Bit of background, I've spent a fair bit of time in Kyrgyzstan, but usually in the summers. If you are looking for a place to visit a bit off the beaten path, with excellent outdoor activities, and an interesting culture I can highly recommend it. This overview will focus on my recent ski touring trip focused around Jyrgalan village.
Jyrgalan is a little village at the foot of the tian Shan mountain range, in the far East of Kyrgyzstan. Once famous for its coal mine, but after the fall of the Soviet Union the economy collapsed and most people had to move away. You can still see the old mine, and some of the bigger now abandoned buildings. Due to its location it's having a resurgence as a hotspot for tourism (hiking in the summers and ski touring in the winters).
To get there you will need to fly into Bishkek (capital of Kyrgyzstan). From there you can organise a transfer to Jyrgalan (arrange this through destination - see above for contact info) or you can go via public transport - taxi to Bishkek bus station, bus to karakol, then bus to Jyrgalan - total cost around $10-15. Expect to take around 8 hours driving in total.
If you want to break up the journey karakol is a natural place to stop. There is a decent ski resort there, that's nice for a warm up day and a few other sights, cafes, restaurants, Lenin statue etc. Also if you need anything (supplies, clothing, toiletries etc.) best to pick them up here as there is very limited availability in Jyrgalan. Saying that, there is actually some decent touring kit available to rent in Jyrgalan, including avalanche backpacks - best to reserve in advance through destination Jyrgalan (the local tourism board - https://jyrgalan.com/ email: destination.jyrgalan@gmail.com) as limited supply.
For accommodation in Jyrgalan I can recommend Ala Kol guesthouse. Good food, can also provide packed lunches, modern rooms, WiFi, friendly hosts etc. Also have a nice banya (russian sauna) that's well worth trying out after a long day ski touring. You can see prices and make reservations through the booking.com website.
There is a cat ski operation (https://rycetravel.com/en/tours/cat-ski-kyrgyzstan/). I didn't personally use them, but looked pretty professional. They seemed to be taking a group up every 2-3 days, so there is definitely a possibility of joining a group if you don't have the numbers to fill it yourself. They only operate to the south west of the village, so even if that area gets a little tracked (relative to the area, it's certainly not Whistler!) there's still plenty of other options for first tracks. On the positive side for ski tourers the cat makes an excellent access track for easy skinning, and it's possible to branch off it to many areas the cat can't reach. There is also options for uplift via skidoo and in traditional Kyrgyz style by horse (contact destination Jyrgalan to arrange this).
In terms of terrain there is a nice range from mellow meadow skipping to serious ski mountaineering stuff. All of it can be accessed directly from the village, which is nice. If you are looking for some first descents it's a great choice as not a whole lot of skiing has been done here yet. I've uploaded some photos to try and give an idea of some of the local terrain, the photos are by no means extensive lots of areas and lines not covered, but hopefully gives a general idea https://photos.app.goo.gl/gyqekbUeEULic2ea8 . When I get around to it I will try adding some routes I did to fatmap. For some more views of the terrain and a little video inspiration from Aurelien Ducroz (from chamlines) http://youtube.com/v/K7v1w4loLjs
If you want to make a bigger trip of it there are more ski opportunities in the area and around the country, as well as a pretty modern resort just across the border in Kazakhstan (shymbulak resort). If you want to experience some non-ski more cultural stuff you can go and meet the eagle hunters (they use golden eagles to help them hunt, not actually hunting eagles!) which can be combined with visited fairytale canyon for a pretty cool day out.
Definitely interested in going back in future, so if anyone is keen let me know and perhaps we can put together a group. Also feel free to ask any questions and I'll do my best to answer.
Obviously A snowHead isn't a real person
Obviously A snowHead isn't a real person
Looks great (from the supplied link/info and pics) boarder2020.
Do you know if there are local guides available? How long were you there and how did you suss out ski touring routes?
Well, the person's real but it's just a made up name, see?
Well, the person's real but it's just a made up name, see?
Really interesting report/video - thanks for sharing
Really interesting report/video - thanks for sharing
+1
Anyway, snowHeads is much more fun if you do.
