ASTANA – Kazakhstan’s Shymbulak Ski Resort has been added to the top 10 best places to ski this season by British media outlet theguardian.com.
“Ten of the best places to go skiing – readers’ tips,” notes the headline. “From Kazakhstan to Canada via the Cairngorms, our readers have been on the pistes, enjoying the après ski, falling off chair lifts and marvelling at the scenery – and, sometimes, great prices.”
The resort was the most affordable place to visit, according to the website. Shymbulak’s weekend and school holidays pass, from 9 a.m.-5 p.m., is about US$25 for adults, while the off-peak, weekday pass during same hours is $16.50.
“From the country’s largest city, Almaty, the Shymbulak ski slopes are on your doorstep and everything is easy and reasonably priced,” wrote theguardian.com. “The resort is small, but there were no queues at any point. From the gondola at Medeu to the toilets and lockers at the slopes, the services are all fine.”
While the website stresses the resort is not for novices, as the main long slopes are mostly red, the resort’s administration offers a variety of pistes with different difficulty levels.
“Shymbulak has something for everyone with a variety of routes, including the soft and gentle slopes for beginners and intermediate skiers and snowboarders as well longer trails for the experts. Shymbulak has the International Ski Federation (FIS) downhill, wild valleys with untouched snow, a terrain park for new scholars and special routes with moguls. Every year, Shymbulak makes improvements to the trails,” the resort highlights on its website.
“Shymbulak has 3,620 metres of certified FIS trails. In addition, there are many off-piste lines for expert skiers and snowboarders. And if you have never stood on skis or a snowboard – it means it’s time to learn. Experienced instructors from our snow school will gladly help you with equipment and teach you the skills to enjoy more of the mountain. You can learn all styles: freestyle, slopestyle, carving or just a refresher to start your holiday right. Ski and snowboard rentals are available along with locker facilities,” it adds.
The website, theguardian.com, also highlighted Cypress Mountain (Vancouver, Canada), Aviemore Resort (Scotland), near Zakopane (Poland), south-west Bulgaria, Haute-Savoie (France), French Pyrenees, Hautes-Alpes (France), Camonica Valley (Italy) and Niseko (Hokkaido, Japan).
