Kazakhstan · Altai · cat skiing
We take you to Ridder, in the Altai, for six days of cat skiing in Kazakhstan in December: a dry cold that turns every centimetre of snow into light powder, and a snowcat that carries you up each morning above the birch and larch forests.
From€5,950per person, excluding flights
Cat skiing in Kazakhstanfrom €5,950
Early to mid-December · exact dates on request
You’ll enjoy
Each morning the snowcat hauls you up to the clearings and untracked faces of the Altai, and all your energy goes into the descent: that is the whole idea of cat skiing. We offer it from early to mid-December, in a small group, or for your group alone, on dates set with you.
Group trip · early to mid-December
€5,950per person, excluding flights
Private group · tailor-made
On requestprice per person decreases with group size
On request and subject to availability, we can add a day of heli skiing in the Altai, some ski touring, a private suite at the hotel or a car with a driver for your transfers.
If you are unsure about your level, message us before you book and together we’ll see whether this week is right for you.
In the far east of Kazakhstan, where the borders of Russia, China and Mongolia almost meet, the Altai Mountains rise from the steppe in range after range of snowy peaks. Around Ridder, at the foot of the Ivanov and Prokhodnoy mountains, they roll out their birch and larch forests under dry, continental snow.
There are destinations that few European skiers have put on their list, and the Kazakh Altai is one of them. Here you find wild mountains on the edge of Siberia and snow of rare lightness, on untracked faces reached by snowcat. Steppe eagles circle above the frozen ridges.
The Altai’s continental climate makes all the difference. Far from any ocean, the snow that falls here is cold and light, and it stays powdery for days after the last fall. In December, night-time temperatures regularly drop below -15 °C, which, for a skier, is excellent news.
The north and north-east slopes stay sheltered from the prevailing winds, and the Siberian airflow brings dry snow to the Kazakh foothills from the very start of the season.
The Prokhodnoy and Ivanov massif has lines to suit every advanced skier: wide bowls with generous shoulders, more technical couloirs framed by snow-laden firs, and north-east faces that rarely see the sun and hold on to their powder.
Your guides choose the day’s line in real time, according to recent snowfall, wind direction and the stability of the snowpack, so that you ski the best terrain that morning has to offer.
Your cat-skiing days
An early breakfast, then off by van to the ski area. The snowcat is already there, engine warm. It climbs while you watch the birch forest slip past and the ridges rise, and the cold sharpens with altitude. At the top, the face opens up: your guides have chosen the line, and the snow is cold and light.
You ski run after run until mid-afternoon, with lunch in the mountains. Then back to the hotel, a debrief and dinner.
Depending on conditions, the number of skiers and the options chosen, on some days snowmobiles take the place of the snowcat.
You ski in a small group, six skiers at most per guide and twelve at most on the trip. In the evening, the conversation around the table has that special something only small groups share.
Two guides lead the trip, and each group of six skis with its own guide all day.
You stay in Ridder, at the foot of the Altai, in a twin room at a hotel or in a traditional dacha, depending on the comfort you are after. Hearty breakfasts before you head out, lunches in the mountains, dinners at the hotel.
In the evening the atmosphere is simple and warm, with Kazakh hospitality as the only protocol: the cooking is generous and the tea piping hot. For more comfort, a private suite at the hotel can be booked on request.
The programme
Arrival at Öskemen airport in the late afternoon, around 5 pm, after a flight from Paris via Istanbul. A snack, then a minibus transfer to Ridder: two hours on the road across the snowy steppe and the taiga, along the first foothills of the Altai. Check-in at the hotel and a first glimpse of the mountains, in the December dark and cold.
Six days of cat skiing. After an early breakfast, the van takes you to the ski area; then come the snowcat climbs, or snowmobile rides depending on conditions, and powder runs until the middle of the afternoon, with a mountain lunch. In the evening, a debrief at the hotel, then dinner.
A last free morning in Ridder and lunch, then a minibus transfer to Öskemen airport and the flight home via Istanbul, with the Altai powder still in your legs.
