Shymbulak Ski Resort
Shymbulak Ski Resort is located near Almaty and is the most popular ski resort in Kazakhstan. Shymbulak Mountain Resort has a long history and it’s well developed with respect to lift infrastructure and services such as English speaking ski and snowboard instructors.
Shymbulak is also known as Chimbulak or Chymbulak and despite being large by Central Asian standards, you’ll still need to keep your expectations in check with respect to size considering it only has 20km of piste. The ski area goes up to an elevation of 3,200 metres and off-piste and backcountry skiing opportunities are plentiful, pending decent snow conditions.
The Shymbulak ski resort has good ski-in ski-out lodging that’s popular with the Russian oligarchs, or you can stay down in Almaty city because transport options up to the resort are easily managed.
Pros and Cons of Shymbulak Kazakhstan
Pros
- It’s close to the city of Almaty so it’s easy to combine skiing at Shymbulak with a city stay +/- other Almaty ski resorts.
- Or if you want ski-in ski-out accommodation, there are a few options for that.
- The lift infrastructure is good for a Central Asian ski resort.
- Lift passes are inexpensive for visitors from countries with a strong currency.
- There is good infrastructure to cater for your dining needs.
Cons
- There aren’t many runs and déjà vu sets in rather quickly.
- Like the other Almaty ski resorts, the snow volumes are not typically copious, so don’t expect big dumps or frequent powder resets.
- There are negligible advanced pistes, so experienced skiers and riders will need to head off-piste.
Pro or Con Depending On Your Perspective
- The resort provides some great off-piste and sidecountry, but this is dependent on there being adequate snow base.
- Crowds can be a problem, especially on weekends. Typically the masses arrive in the afternoon when the sun hits the slopes, whilst mornings are likely to be quiet, especially mid-week. Many of the visitors are just pedestrians or beginner skiers or snowboarders, so they’re not likely to steal your fresh powder (if there is fresh powder).
Shymbulak Ski and Snowboard Terrain
Shymbulak Mountain Resort is a long narrow ski area with elevations between 2,260 metres and 3,200 metres (940 metres vertical). Note that there is a gondola between Medeu Station at 1,626 metres elevation and Shymbulak Station (the base of the ski area), but this is only for access and does not service ski resort terrain.
Shymbulak Ski Resort only has 4 main lifts plus an assortment of surface lifts and magic carpets for beginners. The piste equates to 25km of length and across most of the vertical, there are only a few piste options. The runs are rated for complete novices, beginners and intermediates. There are also a couple of short runs marked as black.
There are lots of options for off-piste that are readily navigated; both open as well as light trees. Above the resort is coveted backcountry alpine terrain with peaks up to 4,000 metres.
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Check out the slightly weird (ok, seriously weird) trail map below. Note it doesn't show (much of) the access gondola.
Where is Shymbulak?
Shymbulak Ski Resort is located just inside the city limits of
Almaty in
Kazakhstan in
Central Asia. It’s situated in the Ile-Alatau National Park in the Medeu Valley of the Zailiyskiy Alatau mountain range, which is the northernmost part of the Tian Shan mountain system.
The Medeu base gondola station is just 20km southeast of the Almaty city centre, and then it’s a 20 minute gondola ride up to the ski area. See the
Shymbulak travel page for more information on getting there.
Shymbulak Accommodation
The
Symbulak Resort Hotel sits at the base of the ski area in an almost ski-in ski-out location. It has standard hotel rooms and suites, and dorm rooms that utilise shared bathrooms.
Further up the mountain,
Nero Bianca Chalet offers 3 bedroom self-contained houses that sleeps up to 6.
Le Mont Hotel Shymbulak sits mid-mountain, offering great views in a fully ski-in ski-out position. Access is via the first gondola/chair combo (plus the gondola ride from Medeu).
At the top of the mountain at 3,200 metres elevation is the modern
Tenir Eco Hotel. Accommodation is in deluxe private pods that provide amazing mountain views and have a sauna. Access is via the first and second gondola/chair combos.
Shymbulak Accommodation Listings
Considering the proximity of Shymbulak to the city, you can alternatively stay in Almaty and enjoy the buzz of the city. Almaty hotels are generally very affordable.
Almaty Hotel Listings
Ski Resort Facilities
There are various facilities at the bottom station of the Medeu-Shymbulak Gondola station, including retail shops and ski and snowboard equipment rentals.
Further up at the Shymbulak Station is the main hub of facilities. Here you’ll find a couple of shops, equipment rentals, food stalls, and a few restaurants. Or you can lunch or après ski up at the yurt at the top of the ski resort, or Le Mont at mid-mountain is a nice fancy restaurant. Après ski generally isn’t too festive since Oblaka Restaurant got fried. The bars at the Shymbulak Station base stay open where there’s night skiing, otherwise they close in time for everyone to catch the gondola down to get off the mountain.
Ski and snowboard lessons in English are on offer at Shymbulak and there is also a kids club.
In terms of activities, you can do the classic tourist activity of “playing” with a bird of prey or there’s ice skating or tandem paragliding which are potentially in the same risk rating!