KAZAKHSTAN

GUIDED SKI & SPLITBOARD EXPEDITION

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Story time! 17 years ago we were scouting locations for our Kyrgyzstan yurt camp, and found ourselves at an alpine hut in a valley known as Altyn Arashan. We were there to assess the surrounding terrain, soak in some hot springs, and ring in 2009. Our fellow hut guests and New Year’s revelers were a handful of Russians, a friend from Bishkek (the capital of Kyrgyzstan), and his friend from Kazakhstan. Pouring over maps that night, we quizzed our new friends what they’d recommend as their top places for deep powder riding in Russia. Sheregesh and Mamay came recommended. Quietly, our new Kazakh-Russian friend—a snowboarder—pointed to a town in far northeast Kazakhstan called Ridder and proclaimed “Much snow.” The Russian guests then pointed to an area just north, in Siberia, and backed up his claim: “Much, much snow!” It was all the beta needed for that part of the world to be burned into our memories forever. The only problem: Kyrgyzstan was our focus, and would be for many years moving forward. Those fabled zones further north would have to wait.

Fast forward to 2018, and with Kyrgyzstan firmly established, the urge to explore those once-talked-about areas bubbled over. Siberia initially won with the promise of a 2-meter snowpack by early December, and train access to the small village where we’d base. The two years we ran our Siberia expedition, before COVID hit, were incredible. After the pandemic subsided we barely had time to catch our breath before Russia’s invasion of Ukraine. Not only was our Russia programming again forced to pause, but the entire business model of our partners would dissolve due to the suffocation of the tourism industry. Finally—for them and us—Kazakhstan came into focus. On their end, they poured their efforts into creating a new business near Ridder, in the Western Altai. Not far south from where they previously operated in Siberia, the Altai Mountains offered an operating environment they were accustomed to: “much snow” accumulating as early as late fall. They identified a valley with access to peaks that had never been ridden before a few years ago, and built one of the most styled-out basecamps imaginable, with four enormous luxury yurts imported from Russia. They brought in snowmobiles for accessing camp and deeper up valley. They custom built a wooden bathhouse featuring a traditional banya, or sauna. Our first visit was at the start of January 2026, with the destination kept secret as part of our 6th Annual Mystery Trip. 17 years (almost to the date) after first hearing about the mountains near Ridder, we finally made it, and the promise of early season powder smashing was fulfilled. It was absolutely epic. We couldn’t be more stoked for our return less than a year later, in December!

2026 DATES

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DECEMBER 5-12

6 DAYS RIDING/8 DAYS TOTAL

DETAILS

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The bustling, cosmopolitan city of Almaty will be your landing spot in Kazakhstan, the largest and wealthiest of the ‘Stans. Whether to begin or end your trip, a night in Almaty is recommended. It’ll surprise you with its dramatic setting at the foot of the Ile Alatau Range (the northernmost ridge of the Tien Shan) and its modern European vibe. There’s also skiing to be had close to Almaty at Shymbulak Resort or in the backcountry if you’d like to extend your trip!

From there, we’ll take a short domestic flight to Ust-Kamenogorsk, also known as Oskemen in the Kazakh language. Oskemen sits between the vast Kazakh Steppe to the west/northwest and the Altai Mountains to the east. In early December, even the lower elevations surrounding Oskemen should be blanketed in snow, with the snowpack getting noticeably deeper as you head towards Ridder and the foot of the Altai. The drive to the “trailhead” where we’ll transfer to snowmobiles will take approximately 3 hours, passing by many small villages that are very Siberian-feeling, with houses buried in snow, coal smoke pouring from their chimneys.

