A Powder-Chaser's Guide to Snowboarding & Skiing in Kyrgyzstan

Adventure Tourism in Kyrgyzstan

In the 1990s, Askar Akayev, the country's first president, dubbed Kyrgyzstan the “Switzerland of Central Asia.” The nickname reflected his democratic vision for the country—we should note that he was overthrown in 2005 by protests related to rigged parliamentary elections—but it works in terms of geography, too. The place is all mountains, hosting three 7,000-meter peaks. My local friend and ski guide, Kas, doesn’t agree: “You cannot compare Kyrgyzstan. Kyrgyzstan is just Kyrgyzstan."

The rugged landscape generates all of the country's tourism. I came to Kyrgyzstan to live in a yurt, climb peaks and snowboard down them while taking pictures for the backcountry ski operation 40 Tribes. Over nine weeks, I saw roughly 40 western travelers arrive. The mountains pull them in, but watching a decapitated goat be used as a polo ball and tasting horse sausage for the first time are what make the stories that are shared back home. Summer months are busier for trekking, camping, and mountaineering. Still, skiers make the journey in the winter, despite, or maybe because of, the rundown resorts and the lack of infrastructure to access the mountains. Perhaps it's what skiing in some parts of the United States felt like 50 years ago.

What to Know About Skiing in Kyrgyzstan

Skiing Kyrgyzstan's Singular Snowpack

You cannot compare the snow here either. It does, however, behave exactly as you learn to expect most things in Kyrgyzstan to, which is to say you have absolutely no idea what to expect. The snow is like sinking sand; endless, deep. On the descent, the properties of hydrodynamics apply and skills carried over from waterskiing and wakeboarding seem to be more relevant than anything you might've learned in ski school. This is because it's made entirely of facets, sugar-like snow flakes; the opposite of the wet stuff you might find in the Pacific Northwest.

Gliding down it is an entirely new feeling of flying and floating like you’ve never felt. The unique snowpack alone makes a ski trip to Kyrgyzstan worth the effort (especially for the snow nerds out there).The good news: Kyrgyzstan's slopes are always like this, even if it hasn’t snowed in weeks, which makes for dependably soft skiing in the backcountry.

You need the right gear—don’t bring skis that are less than 115mm underfoot, or you will not float above this snow. Snowboarders ought to get their surf on and adjust their stance for one direction, and set it back a bit. If you really want to do it right, you could buy a pair of Wolverine skis, which were designed specifically for Kyrgyzstan's unique conditions by the underground ski legend Ptor Spricenieks. They are 135mm underfoot and have waterski like channels.

Where to Ski in Kyrgyzstan

All ski trips to Kyrgyzstan start by flying into the capital and largest city, Bishkek. At the foot of the Tien Shan mountains and the Kyrgyz Ala-Too range, the city is a portal to the mountains. But you'll want to head east to visit the Issyk Kul region, where you'll pass a massive salt water lake of the same name that generates dependable lake-effect storms in the surrounding mountains. On its eastern side, the city of Karakol serves as a solid base for lift-access turns and backcountry adventures.

Bishkek

Bishkek is the capital of Kyrgyzstan, and the country's largest city. There are quite a few small ski resorts around the capital. I never visited them, but if you're interested in seeing how different ski culture can be around the world, I guarantee they are worth it. If you're interested in the best terrain and snow quality Kyrgyzstan has to offer, they might not be.

Karakol Ski Base

Drive 25 minutes from the city of Karakol and you'll get to Karakol Ski Base. It's the biggest resort with the best snow, towering above the massive salt water lake Issyk Kul and relying on its dependable lake-effect snowstorms. Its base elevation sits just above 7,500 feet and off-piste peaks rise to 11,000 feet, but the acreage compared to European and North American standards is fairly small. The views from the top are gorgeous, the inbounds experience is incredibly unique, and you can exit into the sidecountry. Lift tickets are $20.

Ala Too Ski Resort (under construction)

At Jyrgalan Pass, two hours from Karakol, crews are currently at work building Ala Too, which will be the largest ski resort in Central Asia. The whole project will connect three resorts on three separate peaks by chairlifts and have 3-5 star hotels. The first few slopes of Jyrgalan Resort—one of the three resorts—are set to be ready at the end of 2026, and the full resort complete by 2028. The whole project with all three resorts-is expected to be completed by 2032. It will be a resort of “European scale and standards,” so they say.

Jyrgalan Pass Cat Skiing

Two hours from Karakol, Jyrgalan Pass sits at 10,800 feet and is the most frequented backcountry zone in the region. It's also the site of the aforementioned next mega resort, Ala Too. Housing accommodations, guides, and cat skiing are available here, as well as endless ski touring. There are a lot of hard-to-decipher products and trip offerings that you can find in Google searches for the area, but I would recommend just reaching out to my friends at Kyrgyz Tours directly on WhatsApp to sift through the noise. They have a network of drivers, guides, and accommodations to get you out cat skiing.

Yurt-Based Backcountry Trips

40 Tribes is a guided yurt-based ski touring outfit above Ichke Jergez village, near Karakol. Western ski guides lead seven-day ski touring trips. The yurt camp is at 8,400 feet and you’ll climb and ski surrounding peaks as high as 11,800 feet. The experience includes in-country travel, bed and breakfast before and after the yurts, horses to porter gear, an option to ride horses to the yurts, staffed and catered yurts, music performances, and an option to watch a kok boru game. It costs $3,000/person for seven days of guided skiing. If you'd rather be more self-sufficient, you can have the same amenities, sans guide, for $1,000 a night (four-night minimum).

