Ski Kazakhstan - She Travels Abroad

Kazakhstan is a great idea for a ski holiday given its ideal position between resort development and price. So while it may not be your first thought when brainstorming where to take your family or friends, it’s definitely worth considering. With its eastern regions located in the north western edge of the Himalayas, Kazakhstan has mountains galore, and thanks to a few decades of oil wealth, it was developed these areas into some pretty good resorts. Skiing in Kazakhstan is good!

For a day pass during high season, you’re looking at just under 20,000KZT (about 40USD). I just checked the 2025 price of a day pass at Whistler, Canada and nearly choked. Its almost 300CAD… which is over 200USD!!

You’re not going to get the trail length that you might in more developed parts of the winter world, but if you are looking for an affordable ski holiday for you and your friends and family, then why not try out the resorts of Central Asia’s largest country? The bonus is that you also get to tick off a cool new country from your list!

Where can you ski in Kazakhstan?

Kazakhstan has a few developed ski resorts, mostly concentrated in the south eastern part of the country, around the cities of Almaty and Shymkent. I’ve provided a little summary of each of the resorts I know about below. You can also take a look at the technical specs of some of Kazakhstan’s ski resort at skiresort.info. Do take skiresort.info’s list with a grain of salt though, as it lists a couple of places I don’t believe are open.

Shymbulak

Shymbulak is a great resort above Almaty and is very well developed. It has one main slope, which is a little steep in parts and can get a bit icy, but it is also a glorious resort with a great view – if the weather is good! At 3,200 m high at its peak, it also has the longest season of all the ski locations. There are several other slopes for the beginners amongst you, so don’t fear, you needn’t go to the top to enjoy the resort! And they have a decent ski school with more and more English speaking instructors.

The resort has a big range of hotels and accommodations for a variety of budgets. It also has plenty of restaurants and cafes.

Shymbulak is about 45min from Dostyk Plaza. The last 20min of the journey must be taken by gondola which is a cool thing to do, however, you can also opt for an electric taxi, which is the only vehicle allowed past the barrier onto the mountain. You can either order these to take you up from the city through the Yandex app, or you can find them outside the Medeu Skating Rink, just up the hill from the gondola base station.

Find out more about why I think you should visit Shymbulak!

Oi Qaragai/Lesnaya Skazka

A similarly well developed resort, Oi Qaragai is lower in altitude and has a wider variety of slopes which makes things a bit easier if there is a range of abilities in your group. I go there regularly in winter with a group of friends of varying skill and it’s usually a very satisfying day for everyone. The ski school is good and has some instructors who speak English.

The resort has a range of accommodations to fit your budget and group size. And it has a decent number of restaurants and cafes.

Oi Qaragai is about 45min from Dostyk Plaza by car. You can park right opposite the chairlift which makes things easy if you have lots of stuff.

Check out why I reckon you’re going to enjoy Oi Qaragai!

Ak Bulak

A relatively developed ski resort about an hour away from Almaty. Being a bit further away I have only visited it once. It’s not quite as glitzy as the ones closer to the city. There is a ski school though I’ve not tried it myself. I suspect there are fewer English speaking instructors here given the clientele are largely Russian and Kazakh speakers.

I also haven’t had much luck with getting a booking at the hotel in the resort. Even so, I still think you’ll enjoy a visit to Ak Bulak!

Tau Samaly

Located about 1.5 hours from Shymkent, this resort is a bit smaller than the Almaty ones. Thats about all the info I can give as I haven’t been to this one before!

Ski Touring in Ridder

If you prefer ski-touring you can also take a look around Ridder. Check out this tour group for some ideas, but there are plenty of groups that run tours out that way. My husband has done a weekend out here and thought it was great!

Where to hire equipment?

You can hire everything you need at the resorts themselves, but it’s almost always cheaper to hire down in the city at one of the local outlets. My in-laws hired kit recently from Skadi, located on Dostyk Avenue in Almaty. When I need things for my kids I use Fischer, which is just around the corner from Skadi, and has a good range of stuff for children.

What do I know about skiing in Kazakhstan?

I’ve been living here and visiting Almaty ski resorts 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 take a look at my other posts on skiing in Kazakhstan.