entry is 500 KZT). The babysitter is an additional 4,000 KZT/hour.
There are arts and crafts, a cubby house, sports equipment and a tv with beanbags. My kids are always keen to visit to the creche.
If your child has a ski instructor booked, you can arrange for the instructor to pick up and/or drop off at El Kiddo. There is a lot of choice of instructors at Shymbulak, and many of them speak English. Interestingly, you might notice that classes are not run with large groups of small children here. Instead, instruction is typically done one-on-one, or one instructor will take 2 children.
Where to eat at Shymbulak?
Shymbulak is a great choice if you’re a foodie, or if you’re just hungry! There are so many great restaurants here at Shymbulak, most of them around the base of the main chairlift. Some of Almaty’s city restaurants have opened franchises up here (Big Chef, Paul) but there are also some standalone ones, such as Chalet. There are also restaurants up the slope. Sneg Hotel has a restaurant in the middle of the slope, to the left of where you exit the first chairlift. Across the slope you can find La Skala, which you can access by the KKD-4 chairlift. On the top your options include the yurt restaurant at the end of the Tenir Eco Hotel chalets, serving traditional Central Asian cuisine, and Syn 32, with its unique dome shape, just to the left of the chairlift exit.
If you’ve been to Shymbulak before, you may be wondering why I haven’t mentioned the beloved Oblaka restaurant. I’m sorry to say that it burnt down in early 2023 and is yet to be rebuilt. I really did love Oblaka.
There are plenty of bathrooms at Shymbulak
If availability of bathrooms (and their cleanliness!) is important to you then Shymbulak is a great choice for you! They are all western style toilets here, and are easy enough to find and free to use. At the base of the slope there are some public ones in the ski school reception and at the exit point of the ski rental. There are also some at the top of the mountain, to the right of the chair lift exit. The restaurants all have bathrooms as well. All the public and restaurant toilets are clean, warm and are well maintained.
Time your visit: Get there early!
Shymbulak is a great choice if you’re an early bird! I’ve been here since 2021 and it still surprises me how busy Shymbulak gets in the afternoons. Almaty folks sure enjoy getting out of the city, but not till after lunch! So time your visit for earlier in the day if you can, and – especially on a weekend – the earlier the better! The gondola opens at 8.30am and closes at 6.00pm.
If you’ve bought a morning pass, take note of the end time or you will need to buy another ticket to get down the mountain, as I discovered recently. A morning pass gives you chairlift use from 9am-1.30pm. Then you need to be on the gondola by 2pm to get back down the mountain. To be honest, I would just buy an all day pass, which, at 13,000 KZT (~29 USD) for a weekend day, is only slightly more expensive than the morning pass at 12,000 KZT. Please check the Shymbulak cable car page for up-to-date ticket prices.
Also worth noting is that the resort has its own IOS app where you can buy ski and gondola tickets, pay for parking etc. You can even use Apple Pay! There’s also an Android app.
Bring your own equipment or rent!
If you have your own equipment, that’s amazing. If you don’t, rent instead! You can rent from any number of places in the city which is generally cheaper, but you can rent on the mountain if you prefer. There are two rental shops at Shymbulak: one at the gondola base, and the second at the top of the gondola, almost directly underneath the first chairlift. The rental shop at the top of the gondola is far more likely to be outrageously busy – even first thing in the morning! Even on a weekday morning! Therefore, please do consider getting your kit at the gondola base and taking it up with you.
How to get to Shymbulak
Shymbulak is a great choice given how close to Almaty it is. Door-to-door from Al Farabi, its about 45 minutes. A 20 minute drive from Al Farabi to Medeu gets you to the base of gondola, and another 20 minutes gets you to the first chairlift, Combi 1. The gondola is a fun way to travel up to Shymbulak, and if you’re travelling with kids, they’ll be spellbound. For an all day weekend pass on the gondola and resort chairlifts, you’re looking at around 13,000KZT (~29 USD). Kids under 6 ride for free.
To reach the gondola station, you can drive yourself, take a Yandex taxi, or catch the bus. I prefer to drive myself. Usually spots close to the gondola are found quite easily, and parking is very affordable at approximately 500KZT (~1USD) for the day. Alternatively, Yandex taxis are a couple thousand tenge and so are quite affordable. I haven’t caught a bus here before, however, I know plenty of people who have and it is super affordable. To get to Shymbulak by bus you’ll need to catch Bus 12, which you can do from Dostyk Plaza. Then get off the bus one stop before Medeu Skating Rink. Many buses on their way up to Medeu have standing room only, so do take that into consideration.
Guests at Shymbulak Hotel can catch an electric taxi from just outside the Medeu Skating Rink entrance and it’ll drop you off right outside the reception. I would still recommend going up on the gondola instead, as it’s a fun experience and very straightforward.
Flights to Almaty are served by many well known airlines: Qatar Airways, Turkish Airlines, Lufthansa. National carrier, Air Astana is also a great premium option, with flights most days from London Heathrow.
Stay for the day or stay overnight
You can do Shymbulak in a day or spend the night in one of the resort hotels. Here are three hotels I’ve stayed in, in order of position on the slope:
Base of the slope: Shymbulak Hotel, an alpine style lodge, is on the left after you exit the gondola. It has a restaurant, heated pool and a sauna, and a complimentary breakfast buffet. There are a range of rooms starting from the budget style ‘standard’ up to “Suite +” range of rooms. We’ve always had rooms with balconies that face up the main slope which is fun. It’s the only hotel in this list where you can take a taxi from Medeu to the reception.
Midway up the slope: Sneg Hotel is halfway up the slope, and it is another, slightly smaller, alpine-style lodge. Look to the left as you exit at the end of the first chairlift and you can’t miss it. Please note you cannot take a taxi to this hotel. Your proximity to the slope is good here, with a ski in/ski out set up. The rooms are lovely, and being a bit further up the mountain you do get great views. The rooms are slightly bigger than Shymbulak Hotel and so our bathroom, for example, had a sauna.
Top of slope: Tenir Eco Hotel is the newest and most modern looking of the hotels. At the top of Shymbulak’s main run, it has a stunning vista of the surrounding mountains. Access is via the chairlift, and taxis cannot get up here. Each room is a detached cabin, giving guests a little more privacy. The cabins have saunas and access to the slopes so you can ski in/ski out easily. Children under 8 are not allowed as guests.
What do I know about Shymbulak?
I’ve been living here and visiting Shymbulak since mid 2021 with my family. Visit my About Me page to understand more about my perspective. And check out my Kazakhstan page to find out more about why I think why you should travel to Kazakhstan!
Also, I have the following blog posts on skiing generally in Kazakhstan!