The Program

Altay Mountains, East Kazakhstan Ski Touring.

Itinerary

Saturday: Transfer from Ust-Kamenogorsk on afternoon (upon your arrival); transfer to the lodge by bus and snowmobile.
Check in to Altay Lodge early evening. Dinner, Banya, rest time.
Sunday to Friday: Skitouring / splitboarding – 6 full days.
Saturday: Early morning departure from the lodge to Ust-Kamenogorsk, where you will take an afternoon flight to your destinations.

Program dates (arrival to Ust-Kamenogorsk and departure from):

2026/2027 season:

November 21-28
November 28 – December 05
December 05-12
December 12-19
December 19-26*
December 26– January 02*
January 02-09
January 09-16
January 16-23

*Family and non-skiing options are available. Please see details below.



January 23-30
January 30 – February 06
February 06-13
February 13-20
February 20-27
February 27 – March 06
March 06-13
March 13-20

Price: 2 380 €

Discounts for group of 6 pax, contact us for details.

Price includes:

  • Organization of the entire trip from Ust-Kamenogorsk airport and back.
  • 6 full days of guiding service and skitouring.
  • Accommodation in the yurts, 7 nights, TWIN.
  • Daily Banya (bathhouse similar to sauna).
  • All meals at the lodge: breakfast, mountain lunch, après-ski soup and snacks, dinner.
  • Group transfers by bus and snowmobiles: airport Ust-Kamenogorsk – Lodge, Lodge – Ust-Kamenogorsk.
  • Snowmobile support for the approach, if needed and when possible.

Extra expenses:

  • International and domestic airfares
  • Personal Insurance
  • Alcoholic beverages
  • Personal expenses

INQUIRIES & BOOKINGS

To get there, you should fly to Almaty (ALA) or Astana (NQZ). There are direct flights from Europe, including Frankfurt, London, Milan, and other cities, and many options with connections.
There are a few flights per day from Almaty or Astana to Ust-Kamenogorsk (UKK / Oskemen), giving a choice of arrival times. We recommend Air Astana flights which arrive in the early afternoon, and right after, we can take a ride towards the lodge.

Inbound transfer
Our standard inbound transfer time for single travelers is 14:00 (2 PM) from the UKK airport. If you arrive earlier, you may need to wait at the airport or book a hotel in Ust-Kamenogorsk. If you arrive after 15:00 (3 PM), we may not be able to transfer you to the lodge the same day on a shared transfer; please arrange a private transfer.
For private groups, we can arrange transfers from early morning through 17:00 (5 PM).
In any case, the latest transfer time from Ust-Kamenogorsk is 17:00 (5 PM)
Please contact our office before booking your flight to confirm the transfer time.

Outbound transfer
Our standard outbound transfer time for single travelers is 08:00 (8 AM) from the lodge, with arrival at the airport at 12:00 (midday noon). If your flight is earlier than 13:00 (PM), you should arrange a private transfer the evening before, with an overnight stay in Ust-Kamenogorsk.

The road from the airport to the lodge, or back, takes 3-3,5 hours, including a 15-minute snowmobile ride in a comfortable passenger sledge. Our standard buses are 18-seat Mercedes Sprinter, and for private transfer, we use minivans.
Logistics in the camp is based on modern utility snowmobiles with passenger and cargo sledges. We also use them to shorten the approach to the remote part of the valley and save time for powderskiing.

If you need a taxi while traveling in Kazakhstan, we recommend using the Yandex Go or Uber apps. Taxi fares are relatively low compared to Europe. We recommend using higher-than-standard low classes.

Guiding &Group Size
Unlike many other skitour operators, we keep group size relatively small, to provide best possible skitour and skiing experience. The maximum group size is 6 persons. There is one guide per group, plus a tail-guide if required.

Prerequisites
Because of the nature of the backcountry terrain, we ask our guests to meet a certain level of fitness and skiing ability. To join our groups, you should be:

  • Intermediate or higher level of skiing/boarding, including in deep-snow conditions.
  • Previous skitouring experience, at least one week.
  • Good physical shape – you should be able to skin up at least 1000 vertical meters per day.

Terrain
Most of the time we ski the tree-line zone, long open lanes through the trees, some snow pillows, and peppery lines through rocks.
Runs are from 400 to 900m vertical with slopes from 25 to 40 degrees.
On an average day the vertical drop will be 1200-1300m, but varies of course according to the group’s abilities.

