Did you know that Shymbulak is the largest ski resort in Central Asia? And that if you want guaranteed snow in March, it's one of the best places to go in all of Asia?
My kids had been begging me for snow. After almost three years of living in tropical India, with only small reprieves in the Netherlands (where a chilly breeze is always guaranteed), they wanted to feel cold for once. So I decided to give them their way, but only if we'd go skiing. Skiing is a lot of fun and a great way not to feel cold in a freezing climate. Because personally, I just like being warm all the time.
Anyway, I settled on Shymbulak pretty quickly. I considered India, Japan and South Korea for about five minutes before concluding that good ski conditions were only gonna be a sure thing in Kazakhstan. I looked at a 5-minute video of the resort and was sold. It looked modern and beautiful.
Now, I can easily understand why not many people would consider skiing in Kazakhstan, just because it's Kazakhstan. It's a place most of us only know from the movie Borat. Every time I look at a world map I'm surprised all over again how big Kazakhstan is—like I have amnesia or something. Maybe some people know that the country has lots of oil and gas, but beyond that?
The ski resort is great
If you're a skier/snowboarder already, all you need to know is this: the ski resort is quiet, well maintained, has eight ski lifts, 20km of wide slopes, and sits at an altitude of 2200- 3200 meters. It doesn't offer a huge variety of runs, but you can get a lot of skiing/snowboarding in.
It's great for beginners
If you're not yet a skier/snowboarder, this place is also great. Most of the slopes are pretty steep, yes, but there are enough green and blue runs to practice once you've graduated from the bunny hill. Plus, the bunny hill is great! There's an "easy" and a "harder" bunny hill, and a small obstacle course to practice skills. The instructors are wonderful, half of them speak English, and lessons are affordable ($20 per hour or $80 for a full day of individual instruction).
Easy to get to
Kazakhstan sounds super remote and far away but really, Almaty isn't very hard to reach. There's a direct flight from Delhi, Bangkok, Dubai, Moscow, London, and many other places. You don't need a visa. People are nice and super polite. The airport and all the facilities around Almaty are good. And get this: the Shymbulak ski resort is only 30 minutes by taxi (which costs like $8) from town! So you can even stay in town and ski during the day to save money.
Culturally interesting
Another benefit of skiing in Kazakhstan... is that you can say that you've visited Kazakhstan! It's a really interesting place. Almaty is well developed and you can definitely spend a few days there. People in Kazakhstan looks like Russia and China had a baby. A very good-looking kid, actually. There are some really handsome people in Almaty, trust me! Many speak enough English to help you navigate, and all are fluent in Russian. Delicious chocolate and overall food—never had a bad restaurant experience. Cafes have expected (singers) and unexpected entertainment (like gymnasts).
High-end experience
The experience of skiing in Shymbulak felt pretty high-end. I've mostly skied in the crowded French Alps, where you constantly have to worry about people tumbling all over each other, wait a long time to order a simple lunch, and can only find tiny, very-expensive accommodation. Ski lessons are in groups, not private, and everyone isn't necessarily friendly.
In Shymbulak, on the other hand, it was pretty quiet. Lots of space, no (long) lines anywhere. Plenty of nice restaurants and cafes—we spent a lot of time eating desserts at Paul's, which was right next to the chair lifts, and ate in a different restaurant every night. Service was quick, drinks tasted good. Everything was reasonably priced. Instead of feeling like I was in a random, remote place, I felt like I was in a wonderful, perfectly normal place. The whole trip was seamless, public transport was easy. We were never bothered, ripped off, or treated unkindly.
Accommodation: Shymbulak Ski Resort (lodge)
On the bright side, we stayed in a beautiful, affordable ski lodge right on the slopes. The room and the location were unbeatable. However, there were a few small issues: the rooms book up fast, so I had to book different rooms and move during my stay. The breakfast wasn't good. The Wifi was somewhat unreliable. The outdoor pool looked anything but tempting. The truth is that I absolutely adored the Shymbulak Ski Resort, but I guess I have to something negative as well.
Hot! Hot! Hot!
What I found really strange was how much they heated the rooms and restaurants. My kids were totally stoic about it, so maybe it was just me, but every time I went indoors I felt like ripping my clothes off. And because I couldn't adjust the heat in my room, every night I slept with the window wide open even though it was freezing outside.
Altitude sickness? Dryness?
My only real problem during my week in Shymbulak was my face. The first night I spent in the mountains (going from 900m in Almaty to 2200m in Shymbulak) I woke up with an extremely swollen face. My friend said I looked like I'd injected Botox all over. I could barely open my eyes and my skin was so dry I thought my lips might burst. My face calmed down somewhat during the day but it took a return flight to India to get back to normal. I'm not sure if it was the altitude, dryness, or something else, but I looked awful and felt pretty uncomfortable about it.
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