Jagged rock peaks and glaciers covered in snow under a blue sky

Mountain · Medeu District, Almaty

Medeu and Shymbulak

A high-altitude skating stadium and, a gondola ride above it, Central Asia's best-known ski resort in the mountains south of Almaty

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Ambient sound · similar settingWind driving snow in the high north at night

Photo: Ilnur Kalimullin (@kalimullin) / Unsplash

Discover Medeu and Shymbulak

The Medeu stadium sits at 1,691 metres in a narrow valley of the Trans-Ili Alatau, its 10,500 square metres of outdoor ice surrounded by stands for more than 8,000 spectators. It is named after Medeu Pusurmanov, a local landowner who developed the valley, and above it rises a large Soviet dam built to protect Almaty from mudflows, climbed by a staircase of 842 steps.

From beside the stadium a gondola runs 4.5 kilometres up the valley to Shymbulak, whose base lies around 2,200 to 2,260 metres. Chairlifts continue to Talgar Pass at 3,200 metres, the top of the resort. Shymbulak has eight slopes of varying difficulty, the longest just over 3 kilometres, and in summer the slopes become a base for hiking, rope courses, zip lines, horse riding and paragliding from Talgar Pass.

Don’t miss

01Skating on the open-air Medeu rink with mountains on every side
02The 4.5 km gondola ride from Medeu up to Shymbulak
03Views from Talgar Pass at 3,200 metres
04Climbing the 842 steps of the Medeu dam
05Night skiing high above the city

History & culture

The story of Medeu and Shymbulak

The Medeu rink was built between 1949 and 1951 and set world and Soviet speed-skating records on its opening day; artificial ice followed in 1972, and dozens of world records were set there over the following decades. Shymbulak was found by amateur skiers in the 1940s, gained a ski tow in 1954 and became the Soviet Olympic ski training centre in 1983. The Medeu dam, finished in the late 1960s, held back a major mudflow in 1973.

Both venues were rebuilt ahead of the 2011 Asian Winter Games, when the gondola linking them opened, and Medeu later hosted the 2012 Bandy World Championship and speed skating at the 2017 Winter Universiade. In March 2023 Shymbulak entered the Guinness Book of Records for the world's highest night ski slope. In December 2025 the Almaty city government reported that modernisation of Medeu, including full replacement of its engineering systems, was under way.

Local life & traditions

The national tourism board points out that Almaty has a ski resort almost on its doorstep, and city bus 12 runs up the valley to Medeu. The dam staircase is used for fitness training and stair-climbing competitions, and since 2021 electric public transport has also run between Medeu and Shymbulak.

Things to do

Experience it like a local

In winter visitors skate at Medeu, then ride the gondola up to Shymbulak to ski or snowboard, or simply to take in the views from the upper lifts. Shymbulak runs a ski and snowboard school and a snow park. Outside the snow season the resort offers an Alpine park, rope park, zip line, horse riding, ATV tours, paragliding and hiking, and many people climb the steps of the Medeu dam for exercise and the view down the valley.

When to go

The ski season at Shymbulak runs from about mid-November to mid-April, with a snow base of around 1.6 metres. Summer brings mild temperatures at altitude and a different set of mountain activities. Because the Medeu rink was being modernised in 2025–2026, check its status before planning a skating visit.

Plan your visit

Verified information

Gondola: The Medeu–Shymbulak gondola is 4.5 km long, opened in 2011 and carries up to 2,000 people an hour in eight-seat cabins; the ride takes about 15 minutes. Source: en.wikipedia.org ↗
Ski season: Roughly mid-November to mid-April; tickets are sold on the resort's official website and at its ticket office. Source: welcome.kz ↗
Medeu modernisation (December 2025): The Almaty city government reported that modernisation of Medeu, including full replacement of its engineering systems, was under way; confirm the rink is open before you go. Source: gov.kz ↗
Getting there: City bus 12 runs from Almaty-2 railway station to Medeu; get off one stop before the terminus for the gondola. Source: welcome.kz ↗

Checked against the sources on 31 October 2026. Opening times and fees can change — confirm before you go.

Travel tips

Check whether the Medeu rink is open before going, as it was under modernisation in 2025–2026.
Shymbulak tickets can be bought on the resort's official website or at its ticket office.
Bring layers: Talgar Pass at 3,200 metres is much colder than the city.
In summer, a hiking trail of about two hours links Medeu and Shymbulak as an alternative to the gondola.
Pace yourself on the 842 dam steps at altitude.

General guidance from our specialists, not official information.

Around Medeu and Shymbulak: food, markets & places to stay

Both venues lie in the Medeu valley a short drive from central Almaty and Kok-Tobe hill. Big Almaty Lake lies in the neighbouring gorge to the west, inside Ile-Alatau National Park. Talgar Pass, at the top of Shymbulak, looks out over the higher peaks of the Trans-Ili Alatau.