Anyway, snowHeads is much more fun if you do.
mountainaddict wrote:
Looks great (from the supplied link/info and pics) boarder2020.
Do you know if there are local guides available? How long were you there and how did you suss out ski touring routes?
I've not personally used her but Lidia is a general Kyrgyzstan ski tour and mountaineering guide and gets good reviews her Instagram is lidiia_guide, you could try contacting her directly. Alternatively contact destination Jyrgalan they can probably set you up with someone or provide you with some other recommendations. Some of the European groups bring their own guides - it sounds like they basically made a deal with guides that were interested in coming to Kyrgyzstan - flights, food, accommodation and a small fee in exchange for guiding. I guess if you find the right guide their view is it's a free holiday to somewhere cool plus they make some tax free pocket money on the side.
I spent 7 days in Jyrgalan ski touring. I have spent quite a bit of time hiking in the area in summers so had a bit of a head start with terrain. I used fatmap for planning (the avalanche overlay worked really well for me as was solo touring so limiting myself to terrain not steep enough to avalanche). There had been a big russian group before I arrived so there were also some tracks which helped out too. Also the cat ski operation was indirectly a huge help as it put in some awesome uptracks to the ridges on the west of the village which I could use and branch off to save having to break trail all the way yet still get fresh tracks. There was also a freeride contest while I was there featuring some local guides (silk ride freeride - from what I understand kind of a charity project trying to develop skiing in the area and give Europeans a chance to visit although i may be wrong) so also poached their tracks a bit
It seems like the cat ski op has a bit of a general route they do hitting a few different ridges to the west of the village. It may be worth spending your first day with them to get a general lay of the land, and use it almost as a scouting mission for lines you want to hit the rest of your time there. Also like I said the cat unintentionally puts in a great uptrack.
From a navigation point of view I don't think it's an overly complicated place. There is a peak to the north of the village called char Jon (around 800m vertical) you can ski down while basically being able to see the village the whole way down. The ridges to the west of the village are also pretty straightforward - head out the village and up onto the plateau and then you have a good view of the ridges and from them the view back to the plateau. I have some GPS tracks I will try to put on fatmap when I have more time, but happy to send them over some other way. There are also some good lines I didn't try (not necessarily because they are dangerous/high risk) but just because I was solo touring I was super cautious and they are a little more remote I could suggest too.
I'm interested in going back. Would be nice to return with the advantages of having a few partners - plus things like guides, skidoo/cat uplift etc. start to become more reasonable financially with a group. So if anyone is at all interested definitely let me know.
Thanks for the further info boarder2020. Sounds great. We're always looking to suss out new ski destinations for our bucket list.
The reason I was asking about guides was that Mrs MA and I aren't overly confident/competent re. snow/avalanche conditions. We've ski toured and skied off piste a fair bit in the Alps and elsewhere but, for the above reasons, have always gone with guides.
A couple more QS for you :
- What are flight prices like?
- How long is the ski touring season? (Compared to the usual spring onwards for organised tours in the Alps).
Then you can post your own questions or snow reports...
Then you can post your own questions or snow reports...
boarder2020 wrote:
... It seems like the cat ski op has a bit of a general route they do hitting a few different ridges to the west of the village. It may be worth spending your first day with them to get a general lay of the land, and use it almost as a scouting mission for lines you want to hit the rest of your time there. Also like I said the cat unintentionally puts in a great uptrack....
I've zero knowledge of that country, which sounds interesting.
However from work elsewhere with cats, I'd say that you'll likely make friends and influence people if you have a
polite chat with the cat ski people even if you don't use them. It's in their interests to help you find
good stuff which doesn't cause them trouble.
After all it is free
After all it is free
@mountainaddict, never been myself, but had a little at flight prices out of curiosity on skyscanner.
Was looking around £300 return in March.
You'll get to see more forums and be part of the best ski club on the net.
You'll get to see more forums and be part of the best ski club on the net.
