ASTANA – Winter’s fairytale, picturesque mountains, the snow-covered trees, rapid speeds, and the snow shining on the sun. What could be better than feeling the freedom that comes with skiing, snowboarding or skating?
Shymbulak mountain resort. Photo credit: The Shymbulak’s Instagram page
Kazakhstan’s winter resorts offer modern facilities and infrastructure at comparably lower prices than popular foreign ski locations.
Recently, travel guide publisher Lonely Planet included Kazakhstan in its annual Best in Travel 2025 list, which features 30 must-visit destinations globally. This year, India Today named Kazakhstan the most-searched holiday destination among Indian travelers. According to The New York Times, Almaty made it into the TOP-52 best tourist destinations.
Almaty and its environs provide excellent opportunities for diverse winter sports vacations. In a recent article, The Astana Times discovered Kazakhstan’s top ski resorts.
Shymbulak mountain resort
Located in the scenic gorge of the Trans-Ili Alatau at 2,260 meters above sea level, Shymbulak is Kazakhstan’s and Central Asia’s largest ski destination. Established in 1954 and situated just 32 kilometers from Almaty, it features 25 kilometers of trails with an altitude difference of 920 meters. Ten lifts serve the resort, including chair and tow lifts.
Photo credit: olympic.kz
The resort offers three cable car lines. The Medeu-Shymbulak ropeway reaches the base station at 2,260 meters, where restaurants and other amenities are located. Tickets range from 2,000-4,000 tenge (US$4-8), depending on the day, cabin type, and age group. Two additional ropeways, Kombi-1 (2,860 meters) and Kombi-2 (3,200 meters), extend to the Talgar Pass.
This year marks Shymbulak’s 70th anniversary and it was listed among the top five ski locations by Condé Nast Italia.
Oi-Qaragai
Also known as Pine Gorge or Forest Fairy Tale, this resort, 17 kilometers from Almaty, offers pristine nature and active recreation options. It has ski and tubing trails, a ski school, a climbing wall, and a zip line. Five lifts lead to the peaks with the highest point, Zher-Su, at 1,821 meters.
Photo credit: oiqaragai.com
Beyond skiing and snowboarding, Oi-Qaragai features horseback riding, forest excursions, and a rope park. The resort is designed to minimize environmental impact, using electric vehicles for internal transport. Accommodation includes cottages and treehouses with scenic views. Cable cars operate from 9am to 5pm, with night skiing available from 7pm to 11pm
Ak-Bulak
Located in Soldier’s Gorge, 40 kilometers from Almaty, Ak-Bulak offers picturesque views, varied trails, and diverse activities. The resort features 14 kilometers of slopes with different levels of difficulty, including green trails for beginners, with a tow lift, found in the lower section. Intermediate trails wind through scenic pine and birch groves, offering a two-kilometer descent. Advanced black trails at the summit cater to experienced skiers.
Photo credit: ski-atlas.ru
The resort’s season runs from December to March, with snow machines on main slopes. After skiing, guests can relax in a spa with a salt cave, pool, sauna, and massage services. The fitness center offers various activities, including yoga and mini-football. An equestrian club is a short drive away.
Medeu Ice Skating Rink
The Medeu open-air ice skating rink bears the status of the world’s largest high-mountain complex for winter sports.
The skating rink, with an area of 10,500 square meters located in the high mountain tract of Medeu at the height of 1,691 meters, was named this way to honor local entrepreneur Medeu Pusurmanov, who initiated the exploitation of a picturesque tract in the foothills of the Trans-Ili Alatau mountains back in the second half of the 19th century.
Photo credit: visitalmaty.kz
Medeu became a Mecca for speed skaters in the 1950s. The Soviet national team’s head coach Konstantin Kudryavtsev saw that Kazakh athletes demonstrated better results while performing in Almaty than in Siberia due to “the more slippery ice in their home country.” The Medeu tract was then chosen as the site for a new skating rink.
According to experts, an optimal level of solar radiation, low pressure, gentle wind, and the unique composition of ice obtained from the pure water of Malaya Almatinka River contribute to reaching a high speed of sliding.