Another similar, less expensive, operation exists called Ak-Suu Yurt Lodge in the Ak-Suu valley, also near Karakol. This experience includes the help of snowmobile tows to get you and your gear to the yurt camp. The yurt camp is at 8,500 feet elevation with tours up to 13,700 feet. The yurt camp is staffed, catered, and includes a sauna and hot tub with a nearby river for cold dips. If your group is less than six people, it costs $150 a night per person (two-night minimum) for these amenities. Groups of more than six people can stay for a lower per-night price. If you’d like a guide, it costs $150 per day, per person, for up to four clients per guide.

A Primer on Kyrgyz Culture

Russian Roots & Goat Polo

Like staying up past your curfew as a kid, it’s exciting to be somewhere you feel you shouldn’t. I get this feeling when I walk in Bishkek past an old USSR statue or when I see a painting of Stalin next to my table at a Georgian restaurant. As an American, I was raised to oppose anything Russian and question any country that ends in “stan.” Kyrgyzstan is, sort of, both.

Kyrgyzstan was under Russian control from 1876 until their independence in 1991, after the dissolution of the USSR. The cultures have meshed after 115 years of control, especially to the foreigner's eye. Russian trade is still vital, Russian Ladas and UAZ’s drive around its roads, everyone speaks Russian; TV, music, food, all have been influenced. All this said, in my time there, I never met anyone that was a fan of Russia. To mistake the colonized for the colonizer would be a grave mistake.

Russian language skills will help you immensely, as everyone speaks both Kyrgyz and Russian. English is the third language, but don’t expect it to be widely spoken or spoken that well.

Kyrgyzstan is a majority Sunni Muslim country. However, it is not strict, and depending on your cultural intelligence you might never even notice. Women travelers need not worry about a rigid dress code, but be prepared to witness more conservative gender roles, as I am sure you were.

Kas once told me Russians joke that the Kyrgyz can ride a horse before they can walk. The national sport, Kok Boru, aka goat polo, is a testament to their skills, and how far you are from home. The game is like rugby on horseback, but replaces a ball with a dead goat. Before games, a goat is decapitated, bled out, and de-limbed. Once prepped, it acts as a 70-pound, hairy, smelly ball that's tugged, dropped, and thrown between players. Play is physical, requires great skill, and is perfect for tenderizing the meat for the BBQ after the match. The main season is the winter so participants can play on the empty farm fields, which lines up nicely with ski season. If you make the trip, Kok Boru is a must-witness event you won't want to miss.

For me, a close second behind spectating a Kok Boru match is seeing the eagle hunters. The traditional clothing they wear is impressive—as is the size of the eagles they work with when you see them up close. Lastly, I recommend trying to witness the dramatic and song-like poem recitation about Manas, the creator of Kyrgyzstan. It's one of the longest epics in the world and memorization competitions are common.

Food & Drink in Kyrgyzstan

The foodies out there will be mostly disappointed by the dining scene in Kyrgyzstan, though there is some wow factor in eating horse, which is common here, and maybe a lamb's head. The national drink, Kumis, fermented horse milk, is an acquired taste if there ever was one. In my experience there, my favorite plate was simply pasta with an egg on top for breakfast. Kyrgyz are tough people, with tough winters, and tough food. Expect lots of borrowed dishes from China, Japan, and Russia to choose from. It helps to remember what I said about what to expect when you’re in Kyrgyzstan—that you'll have no idea what to expect.

Although the Kyrgyz people are 90% Sunni Muslim, it is a secular state and you can indeed find alcohol. There are bars, clubs, and even breweries in Bishkek. Alcohol can be harder to find outside the big city though. In Karakol, a bar called The Hut is absolutely worth going to. Inside you'll find a mix of Kyrgyz, Russian (often fleeing the draft for the war in Ukraine), and Western travelers, all battling it out on the foosball table, and the bartender/owner will make you feel right at home.

How to Access Kyrgyz Culture as a Foreigner—Hire a Guide

No travel guide is needed to drive you around and walk you through the streets, like you do in some nearby places like Pakistan. You don't need a guide for trekking, mountaineering, or skiing, either. You can travel at your own risk like my professional ski friends from Jackson Hole did. Hiring a guide is a matter of cost and what sort of experience you're after. Do you speak the language? Are you an expert avalanche forecaster? Also, a guide can help you access culture in ways you simply won't be able to on your own.

I hired a guide when I visited Pakistan to snowboard in 2022, and after three weeks of travel I called him a friend. Similarly, I became so fond of Kyrgyzstan because I got to work with Kyrgyz people every day, not just pass them on the street. If your travel style is to avoid guides, I still highly recommend a day guide, which costs $25-$100, so you have someone to explain what's happening during a goat polo match, or try a private walking tour in Bishkek so you can ask a fluent English speaker the one million questions brewed in your brain since you landed. AI and Google are not the same. For trips to other western countries I'd be the first to say wander, travel alone, but Kyrgyzstan, on the other side of the planet and half a day into the future, is a harder place to unlock all on your own.

Here are some sites to find tours and culture guides:

• Kyrgyz Guided Tours
• Go With Guide
• Tripadvisor

As a traveler, I experienced nothing but kindness during my time in Kyrgyzstan. Once, a young college kid stopped me on the sidewalk to make sure I was enjoying my stay in his country, and a group of school girls stopped to take selfies with me. That doesn't happen in typical tourist destinations, but if you're interested in skiing Kyrgyzstan and exploring its mountains, you're likely not interested in typical.