You will definitely be able to get a guide. Some of the Kyrgyz mountaineering guides advertise on explore-share.com, so might be worth trying that for ski guides too. Prices quoted on explore share tend to be a little "optimistic" so worth contacting them directly to negotiate a package. I would definitely try and get a review or speak to previous clients before booking a guide. You have to remember things are not so regulated so double check what qualifications they have.
No direct flights. Fly via Moscow, Dubai or Istanbul. Istanbul tends to be the cheapest and most convenient - you are looking at around £350-500 depending who you go with (Pegasus is cheaper, Turkish airlines a little more expensive). Not a bad place to stop for a couple of days if you want to make a longer trip of it. While flights are on the expensive side (compared to Europe) costs are the ground are much lower so it probably evens out.
For Jyrgalan February and early march seems to be peak touring season. I found mid to late Jan pretty pleasant though most days was about -2 to -5c but lots of sun and little wind. Perhaps that's a little warmer than usual. Early January risks not being enough snow and April is definitely too late as things have warmed up a lot by then and it doesn't get down to freezing even at night in the village.
If you are set on spring I think you might have to stick to the glacier at ala archa national park. From what I understand this is good into May (definitely confirm that with someone that knows better though). It's a bit more "rustic" - think hiking in all your supplies to a very basic little unmanned hut with the walls covered in page 3 style photos. Would be a good trip, but maybe suits a more ski mountaineering style trip as opposed to pure ski tour/freeride.
Have put a little description of karakol ski resort in the resort reviews section that may be of interest if you are planning a trip. You have to go through karakol to get to Jyrgalan and it's the biggest resort in Kyrgyzstan so makes for a decent warm up day.
Ski the Net with snowHeads
Ski the Net with snowHeads
@mountainaddict, the guy to track down is Kasidin Musaev - he is a local mountain guide and has been involved in ski touring for over 10 years - I met him when he was ‘yurt help’ in 2012 a bit further back towards Karakol. Super nice guy, very experienced in the mountains (he also guides on the big Kyrg peaks), highly recommended. You should be able to get in touch via http://kyrgyz-tours.info/skisplitboard-tours#overlay-context=splitboardski-touring
To add to what has been said above, Kyrgyzstan is awesome - friendly people, great mountains, ‘special snow’ (skis under 100/110 were not worth considering where we skied). If you are looking to join a guided group then I would also recommend 40 Tribes Backcountry, a Community Based Tourism operation. They use local help for everything barring the ski guiding (typically AMGA or CMGA guides and occasionally the legendary Ptor Spricenieks (though less so in recent years). Great homestay in the local village etc.
Have been to Kyrgyzstan twice and used them for all logistics both times. https://40tribesbackcountry.com/kyrgyzstan-yurt-based-ski-and-splitboard-tours
If you are in Karakol on a weekend the livestock market is an absolute must for some local immersion (just don’t wear smart shoes…).
snowHeads are a friendly bunch.
snowHeads are a friendly bunch.
Great read
Thanks
And love to help out and answer questions and of course, read each other's snow reports.
And love to help out and answer questions and of course, read each other's snow reports.
Thanks for the additional info. Great stuff and plenty of food for thought.
So if you're just off somewhere snowy come back and post a snow report of your own and we'll all love you very much
So if you're just off somewhere snowy come back and post a snow report of your own and we'll all love you very much
Adding onto this thread as I enjoyed reading @boarder2020[/b and [b]@offpisteskiing's info.
Off to Kyrgyzstan on Saturday for 3 or 4 days (legs and conditions depending) cat ski in Jyrgalan with Ryce travel and then the 40 Tribes yurt touring trip. Excited! The 40 Tribes trip had been on my 'to do' list for about 8 years so happy to be finally doing it.
Both Ryce Travel and 40 Tribes have been really helpful in the run up so hopefully that continues through to in-country, will report back
On flight prices, we ended up paying nearly £!000 with Turkish Air, thought ski carriage was included with TA but it didn't seem to be and had to pay for it 4x (each leg a separate fee even though one ticket). That is about 45% of the total ticket cost. Booked early autumn and hadn't expected it to cost so much more than the headline price.
