All activities / Skiing & Snowsports / Shymbulak
Skiing & Snowsports in Shymbulak
Central Asia's largest ski resort, in the Zailiysky Alatau above the Medeu skating rink about 25 kilometres south of Almaty, with slopes climbing toward 3,200 metres and lift access straight out of the city.
Why here
Shymbulak is the biggest and best-known ski resort in Central Asia, set in the Zailiysky Alatau mountains right above Almaty. A cable car climbs from the Medeu valley past the high-altitude skating rink to the resort base, and lifts carry on toward 3,200 metres, which in 2023 gave Shymbulak a Guinness World Record for the highest night skiing slope on the planet. The pull is the combination of a full lift-served resort, with around ten lifts and roughly 25 kilometres of pisted runs, sitting less than an hour from a major city, plus serious freeride and ski-touring terrain in the surrounding Ile Alatau national park for those who want to leave the pistes.
Best months
The season runs from about mid-November to mid-April, with the most reliable snow from January into March. The resort spans roughly 2,200 to 3,200 metres, so upper runs hold cold, dry snow while the base can be milder. Some slopes carry snowmaking. Beyond the marked pistes the surrounding ranges offer backcountry and ski-touring lines that need a guide and avalanche awareness. Night skiing runs on the record-height upper slope.
Getting there & around
Shymbulak is about 25 kilometres south of central Almaty, reached by road to Medeu and then a gondola up to the resort base, or by shuttle. Its closeness to the city means you can stay in Almaty and ski on day trips, and international flights land at Almaty airport. Rentals and lift passes are sold at the base. Backcountry and touring add-ons run with local guides and need separate arrangement.
Skill levels: beginner, intermediate, advanced
Schools & guides (2)
Powder Nomads
GuidePowder Nomads is an Almaty-based mountain-guiding operation focused on freeride and ski-touring in the ranges around the city. It runs lift-assisted, sidecountry and backcountry freeride at and beyond Shymbulak, ski-mountaineering and alpine touring in the Ile Alatau national park, and heli-skiing, plus summer hiking and horse trips in the Turgen and Kolsai areas. Guides work in English and Russian, building small-group trips for skiers who want the off-piste terrain around the resort.
Shymbulak Mountain Resort
OutfitterShymbulak Mountain Resort in the Zailiysky Alatau above Almaty is the largest ski area in Central Asia, with around ten lifts and roughly 25 kilometres of pisted runs served by a cable car from the Medeu valley. In March 2023 it entered the Guinness World Records for the highest night skiing slope in the world at about 3,200 metres. It runs lift passes, a ski and snowboard school, rental and the mountain restaurants across a mid-November to mid-April season.