Currently, Medeu is a center of mass skating, where Almaty citizens and guests holiday spend their free time from the beginning of October to April.
Altai Alps ski resort
The Altai Alps is an all-season resort located 40 kilometers from Ust-Kamenogorsk in eastern Kazakhstan, with a long season from November to April thanks to abundant snowfall.
Photo credit: qazaqstan3d.kz
The resort offers five cable cars, 12 slopes served by five lifts, with trails ranging from 600 to 2,400 meters in length and off-piste runs through meadows and forests. Facilities include two rental points and a ski school. Other activities include snowshoeing, sledding, tubing, and snowmobiling.
The Panorama slope is a new addition, situated in one of the resort’s most scenic areas. It offers a warm-up descent suitable for beginners and seasoned riders alike.
Burabai ski resort
For a more relaxed experience, Burabai ski resort in Northern Kazakhstan, located among scenic hills, offers gentle slopes surrounded by coniferous forests and lakes. This family-friendly destination is popular for its proximity to the Santa Claus residence, where children can enjoy sleigh rides with horses, reindeer, or huskies.
Photo credit: baigenews.kz
The resort’s cable cars stretch 600 meters, with various slope sections catering to both beginners and experienced skiers.
Koksai tourist ski resort
Koksai tourist ski resort in the Zhambyl Region, which opened in 2023, can accommodate up to 500 people daily It consists of an ethno-tourism village, a hotel complex, and several restaurants. The facility is fully supplied with electricity from solar panels.
The resort offers both winter and summer sports recreation activities. Winter activities include skiing, snowboarding, and snow tubing. The long-run ski slope has conditions suited for beginner skiers. In the summer, tourists can ride horses and go hiking.
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Astana-based Alau Ice Palace is an indoor speed skating facility with a seating capacity of 8,000. The sports facility features speed skating events and training sessions for mini-bandy, ice hockey, short track, curling, and figure skating.
Barys Arena, built in 2015, is a multi-purpose indoor arena in Astana, that serves as the home venue for Barys Astana of the Kontinental Hockey League (KHL). Barys Arena can host various sports, such as hockey, figure skating, swimming, synchronized swimming, and diving.The arena seats 11,626 spectators for ice hockey.
Athletes’ successes in 2024
In 2024, Kazakh ski jumper Ilya Mizernykh, 16, won Kazakhstan’s first gold in the Gangwon 2024 Winter Youth Olympics, which took place from Jan. 19 until Feb. 1. The athlete beat 38 competitors from 21 countries and scored 214 points. Polina Omelchuk secured bronze in short track speed skating and Kazakhstan’s junior ice hockey team won the bronze medal in the men’s 3-on-3 event.
Overall, 42 athletes represented Kazakhstan.
Astana honored Denis Ten with International Figure Skating Tournament
In October last year, nearly 100 ice skaters from around the world gathered at Barys Arena in Astana for the fifth Denis Ten Memorial Challenge tournament, commemorating a celebrated Kazakh figure skater who tragically passed away in July 2018. Ten won Kazakhstan’s first ever medal in Olympic figure skating at the Sochi Winter Olympics in 2014.
The event served as an International Skating Union (ISU) challenger competition, allowing athletes to earn points for major international championships.
Denis Ten Memorial Challenge’s gala show in Astana on Oct.5, headlined by world champions. Photo credit: The Astana Times / Nagima Abuova
The competition featured single skating and ice dancing in both adult and junior categories. The judging panel included representatives from 28 participating countries.
The Georgian team’s Anastasia Gubanova won the women’s division with 195.91 points, Kazakhstan’s Sofia Samodelkina secured silver with 189.67 points, and Italy’s Lara Naki Gutmann earned bronze with 188.86 points.
Kazakhstan’s Mikhail Shaidorov claimed gold in the men’s competition, setting a personal best with 95.50 points in the short program. In the free skate program, Shaidorov earned 166.83 points, finishing with a total score of 262.33.
Today, events such as the Denis Ten Memorial Challenge serve as a way for the nation and the international figure skating community to honor his memory and contributions to the sport. The academy that bears his name continues to nurture young talents, ensuring his influence endures.
