Almaty Shymbulak Ski Touring
The Almaty trip from Rock’n’Snow is a unique ski touring or splitboarding trip in Kazakhstan in spring. Stay in a yurt and then stay in a funky Soviet era mountain observatory hut, plus 1 night in the city of Almaty. Join a fixed date mixed group or pull together your own clan for a private trip from March to May.
For the first few days you’ll be ski touring above Shymbulak where the initial vertical gain will be via the gondolas of
Shymbulak Ski Resort where the season will have likely finished. These mountains above Almaty are very scenic and have wide glacier slopes, hidden couloirs, and long descents. You’ll have easy access to the high alpine terrain above the traditional mountain yurts where you’ll stay.
After a night in the city of Almaty to freshen up you’ll then head to the Ayusai Valley at stay at the Cosmostation.
To double check availability or if you have any other questions,
please get in touch.
Highlights
- Visit the unique country of Kazakhstan.
- Beautiful mountain landscapes
- Boutique experience with a maximum group size of 8 and a maximum guide to guest ratio of 1:4
- Enjoy the vibrant city of Almaty
- Stay in a traditional mountain yurt at the top of Shymbulak that allow direct access to the mountains without long daily approaches
- Stay in a mountain hut at the Cosmostation, a soviet era mountain observatory, which is also well positioned to access great terrain
- All meals, including some traditional Kazakh fare
- All transport provided
Group
Solos or duos can join others on the mixed group fixed date trips. The group size is a minimum of 2 people and a maximum of 8.
Or alternatively you can pull together your own crew for a private trip and customize the trip to some degree.
Please get in contact to discuss options.
Location
The Almaty Ski Touring trip starts and finishes at the Almaty Airport or in the city of Almaty.
Almaty is in southeastern
Kazakhstan, not far from the border with
Kyrgyzstan. It sits in the foothills of the Trans-Ili Alatau mountains which are a part of the Tian/Tien Shan Range.
Almaty International Airport (IATA code: ALA) receives direct flights from various international destinations including Istanbul, Dubai, Frankfurt and Moscow. You can look at
flight route options here.
Terrain
From Shymbulak you'll explore different routes depending on weather, snow stability, and the experience of the group. The area offers a huge variety of terrain including glacier slopes, panoramic ridges, wide-open descents, and steep couloirs for stronger skiers. Possible objectives include nearby alpine peaks and classic ski touring lines around the Bogdanovich, Til, and Ayak glaciers. Some routes may involve glacier travel, boot packing, or the use of ski crampons depending on snow conditions.
Compared to Shymbulak, the area around the Cosmostation feels much wilder and more isolated, offering a completely different atmosphere and new terrain for exploration. The routes around the Cosmostation include broad alpine slopes, glaciated valleys, and long descents with spectacular views over the Northern Tien Shan.
Ability & Experience
This tour is suited to advanced to expert skiers and splitboarders with previous off-piste and ski touring experience.
Equipment
You will require touring equipment for this trip, so a ski touring setup or splitboard with skins, and extendable poles. Other required equipment includes ski or splitboard crampons and boot crampons.
You will require a backpack with avalanche beacon, shovel and probe.
A detailed gear list will be provided on request.