Ski resort Chimbulak

Chimbulak, or Shymbulak, is a ski resort in the Zailiyskiy Alatau, located an hour’s drive from Almaty, the former capital and largest city of Kazakhstan. Built more than 60 years ago, it experienced a second birth in the 21st century: the slopes were modernized for the 2011 Asian Winter Games. Today, Chimbulak is popular not only among Kazakh and Russian tourists who come here without visas, but also with guests from abroad as a place of year-round active recreation with developed infrastructure, quality service and reasonable prices.

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Video: Chimbulak

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History of Chimbulak

The first slopes were equipped in Chimbulak in Soviet times, in 1954, when the country began to recover from the events of World War II. Alpine skiers – participants of international competitions – trained here and championships of the USSR and Kazakh SSR were held. Mass skiing was initially not very popular: due to the lack of normal elevators, the mountain had to be climbed on foot, which took about 3 hours. However, the problem was soon solved, the elevators were built, and Chimbulak became famous among amateur athletes. In 1972, after the construction of nearby high-mountain ice complex “Medeu”, the number of skiers on the slopes even increased.

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A new impetus to the development of the resort was given already in the years of independence of Kazakhstan, in preparation for the Asian Winter Games in 2011. The slopes were significantly expanded, their length from 6 kilometers increased 3 times. At the same time, the existing ropeways were renewed and new ones were completed. Environmental organizations were outraged by the quality of the reconstruction: in their opinion, the soils were seriously damaged during excavation works. Nevertheless, the construction has borne fruit and attendance at the resort has increased dramatically.

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Geographical location of Chimbulak

The resort is located on the protected territory of the Ile-Alatau Nature Park, created in 1996 specifically for the preservation of natural landscapes for the development of tourism. The base is built at an altitude of 2260 meters, the highest point from which athletes descend, Talgar Pass, is at an altitude of 3180 meters. It takes half an hour to get there through a chain of elevators. Near the pass there are Chkalov and Shkolnik peaks with the height of over 3800 meters. The Medeu tract with the skating rink of the same name is located about half a kilometer below the resort.

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Trails and elevators

There are a total of 7 elevators in Chimbulak, two of them, the gondola roads “Kombi-1” and “Kombi-2”, operate year-round. Beginners’ trails with minimal height difference are concentrated in the area of the base and between the “Middle Station” and “Cone”, the most difficult routes are laid from the station “Cone” through the coniferous forest. The 3.5 km downhill run from the Talgar Pass, recognized by experts as meeting the world standards, stretches for 3.5 km. The ski season usually starts in mid-November and ends in April, snow cannons allow to extend the skiing season for several weeks.

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Prices and opening times

The slopes are open from 10 a.m. to 5 p.m., until 19 on weekends, on Thursdays and Saturdays the so-called “night skiing” is practiced – from 19 to 23 hours. The cost of a day ticket to the track – up to 6500 tenge, for 4 hours – up to 5500, night rides cost up to 4000 tenge. Discounts are available for children, youth up to 23 years old and pensioners. You can use the elevator without skis for a walk on the mountains for 3500 tenge.

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Additional opportunities in winter

Since 1995 the resort has been running a Ski and Snowboard School for beginners and those wishing to improve their skiing technique. The instructors, in addition to Kazakh, speak Russian and English. The school teaches adults and children from 3 years old. The approximate cost of a two-hour individual lesson for an adult is 16000 tenge, for a child – 14000 tenge, group training is cheaper. Tickets to the elevator are paid separately.

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Experienced skiers are offered to take part in descents on virgin snow cover outside the official tracks – heli-ski. To the beginning of the route extreme skiers are brought by helicopter. Paragliding flights with an instructor from Talgar Pass to the lower point of Chimbulak are practiced all year round. The flight will last about 20 minutes and will cost a daredevil 35000 tenge.

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Summer vacation in Chimbulak

In summer, the resort is much calmer than at the height of the ski season. At this time, tourists will be offered to fly a paraglider, hike and climb with a guide, ride a mountain bike and buggy. In Chimbulak there is a rope park for visitors from 3 years old with 3 routes at a height of up to 10 meters. Trampoline complex allows practicing freestyle skills, the cost of training lasting from 10 to 60 minutes is 1200-6000 tenge. Thrill-seekers will appreciate zorbing – going down the mountain in a transparent ball for 3500 tenge. All year round you can order a helicopter ride around the neighborhood.

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Information for tourists

You can come on vacation in Chimbulak all year round. The weather in the mountains is mostly sunny, cloudy days for the year no more than 60. In summer, the average temperature is about +20°C, quite cool due to the altitude and winds, in winter there is a light frost of about -7°C.

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How to get there

Almaty International Airport is located half an hour north of the resort. There are no direct accesses to the high-mountain resort, you get here from the Medeu complex by a 4.5 km gondola road – the third result in the world. You can get to Medeu by car or by bus. Travel by car in the south-eastern direction from the center of Almaty along Dostyk Avenue will take about an hour due to traffic congestion in the city limits. Bus No. 12 “Dostyk – Kurmangazy” runs daily from 7am to 8pm every half hour. You should keep in mind that the gondola road works on its own schedule – from 9-30 to 18 hours on weekdays and up to 20 hours on weekends to calculate the time of arrival at the station “Medeu”.

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Where to stay

There are two hotels operating in Chimbulak. Shymbulak Resort Hotel, built at the very beginning of the slopes, offers 50 rooms of different classes – from a hostel, where a separate sleeping place is paid for, to a super suite. The cost of a room with buffet breakfast ranges from 15200 to 64000 tenge on weekdays, and discounts of up to 40% are available for stays of more than a week. A bunk in a hostel will cost 6000 tenge. Cash tenge or international bank cards are accepted for payment. There is a restaurant “Sarai-Bar”, a sauna, a heated summer pool on the terrace, and a Saka bath on the mountain river. The second hotel S.N.e.G. for 6 rooms was opened a few years ago at the “Middle Station”. The cost of accommodation – from 30000 tenge in low season, in winter prices increase 1,5-2 times. At the service of guests – restaurant, saunas in the rooms.

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Cafes, restaurants, stores

There are 7 catering establishments on the territory of the Chimbulak complex. The restaurant “Assorti”, which belongs to a popular chain in the country, serves Russian, Japanese and Italian cuisine, while “Sarai-Bar” and S.N.e.G. serve Kazakh and international cuisine. Marrone Rosso coffee house offers coffee, pastries and salads. The expensive Chalet serves luxurious meat dishes, while Paul Bakery with a summer terrace offers light pastries. The bar “3200” on Talgar Pass is the highest in the former USSR. In “Panorama” on Talgar Pass tourists can enjoy tea, coffee and simple snacks. There is a store of sports equipment and a souvenir store at the base.

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Safety issues

Ski slopes are inspected every morning in winter, in case of a threat to the safety of athletes they are closed, and information about it is posted at the bottom, on the approach to the elevators. Avalanches are brought down from the mountains by specialists, dangerous slopes are marked on the map. To help in case of accidents at the base, the stations “Sredny”, “Cone” and “Talgarsky Pass” are equipped with medical stations.

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