Slightly worries the cat ski will be a totally tracked as there doesn't look like there has been any recent snow nor any on the forecast but hopefully they can find us something. First group of the season at the Yurts so that should be good regardless.
You know it makes sense.
You know it makes sense.
@kat.ryb, enjoy! I went on @offpisteskiing’s inaugural trip there and it was memorable for lots of reasons, most of them good
There’s a TR on here somewhere, it sure if the pics will still work though
Otherwise you'll just go on seeing the one name:
Otherwise you'll just go on seeing the one name:
For cheap flights Pegasus are the way to go. I paid less than £500 return including a ski bag for this winter. But they only fly out of Stansted and it's basic (no free food/drinks, entertainment). Turkish is a better experience and maybe more convenient if you don't live close to London.
Not on the ground, but from photos and talking to friends there has been more cat skiing than usual this year. There is a little snow supposedly coming today and tomorrow. However, the silk road freeride competition is happening in a few days which means a huge influx (by Jyrgalan standards) of cat skiing. So yes that cat area may be quite tracked. If you really want fresh, the cat ski area is relatively small to the West of the village, pretty much everywhere else should be far less or even untracked. Of course you will have to snowshoe/skin/horse up.
Not been to the 40tribes yurt. Think it is in the valley from ichke Jegez? Should be good, especially if first group of the year! The valley next to it (Jegez) is very beautiful in the summer.
I'm flying out in a couple of weeks. Will be mostly touring around the village, but tentative plans of some overnight camping and exploring some first descent options higher up the valley. Will be sure to post a TR.
It's a bit late for this year now, but for next year we could definitely put together a kyrgyzstan trip if there's interest. I'd be happy to put it together for admin or could just be an unofficial thing. Or if you just have a group and want it planning feel free to contact me, although the local company called destination Jyrgalan are also very good. My plan is to do the whole winter there next year anyway, so happy to show people around, in fact I'm always looking for ski partners out there so you would be doing me a favour too. Always happy to answer any questions about the place, including about summer - which is arguably even better than winter!
Poster: A snowHead
Poster: A snowHead
@Arno, I read your TR before I think
Yup @boarder2020 we arrive a day or two after the freeride comp, I had hoped the comp would be doing more extreme terrain than the 'normal' cat ski. Would have been nice to have been there for the comp to see and enjoy the atmosphere.
Let's see how this year goes but if all is well then I would be def up for meeting up in 2025 on a DIY basis if you don't mind touring with a splitboarder!
Obviously A snowHead isn't a real person
Obviously A snowHead isn't a real person
I've done the 40tribes trip to the yurt before. We were group 4 for that year? Fresh stuff whole week. Great country, lovely people, strongly recommend anyone who wants a more off the beaten track experience to try it. DIY or with a group whatever.
The snow is different to anything you've skied before, takes couple days to get used to.
Well, the person's real but it's just a made up name, see?
Well, the person's real but it's just a made up name, see?
@kat.ryb, I'm not sure you are missing out on much. The comp itself is usually pretty tame, nobody is hucking cliffs or doing tricks. I guess it's a fun atmosphere.
If the cat ski area is super tracked and you decide to do some touring instead I can send you some suggestions of routes/zones. Also there is a backcountry yurt further up the Jyrgalan valley (I've seen it referred to as "Jyrgalan heights"), so you could try asking Ryce Travel to switch you from cat ski to backcountry yurt. There is also a yurt at Tyup river, just over the pass from the village, but i don't think the terrain is as good.
DIY is definitely the way to go, especially if you are happy touring. But I appreciate for a first timer it's potentially an intimidating place to visit.
Anyway let us know how it goes. And I'm a splitboarder too, so certainly wouldn't be an issue if you decide to go back in future.
As an aside there is some quite serious talk of a ski resort for the area. You can see a rough outline here http://youtube.com/v/6KDeiplnUe8
That international airport for Karakol has been "coming soon" for about 7 years now, and still no real progress. There has been talk of a ski lift for a similar amount of time, so I was very skeptical when a group of guys "interested in developing a ski resort" arrived in the summer. However turned out one of them is quite high up from 3 valleys, and they then dropped a lot of money on Heli rides to take aerial photographs of the area. So definitely more serious than the usual fantasists. Not sure if they will even get to stage 1, let alone the full plan, personally I don't see how it can work economically. However, a good excuse to visit now as it could potentially look very different in future.