Shortly after dark we’ll reach our destination—literally a nondescript spot on the side of the road where the snowmobiles and passenger sledges will be waiting. From there, it’s a 10-minute snowmobile ride to our home for the week: a luxury yurt camp, built by our partners, featuring a kitchen/dining yurt, two guest yurts, a staff yurt, and a bathhouse with toilets, running water, and a banya for nightly sweats and showering. The yurts are heated by woodstoves, maintained by the camp staff, and each of the sleeping yurts features 4 bedrooms with 2 beds per room. Breakfasts, lunches, après ski soups, dinners and desserts are prepared from scratch by a dedicated chef, and will have your mouth watering. A selection of Kazakh microbrews, wine, and the local fermented soft drink, Kvaas, will be available for purchase. For better or for worse, Starlink also works in middle-of-nowhere Kazakhstan!

For terrain, think tree riding. The forests are a mix of conifers and deciduous hardwoods (massive Japan-style birch trees), offering perfectly spaced glades, long lanes and chutes, and pillowy sections as well. While the Western Altai Mountains are home to many peaks that rise above treeline, the summits that surround the yurt camp are notably low in elevation. Most of the riding will be from high points of only 1,000-1,600m/3,300-5,300ft, which means easy touring. The typical vertical per run will be in the 400-900m/1,300-3,000ft range, and slopes will be anywhere from 25º to 40º.

We’ll likely be joined every day by Kazakhstan’s best ski dog, Belka. She crushes and is absolutely tireless. On many days, instead of touring directly from camp we’ll use the snowmobiles and passenger sledges to shuttle deeper up valley. This will give us access to the higher peaks and bigger north faces, and makes for a fun and super interesting start and end to the days.

After 6 days scratching that itch for early season powder riding, the snowmobiles will shuttle us to the road and we’ll head back to Oskemen for an afternoon flight to Almaty. It’s your call whether to budget in a celebratory final night in Almaty (why not!), or try to find a connection home later that evening.

GUIDES

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Our December 2026 Kazakhstan expedition will be guided by AMGA Ski Guide Peter Stone with support from KMGA Ski Guide Kasidin (Kas) Musaev. Peter and Kas have worked together for the last few years from our yurt camp in Kyrgyzstan. Peter works as a full-time mountain guide in Jackson, Wyoming (throughout the Teton Range) and also as a heliski guide in Haines, Alaska. Kas is our longtime local partner in Kyrgyzstan and recently joined us in the tail guide role having received his full certification with the Kyrgyzstan Mountain Guides Association. Meet our guides.

BOOKINGS

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USD $4,400/PERSON

6 DAYS RIDING/8 DAYS TOTAL

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ARRIVAL/DEPARTURE REQUIREMENTS

Participants will need to arrive in Almaty (airport code ALA) in time to catch Air Astana’s domestic flight to Ust-Kamenogorsk (UKK) departing on December 5 at 11:30am. Arriving in Almaty a day early is of course an option, if needed. On the tail end, the flight from UKK to ALA arrives at 3:40pm on December 12. Depending on your final destination, you may find connecting flights later that afternoon/evening; otherwise, we recommend you join our guides for a final celebratory night in Almaty. It’s a super vibrant city and a night out would make for a really fun end to the trip!

PRICE INCLUDES

40 Tribes Lead and Tail Guides; Private Sprinter van transfers between UKK and our destination (approx. 3 hours each way); Snowmobiles and passenger sledges for accessing camp and deeper up valley; 7 nights accommodation in luxury yurts imported from Russia; Scratch-made meals including gourmet sandwiches and snacks for touring days; Nightly banya sessions; 6 days of epic guided skiing/splitboarding!

PRICE DOES NOT INCLUDE

International airfare and baggage fees; Domestic airfare and baggage fees (ALA-UKK-ALA); Transfers or accommodation in Almaty; Medical/evacuation insurance; Alcohol; Tips for guides.

BOOKING POLICY

A 20% deposit is required to secure your spot, with the remainder due 4 months prior to the expedition start date. Our cancellation/refund policies can be found here.

TERMS & CONDITIONS

Our general terms & conditions can be found here.

RELEASE & WAIVER OF RIGHTS

All participants are required to sign our Release and Waiver of Rights.