Snow
There is only one type of snow in our location – powder. So, we are definitely looking only for powder skiing/snowboarding, and even don’t think about other snow conditions.

Please service your skis or board before arrival, or bring pocket waxes as there is no ski-service on our base. We have some repair parts and tools to fix the most common problems which might arise, but we do not have equipment for hot waxing.

We advise you to carefully read the following list. You will not be able to buy or rent the equipment on the spot (except limited quantity of skitouring skis), so do bring everything with you. If you have any questions about equipment or items on (or not on) this list please don’t hesitate to e-mail and ask our advice.

Here is an example of set of clothes that we recommend. You can change it according to your preferences, but be sure that your clothes suit the weather and temperature during your trip.

Clothing:

  • Heavy/mid weight socks compatible with your footwear – 2-3 pairs.
    Heated electric socks or insoles is a very good option and highly recommended.
  • Base Layer Top and Bottom, warm – 2 pieces each.
  • Mid-Insulation Layer Top – Polartec 100 or analog.
  • Mid-Insulation Layer Bottom – Polartec/Powerstretch pants or analog.
  • Warm jacket – Synthetic or down.
  • Weather Layer Top – Gore-Tex/Softshell or other waterproof breathable jacket.
  • Weather Layer Pants – Gore-Tex/Softshell or other waterproof breathable pants.
  • Down jacket warm to minus 20-25°C.
  • Hats (warm and light).
  • Light gloves
  • Insulated gloves
  • Insulated mittens
  • High snow boots
  • Slippers for the lodge

Ski gear:

  • Skis or Splitboard. We recommend skis 110mm underfoot or wider.
  • Skins. Glue should be in good condition, renew if necessary. Tail clips strongly recommended. No glueless skins, please, it doesn’t work with low temperatures!
  • Touring Boots
  • Telescopic Poles
  • Ski helmet
  • Binding/Boot/Pole Personal Repair Kit – tools and parts to fix your personal gear
  • Electric ski boot dryer

Avalanche gear:

  • Transceiver (three antennas), extra batteries.
  • Probe
  • Shovel

Personal equipment:

  • Backpack, 25-30 liters.
  • Personal First Aid kit (blister kit, your personal medications)
  • Thermos or insulated flask, 1L. Good idea to have both.
  • Sunglasses (CE rated 3 or 4)
  • Ski goggles, plus extra pair.
  • Headlamp, extra batteries.
  • Sun/Cold and Lip Cream (factor 30+).
  • Personal toiletries.

Being adequately insured is a condition of booking a trip with us. You must have travel and medical insurance, which covers Backcountry skiing/freeriding, skitouring/splitboarding etc. For your peace of mind and to avoid any financial hardship that an unexpected cancellation could cause, we strongly recommend getting Trip Cancellation insurance.

Kazakhstan offers a visa-free policy for most nationalities. See here for the full list of countries included in this visa-free policy.

The currency of Kazakhstan is the Tenge (KZT). Cards are widely accepted in cities and towns. In a taxi, you should pay in cash or by card via your taxi app.

Due to the remote location, we accept cash only at the lodge. If you need to pay for alcoholic beverages or special services, you can pay in Tenge, Euro, or US dollars.

We gladly offer special programs for guests who wish to bring non-ski-touring family members, especially during the Christmas or New Year holidays. During the day, your loved ones will be busy with outdoor activities. You will meet with your ski program to share impressions and emotions from the day and spend a lovely evening together.

We have several standard non-ski touring activities, but you are welcome to offer or ask about others according to our environment. Examples of standard activities:

  • Snowshoeing in the mountains, with duration from 1 to 3 hours.
  • Cross-country skiing, both backcountry and on piste options (xc skiing piste rolled by snowmobile).
  • Sledging and tubing on easy slopes.
  • Snowmobile tours.
  • Siberian SPA. It includes traditional bath procedures and aromatherapy.
  • Masterclass from our chef on traditional dishes of Central Asia.
  • Bird-watching.
  • Ice fishing.

Please get in touch with us for details and pricing.

We are pleased to collaborate with colleagues worldwide. If you are a Mountain or Ski Guide and are looking for a private group trip to the Altay Mountains, contact us, and we will be glad to organize it.