OQ Ski Resort Kazakhstan
Oi-Qaragai Mountain Resort was previously known by its Russian name, Lesnaya Skazka which means “forest fairly tale”, whilst the Kazakh Oi-Qaragai means “forest in a gorge” or the like. The main village at Oi-Qaragai Resort has retained the name Lesnaya Skazka and there are various options for lodging, along with restaurants and activities.
The Oi-Qaragai Ski Resort continues to develop, and the 2025-26 season saw the opening of a new Aqtas section of the ski area which has a modern access gondola and “high-speed” 6-pack chairlift.
Pros and Cons of Oi Qaragai (OQ)
Pros
- Like other Almaty ski resorts, OQ provides an opportunity to go skiing or snowboarding whilst enjoying the cultural experiences of Kazakhstan.
- Oi Qaragai Ski Resort has a lack of crowds on weekdays.
- Lift tickets are inexpensive.
- There are lots of options for on-mountain accommodation and whilst distinctly more expensive than staying in an Almaty hotel, the lodging is also very affordable for visitors with a strong home currency.
- It’s a resort with lots of amenities, a village, and activities for those that don’t want to just ski or snowboard.
Cons
- OQ Ski Resort is not large by international standards, and some of the terrain is accessed off the same initial trail which gets boringly repetitive.
- The snow volumes are not reliable and runs may be closed and the off-piste untenable.
- Whilst the new Aqtas area has increased the size of the ski resort, it’s not fully interconnected with the existing ski area so you must catch a very irregular shuttle bus to get back from Aqtas or use a taxi.
Pro or Con Depending On Your Perspective
- The piste is predominantly for beginners and low to mid level intermediates.
Oi-Qaragai Ski and Snowboard Terrain
Oi Qaragai is modesty sized and has 25 slopes (even though the numbering goes up to 29) with a total length of 28km, which equates to 250 hectares. Overall it has 7 main lifts plus a handful of surface lifts. The ski area is rather sprawling, so pending good snow conditions, it opens up plenty of off-piste terrain.
The Oi Qaragai Ski Resort has 3 distinct sections. The
front face that has the day trippers’ Aport Plaza at the base and the Panorama Plaza a little further up the road, has the most terrain with 15 trails and 2 chair lifts plus surface lifts. Elevations are between 1,526 and 1,820 metres. The front face of Lesnaya Skazka is mostly northwest to west facing. It’s not heavily vegetated and has short pitches of steep off-piste.
The
back bowl that drops down to the Lesnaya Skazka village (aka Old Skazka) is predominantly northeast facing. It has 5 trails, 1 chair lift and 1 surface lift. This zone has lots of lovely fir trees which would provide fun off-piste if there was adequate snow base. Elevations are between 1,602 and 1,821 metres.
The new
Aqtas area has a fancy access gondola that travels over some gnarly expert terrain which would be epic, if only there was enough snow. The actual ski area starts at the top of the gondola and drops down to a few short beginner and intermediate runs that are south to southeast facing. The zone is serviced by a detachable 6-pack hooded chair lift and has elevations between 1,990 and 2,140 metres.
See the
OQ skiing page for more information on the lifts and terrain.
Where is OQ?
Oi Qaragai Mountain Resort Kazakhstan is in the Ile-Alatau National Park in the Zailiyskiy Alatau (Trans-Ili Alatau) mountain range which is part of the Tian Shan mountain system. The main day trippers base (Aport Plaza) is 35km east of the
Almaty city centre, a drive that can take 40 to 60 minutes depending on traffic. See the
Oi Qaragai travel page for more information on how to get there.
Oi Qaragai Accommodation
Oi Qaragai Mountain Resort lodging in the Lesnaya Skazka village includes rooms at Hotel Ak Tas, a traditional yurt, tree houses accessed via a ladder, cottages and chalets. There is also the Tourist’s Village near the day base and newly built glamping cabins on the slopes of the Aqtas area that provide nice views. You can look at the
Oi Qaragai Mountain Resort accommodations here.
There are other accommodations near the ski resort such as apartments and houses that will necessitate driving to the slopes.
Besqaynar Accommodation Listings
Or if you want to sample a few ski resorts in the area, it makes more sense to stay in the city of Almaty where you’ll find hotels and other accommodation that is much more affordable than on-mountain lodging.
Almaty Hotel Listings
Ski Resort Facilities
There are several options for eating on-mountain at OQ. The new restaurant at the top of the Aqtas gondola is small inside, yet it has large observation decks that offer great views of the city of Almaty or the Tian Shan mountains.
Restaurant Vostochnoy Kukhni Ak Aulin is a yurt which was a Guinness World Record holder many years ago for being the largest yurt, so this is good if you like cheesy gimmicks and traditional Kazakh cuisine. Otherwise, you can choose from an Italian or Georgian restaurant.
Oi Qaragai has a few ski and snowboard equipment rental shops, including one adjacent to the Ride School, at Aport Plaza, and in the Lesnaya Skazka village. There is also a childcare facility next to the Aport Plaza and one in the Lesnaya Skazka village.
If you are looking for ski or snowboard lessons in English, it would be best to organise these in advance.
Activities
Besides downhill skiing and snowboarding, the Oi Qaragai Resort offers various off-slope activities such as horse riding, a zipline, paragliding, electric snowmobiles, and tubing. Or there is a day spa if you want a fully sedate activity.