ASTANA – Just outside Almaty, some of the region’s most stunning peaks of the Zailiyskiy Alatau have drawn climbers to their summits for decades. The Astana Times set out to investigate if someone ordinary could climb the mountains as well.
The spring intake of Almaty Mountaineering School on the way to their first ascent to Khrishchatogo peak (3950 meters) after 2.5 months of training. Photo credit: Roman Chekhovskoi/Insta @chekhovskoi_roman
Ada Dussali has been a mountaineering instructor since 2008. Photo provided by Dussali.
Ada Dussali, vice-president of the Almaty Mountaineering Federation in Almaty, also heads the Almaty Mountaineering School, where she leads training programs for both enthusiasts and professionals. According to Dussali, people come to climbing for various reasons: some love the views and the feeling of tranquility in the mountains, some seek socialization with like-minded people, and others just need more adventure in their lives.
“Over the past 5-7 years, we have seen tremendous growth in the popularity of mountaineering. But in Almaty, the mountains have always been loved. Thanks to our convenient location, both tourism and mountaineering have long been popular here,” said Dussali.
“Whether during the Soviet Union era or the recent pandemic, it wasn’t easy to travel abroad from Kazakhstan. As a result, domestic tourism started to grow. Nature became a refuge — a place to escape to, spend time in, and for many people, it was the first time they realized they had easy access to the mountains,” she added.
The mountaineering school offers a training program four times a year at the start of each season. Open to participants aged 16 and up, the intensive course combines theory and practice. Most students are adults, but there is no upper age limit.
The mountaineering school offers a training program four times a year at the start of each season. Photo credit: Roman Chekhovskoi/Insta @chekhovskoi_roman
“We’ve even had students of retirement age. While they may not be aiming for titles like master of sports, many are active, energetic, and capable of completing 2B-grade ascents (climbing difficulty grade signifying a moderate amount of technical climbing). For many, joining the mountaineering school at that age is a way to prepare for higher-altitude expeditions that don’t require advanced rope techniques, such as climbs on Elbrus or Kilimanjaro,” said Dussali.
Alpinism is a sport with no boundaries: regardless of age or gender, everyone stands equal before the mountain.
“In mountaineering, our opponent is not a person, as strange as it may seem, and it is not a mountain, because our goal is the mountain. We are not fighting the mountain; we are overcoming obstacles to make the ascent on the way to the top. And when it comes to these obstacles, it really doesn’t matter whether you’re a man or a woman — they’re equally and objectively dangerous for everyone,” said Dussali.
In 2022, 80 women from 25 countries, including Kazakhstan’s Ada Dussali, climbed Switzerland’s Breithorn Peak as part of the 100% Women World Record. Photo provided by Dussali.
Nevertheless, women on the path to the summit often face additional obstacles: not just physical, but often stereotypical. This led Dussali to launch a Sol Qyz (That Girl) project aimed at supporting girls in the mountains.
Emerging from a Telegram group chat across a small group of enthusiast women, the Sol Qyz is evolving into a full-fledged community that supports women climbers every step of the way and proves that the mountains are accessible for them, too.
“The goal of the Sol Qyz project isn’t to build an all-women’s team that’s the best at climbing. It’s a support program — a space where women heading into the mountains can find encouragement, guidance, and advice, instead of judgment or stereotypes,” said Dussali.
“There are over 500 women in the group, and we occasionally organize hikes together. But we have more planned — for example, one with a well-known gynecologist in Almaty, who can share insights about the female body and health-related topics specific to women in the mountains,” she added.
Childhood dream came true: summiting Matterhorn
Enthusiasts behind the mountaineering school climb across Kazakhstan’s highest peaks, including Khan Tengri at 7,000 meters. Some of them also accomplish their dreams of summiting glorious mountains around the world.
Matterhorn, with its recognizable near-perfect pyramid shape, was Turdalieva’s childhood dream. Photo provided by Malika Turdalieva.
In her day-to-day life, Malika Turdalieva works as a marketing director. But last year, after completing a course at the Almaty Mountaineering School, she fulfilled a lifelong dream by summiting the Matterhorn (4,478 meters) in the Alps on the border between Switzerland and Italy.
“When I was five years old, I tried Toblerone chocolate for the first time. My mom’s friend brought it from Israel — this triangular chocolate bar with a picture of a mountain on the packaging. I remember asking, ‘What’s that mountain? It’s so beautiful.’ I instantly fell in love with the logo. They told me it was the Matterhorn — the most beautiful mountain in the Alps. And right then, I decided that one day, I would climb to the top of the Matterhorn with a Toblerone in my hand and eat a piece of it at the summit. It became my dream,” said Turdalieva.
Matterhorn, with its recognizable near-perfect pyramid shape, is considered category 4B in difficulty, out of six possible classifications. It is a big one rock with a lot of loose, crumbling rock along the climb.
Summiting the Matterhorn. Photo provided by Malika Turdalieva.
“The approach to the mountain is really short — just five minutes. And the mountain itself is around 4,400 meters — basically a giant rock. I was really lucky with my guide: we trained together for a week before the climb, practising in the Swiss Alps,” said Turdalieva.
All the stories you hear about mountaineering are so hardcore: people getting lost, falling off mountains, and dying. Turdalieva also saw people lose their lives on the way to the summit.
“The sun was beginning to rise, literally two hours after the start of the ascent, and right before our eyes, a woman climber fell off. It was the first time in my life I witnessed someone die. She was climbing solo, but even when you’re roped up, falls can still happen,” said Turdalieva.
“There was no time to stop — the shock hadn’t even fully set in yet. It had happened, yes, but we had to keep moving,” she added.
Turdalieva gradually learned that the mountains do not forgive a carefree attitude.
Upon reaching the summit of the Matterhorn, Malika Turdalieva marked the moment by taking a picture with a Toblerone chocolate. Photo provided by Malika Turdalieva.
“Speaking about this crazy side of mountaineering, being an achiever might serve you well in your career, but in mountaineering, it can be dangerous. In general, you have to know when to turn back. Last year, I don’t think I could’ve done that. But this year, I chose a different goal, a different mountain. It felt like more of a secondary goal — something I could walk away from if needed. And that shift in mindset came with time, because I lost a mountaineering friend last year. Then another friend had a serious fall — he fractured his bones badly and had to give up climbing for a few years. He’s now recovering,” said Turdalieva.
She reached the summit of the Matterhorn at 10:20 a.m. and marked the moment by closing a childhood chapter: she pulled out a Toblerone, took a bite, and shared the chocolate with her team.
“I’d like to believe that the mountain called me. You know, there were so many people around me and everyone had their own mountain they were aiming for. But not everyone made it. Some were stopped by the weather, others by injury, or just life getting in the way. And for me… somehow, despite everything — even the surgery I had planned, which I ended up doing after the climb — it all came together. So yes, I want to believe that the Matterhorn accepted me. As lofty or sentimental as that might sound,” said Turdalieva.