Little Jyrgalan update. Snow depth is around 90cm at the village, 1.5m higher up. Which is solid for here, pretty much everything is filled on, no real sharks to speak of.
Snowpack is very unstable. Bottom layer is all facets. Stability testing producing results of CT11-14, sheer collapse about 40-60cm below the surface. Some natural and skier triggered avalanches seen on north slopes >35 degrees. One fatality - solo European ski tourer skiing 38 degree slopes with terrain trap, body found 2m deep.
Snow around the village developed a bit of a sun crust. But anything above 2300m is still good. The more obvious and popular routes are a bit tracked out (relative to local standards - there is still plenty of fresh lines out there!).
Big storm forecast to roll in, starting tomorrow afternoon. forecasts are calling for anywhere up to 40cm of snow deposited over around 24 hours. Temperatures dropping to -16 so should be some nice light powder.
Now there are 2 yurts higher up the valley. One is a pretty luxurious (and pricey) option including sauna and a cook. One looks like it's going to be a cheaper option ran more like an alpine hut (i.e. you get a key, there's a stove and some dried wood, and you are on your own).
Cat ski op is in full effect, running most days. $100 per seat, includes guide* and I think lunch. Alternatively you can hire a private snowmobile and driver for $100 pp. No guide, but have 100% control of where to go. Also much faster than the cat and no waiting around for any slow members of the cat group.
*How much emphasis these guides put on safety is a little questionable. Some guests were riding the cat with no transceivers last week!
Personally, I've not been doing anything too exciting. Plenty of powder and enjoyable days, but conditions are dictating sticking to low angled terrain. Scouted out some potential lines for spring for when the snowpack is a lot more stable. Did make it over to Boz Uchuk village, for a nice long run there.
Will try and post a few photos soon, but will most likely give up when I remember just how seemingly complicated it is to post a photo on snowheads.
Anyway, snowHeads is much more fun if you do.
Anyway, snowHeads is much more fun if you do.
You can spot some skiers further along the ridge and some of the group descending
I had an absolutely awesome trip to Jyrgalan and am meaning to do a TR this weekend Cat ski was the most fun, ever. The 40Tribes yurt week suffered from the incredibly reactive snow pack (I was at the 40 Tribes camp the same week of the Jyrgalan fatality) and I've never seen avalanche conditions like it but overall lovely adventure/experience.
Quote:
Cat ski op is in full effect, running most days. $100 per seat, includes guide* and I think lunch. Alternatively you can hire a private snowmobile and driver for $100 pp. No guide, but have 100% control of where to go. Also much faster than the cat and no waiting around for any slow members of the cat group.
We paid 150 USD per person for the cat ski. Slow group members not an issue as often you beat the cat down anyway. Re lack of transceivers, one day we were there they didn't put some guys with transceivers and I think me and my friend were the only people with probes and shovels but we didn't ski anything that was realistically steep enough to slide that day and nor was there over head hazard, so take that as you wish.
Then you can post your own questions or snow reports...
Then you can post your own questions or snow reports...
Quote:
Slow group members not an issue as often you beat the cat down anyway.
I agree, there's no reason a competent skier shouldn't beat the cat down. However, all it takes is someone getting stuck in powder, losing a ski etc. I've heard a few people complaining about a slow group, but I've also heard about guides telling someone they are too slow and need to drop out. So who knows, probably just depends on the day.
There is definitely some avalanche terrain in the cat ski area, and I've seen some questionable tracks in massive terrain traps and on slopes steep enough to slide. (I'm not saying your guide took you anywhere like that, I am sure you are right that you weren't anywhere that could slide). The guides certainly don't have euro standard qualifications. That doesn't mean some of them are not good though. Again, probably depends who you get on the day.
I certainly wouldn't say avoid the cat ski. But worth going in with your eyes open.
FAQ
Poster: A snowHead
:
