Medeu & Chimbulak

Introducing Medeu & Chimbulak

These are Almaty’s playgrounds in the Malaya Almatinka valley, both easily visited on a day trip from the city. If you want to avoid crowds come on a weekday.

The winter sports facilities here are good enough for Almaty to have made an (unsuccessful) bid to hold the 2014 Winter Olympics. The settlement of Medeu, at 1700m, is a scattering of buildings around the huge Medeu ice rink, about 15km southeast of central Almaty. Chimbulak at 2300m is Central Asia’s top skiing centre. Both are starting points for good day hikes and for treks in the Zailiysky Alatau: see Medeu to Butakovka Hike and Trekking to Lake Issyk-Köl for routes.

Medeu is always several degrees cooler than Almaty, and Chimbulak is cooler still. Except in summer, rain in Almaty means snow and zero visibility at the higher elevations.

The 10, 500-sq-metre Medeu ice rink (327-271 62 15; admission adult/under 13yr 600/300T; noon-4pm & 6-11pm Mon-Fri, 11am-4pm & 5-11pm Sat, 10am-4pm & 5-11pm Sun approx Nov-Apr), built in 1972, is made for speed skating and many champion skaters have trained here. Even when the rink is closed people come to relax at the shashlyk and drink stands, and to take a walk in the surrounding valleys and hills. You can rent skates for 600T per two hours, though you need to leave your passport or 10, 000T as deposit.

What looks like a dam in the main valley above the ice rink (about 3km by road or 800-odd steps on foot) is actually there to stop avalanches and mudslides. The road climbs a further 4.5km from this barrier to the surprisingly swish Chimbulak ski resort (327-258 19 99; www.chimbulak.com), with a vertical drop of 900m and a variety of ski runs for all levels. The ski season runs from about November to April. A new quad lift was added in 2003 and the ski-rental equipment, including snowboards, is also in good condition, costing 2000T to 5000T per day depending on quality. Day/half-day lift passes are 4000/2500T Monday to Friday, 5000/3000T Saturday and Sunday, with individual lift tickets at 400T. Since it takes three lifts to reach the Talgar Pass at around 3200m, a day pass makes sense if you’re going to ski the whole mountain. Ski lessons are US$15 per hour (US$20 at weekends) in groups of three, or US$22 (weekends US$28) for individual lessons. Some instructors speak English.

You can take walks from Chimbulak itself. A track continues 8km up the Malaya Almatinka valley and, in summer, it’s a 3km hike up to the Talgar Pass. Warning: there is year-round avalanche danger wherever you see snow. Pik Komsomola (4330m) rises 3km south of the Talgar Pass, the nearest of a ring of glacier-flanked peaks around the top of the Malaya Almatinka valley, which are favourites with Almaty climbers.

If you are staying at Chimbulak, you can entertain yourself in the evening at the modern bowling alley (per hr 2000T; noon-3am).

Last updated: Mar 24, 2009