Altay Mountain Lodge & Yurts is a company specializing in the customized exploration of the best skitouring spots in the East Kazakhstan region.
We have been in the industry for many years, both as guides and organizers. These days we cooperate to make one of Central Asia’s best backcountry skiing operations.
We love skiing in the Altay Mountains and want to share this passion with you.

Grigory Mintsev

Co-founder, Lead Guide
Co-founder, Lead Guide
Born and raised in the Kamchatka peninsula, Grigory spent all his free time in the mountains and forests. He started working in the adventure travel industry in the late 90s as an organizer and guide. Grigory got an Economics and Law university degree, but his love for skiing, backpacking and mountaineering brought him to different professional careers. After several years in Canada, he became a certified Ski Guide with the Association of Canadian Mountain Guides, and Professional Member of the Canadian Avalanche Association. He has been skiing all over the world and for 10+ years he has been running skitouring and heliski operations in Kamchatka and Siberia, but in 2022 shut down all the programs in Russia and joined our team.
When he is not working in the summer months, you’ll find him riding a mountain bike or trail running in his home mountains. For the last 10 years, he has been based in Chamonix Valley, France.

Yuliya Polyakova

Co-founder, Tail-guide
Almaty (Kazakhstan) local, Yuliya is an avid backcountry skier for more than ten years. After some years this passion becomes a job and nowadays Yuliya is guiding in her home mountains and studying for a guide qualification with the Kyrgyz Mountain Guides Association. Her backcountry experience includes Tuyuk-Su, the Alps, the Dolomites, the Indian Himalayas, Kyrgyzstan, Siberia, the Caucasus. Not only a guide but also an organizer of outdoor events, Yuliya has done a lot to develop the backcountry skiing culture in Kazakhstan. Her organizational skills make Yuliya an invaluable member of our company.

Dmitry Mikhailov

Co-founder, Lead Guide

Born in a big city but started alpine skiing in childhood. And fell in love with this activity for the rest of his life. After skiing a lot throughout different regions all over the planet, he spent a lot of time in Siberia in winter and in Kazakhstan in spring. He got a guiding certification (Ski Guide) with RMGA and the best Canadian instructors. He has spent eight full seasons guiding in Georgia, Siberia, and Kazakhstan, primarily for skitouring and ski-mountaineering with a bit of heliskiing and catskiing. Now settled in Almaty, Kazakhstan, and do most of the guiding in the Altay and Tien-Shan mountains.

Gleb Skrypin

Co-founder, Back office magician
20+ years in the mountains and about 20 years on a snowboard, Gleb is fond of mountaineering and splitboarding. Although not making it his profession (yet), Gleb spends a lot of time in the mountains. The only thing competing with this is yachting, which takes summer time, or winter too if it’s ski&sail.
Gleb has a strong management consulting background and is primarily responsible for organizing the team to be efficient and productive. He has a good recreational level of avalanche and backcountry education and is always eager to get better at safely and joyfully going to the mountains and riding powder.

Mariya Mintseva

Chief of the Office

Born in Kazakhstan and raised in Siberia, Mariya has spent many years exploring Siberian mountains and forests. A passionate backcountry skier, she also enjoys rock climbing, mountain biking, hiking and mountaineering.
With over two decades dedicated to backcountry skiing, Mariya’s journey has led her through the Western Siberia, volcanoes of Kamchatka, French and Italian Alps, Chilean volcanoes and Argentinian Andes, to Belukha, the highest mountain of the Altay Mountains. Notably, Mariya has graced the podium on multiple occasions in local freeride competitions.
Beyond her mountain passions, Mariya holds a degree in Psychology and boasts extensive experience in the travel and skiing industry. Including five years as a program coordinator in French ski resorts and over a decade as an office manager for various ski touring and heliski operations .
Mariya commands all communications and office responsibilities. From your initial inquiry to the moment you step foot in the lodge, she’s your reliable guide.

Denis Yevdokin

Technical Director, Tail Guide

Denis is truly local, born and raised in town of Ridder surrounded by Altay Mountains. Big part of his work experience is working for local mines, but his passion was always snowboarding and outdoor activities. After a few years in the travel industry he joined our team and participated in lodge construction.
Denis is in charge for all the technical systems of the lodge, your warm and cozy stay depends on him a lot! He also works a tail-guide and snowmobile driver. He has a high recreational level of avalanche and backcountry education and working towards to become a professional ski guide.

Konstantin Zazdravnykh

Guide, Handyman
Konstantin comes from an area near the highest mountain ranges of Siberia, the Altay region of Russia. It was in the Altay Mountains that he made his first steps and progressed as a climber and skier. As these hobbies took up more and more of his off-work time, it was a logical transition for him to become a professional. In 2011, Konstantin made a significant decision to leave his mechanical engineering profession for the “world of mountains” and enter into his ski and alpine guiding training with the RMGA courses under Canadian expert supervision from ACMG. Leaving his home in Altay, he moved on to explore the Caucasus mountain region, carrying out various expeditions and mountain projects. In recent years, Konstantin has focused on working in Western Siberia and Central Asia. Having spent most of the last years guiding elsewhere, he still considers the Altay Mountains his home playground with huge outdoor potential. Presently, he is based in the Kazakh part of Altay. Away from rocks and snow, Konstantin enjoys cycling and kayaking, capturing postcard-worthy memories through the lens of his camera.

Owen Day

Guide, The Great Helper
Owen is an ACMG Ski Guide, originally from Canada but living in London UK. Avid skier, he spent many years heliskiing and guiding long range ski traverses in British Columbia. These days Owen work as a guide for an Icelendic heliski and skitour operations and spends his off season working as a high rise roped access technician. He joined our team at the very beginning of operations and brought massive amount of knowledge and brilliant ideas.