The creative director, writer, commentator and podcast host puts her skills to the test in a back country encounter in "the land of the Great Steppe"

My partner [Hugh] and I are no strangers to off-piste skiing adventures. As long time Verbier residents we have explored many of the local glaciers, always with a much trusted ski guide. We have ventured to the Rockies in Canada to ski the steep and deep and have even travelled to the continent of Antarctica for ski mountaineering (truly amazing BTW). So when a friend mentioned that he was considering a back country cat skiing trip in Kazakhstan it piqued our interest. To give some context, Kazakhstan is a massive landlocked country bigger than Western Europe combined, and the small mining town of Ridder in the West Altai Mountains is often compared to the Canadian powder skiing mecca of Revelstoke, but 40 years ago. It is tucked in the northeast corner of Kazakhstan and Ridder’s cold and arid continental climate coupled with moisture-laden air masses from the Siberian plains, results in dumps of snow with exceptionally low water content…this translates to incredibly light and non-sticky snow, which equals heaven for any powder hounds out there.

Like most non-European ski adventures it requires quite a journey to get to Ridder. We flew overnight from London to Almaty, had a four hour layover before flying on to Oskemen, a tiny regional airport where the plane lands on a snow covered runway. From there we took a two-hour transfer on deserted snow-covered bullet straight roads through breathtaking snowscapes. Finally, we arrive at Bear Log, the newly built four-star lodge that has spacious wooden-clad rooms with handcrafted furniture, and the added benefit of excellent Wifi for those of us who never fully switch off. The small spa offers a traditional Siberian steam sauna, hammam and some excellent massage therapists to soothe tired muscles.

For our six days of skiing we had elected to cat ski for four days. The cats were state-of-the-art, large, warm and comfortable. With Wifi believe it or not! There was something deeply relaxing about gently trundling up the mountain, taking in the snowy landscapes. Once the cat drops you at the top, it makes its way back down to greet you on arrival. I have to admit it was pretty seamless. The terrain is well co-ordinated between the various guides to keep different groups apart. We probably saw another group just twice in our entire time on the mountain, which certainly adds to the magic of the experience.

On a one-day ski tour, we found ourselves skinning up through the most magical forest for about 2.5 hours before descending through three different couloirs. As we finished early, our wonderful ski guide Tatiana suggested a trip to the local museum in Ridder, which definitely painted a picture of the history of the area and the wildlife that is more present in the balmy days of summer than in the sub arctic temperatures of winter. I have no doubt that the summer scenery is equally as spectacular. We tried out one of the restaurants in Ridder. Let’s just say, probably not the best culinary moment of the trip.  

Our day skidoo skiing was probably the most exciting of them all. You are ferried up the mountain in pairs riding pillion on the back of huge skidoos and somehow we found ourselves with the driver with a definite need for speed. I think we clocked 85km/hour at one point, but it was totally exhilarating!

Sadly we did not experience the fresh featherlight thigh deep powder that is common in the area as the temperatures were unseasonably warm while we were there –  more like minus 5-10, than minus 25-30. However, we were treated to knee deep untracked powder averaging seven descents a day, covering roughly 4,000 metres vertical. Not bad by most standards!

In a year that has sadly found the Alps prone to many huge lethal avalanches, the risk here is incredibly low, not least because you are not skiing particularly steep terrain. The powder remains dry and stable and there is no advice to wear an airbag, although we all wore transceivers and carried the obligatory probes and shovels in our backpacks. There was absolutely no evidence of any snow slides let alone avalanches, quite refreshing and relaxing. 

What this is not is a chichi ski resort replete with restaurants, a lift system (there isn’t one) ski shops and designer boutiques. You are truly in the back of beyond which is the beauty and the privilege. There is evidence of a new hotel being constructed and you get the feeling that the area is being discovered, so my advice is go sooner rather than later. More development and probably sophistication equals way more people on the mountain ranges. But it really depends on what floats your boat.

The food at the lodge could best be described as adequate as long as you didn’t stray from the simplest of dishes on the evening a la carte menu. The chicken and the steak were good, (and no horse on the menu as we had been led to believe by anyone asking about our impending trip).  Breakfast for us Brits was more challenging with a generous but very regional buffet that didn’t exactly inspire, that is, until we discovered that we could pre-order berries, muesli and Greek Yogurt, until that ran out for a few days. You are rapidly reminded that this area is pretty isolated and there is no such thing as a well-stocked local supermarket, but that is part of the adventure. Definitely take your own snacks for the long days on the mountain.

The journey home meant a one night layover in Almaty, the old capital. Almaty is not the Borat stereotypical Kazak city, it is incredibly affluent, ostentatious even, with every western luxury brand from Bentleys to Rolexes and a myriad of designer boutiques. Sadly our delayed internal flight meant that we could not visit any of the sites in Almaty like the outstanding Museum of Art but we squeezed in an early Sunday morning walk through Ascension Cathedral, a stunning Russian Orthodox church and the Green Bazaar before heading to the airport to return to London and back to reality...

Wakeley travelled to Kazakhstan with Primal Scapes.