A day of heli skiing in the Altai, subject to helicopter availability, to reach the most remote parts of the range on lines of more than 1,000 m of vertical. A package that includes heli skiing must be requested before booking.
The programme may change with the weather, the state of the snowpack and the availability of the snowcat or snowmobiles, and the guide has the final word. Plan to travel to Öskemen the day before and home the day after.
Payment: 30% deposit on booking, balance no later than two months before departure, by bank transfer or card. A special diet or an allergy? Let us know when you book and the chef will take care of it. Full details are in our terms and conditions.
Altai powder, its forests and its evenings in Ridder.
In December, the dry cold of the Altai turns every centimetre of snow into light powder. From Ridder, a snowcat carries you up each morning above the birch and larch forests while you take in the view, and the evening brings Kazakh cooking and piping-hot tea. Come if you are at ease off-piste and would love to open your season in powder.
Boris Malesset, founder of PowderWeGo, holder of the French BEES ski instructor diploma, the Swiss level 3 ski instructor patent and the Austrian Schiführer diploma
« Equipe de rêve, toujours aux petits soins … On rentre avec la banane pour toute l année »
Translated from French: Dream team, always looking after us … We come home with a grin that lasts all year
« Une organisation super efficace et une équipe au top, toujours à l’écoute. Ajoutez à cela une neige incroyable et vous obtenez le cocktail parfait! »
Translated from French: Super-efficient organisation and a great team, always attentive. Add incredible snow and you have the perfect cocktail!
In the Altai, you ski with our mountain professionals and local guides, six skiers at most per guide. Each morning, your guides assess the snowpack before choosing the line, and we provide the avalanche airbag pack, transceiver, shovel and probe. Our other destinations are on our ski touring holidays page. A question about this December trip? We’ll reply within 24 hours.
PowderWeGo designs this cat-skiing week in the Altai and guides it on the ground; bookings go through our partner agency, Aereau Voyages, which organises and sells it. Founded by Boris Malesset, an off-piste ski professional since 2001, PowderWeGo is based in Val d’Isère; out in the Altai, you ski with our mountain professionals and local guides.
Our cat-skiing week in Kazakhstan costs €5,950 per person, excluding flights, based on six skiers in twin rooms. The price covers eight days, six of them guided ski days: accommodation in Ridder on full board, guiding, the snowcat or snowmobiles, transfers from Öskemen and safety kit (avalanche airbag pack, transceiver, shovel and probe). For your group alone, the price depends on the size of the group and is given on request.
In Kazakhstan, we ski in the Altai from early to mid-December, when the deep cold keeps the snow dry and light, and the faces are still waiting for you, untracked.
Our cat-skiing trip calls for skiing level 3/5 and fitness level 2/5: you need to be at ease off-piste in all snow conditions, with experience of deep snow. The snowcat does the climbing, and you save your energy for the descent. To check where you stand: your off-piste skiing level and your fitness level.
The snowcat is your lift: it carries you up to the ridges and clearings of the Altai, around 800 m each climb, and you ski back down through the powder. Cat skiing lets you fit many runs into a day and opens up areas that are hard to reach on foot; depending on conditions, snowmobiles take over.
On our Kazakhstan trip, there are six skiers at most per guide, and twelve skiers at most in all, with two guides. Each guide stays with their group from the first snowcat ride to the last run.
December temperatures in the Kazakh Altai regularly fall to between -15 °C and -25 °C, and it is this dry cold that keeps the powder light. Bring thermal base layers, mittens and a balaclava; we send you a detailed kit list when you book.
Yes, the welcome at Öskemen airport and transfers to Ridder are included. To get there, allow for a connection in Istanbul or Almaty; we recommend spending the night before in Istanbul, we can book your flights on request, and we can add a few days in Almaty or Astana on the way home.
Useful before you go: Ridder, on Wikipedia · Kazhydromet, Kazakhstan’s national weather service · GOV.UK, foreign travel advice for Kazakhstan.
Tell us when you’re coming and how many of you there are, and we’ll reply within 24 hours.
Or email us at infoskitravels@powderwego.com
You can also write to us from our Contact page.
8 days / 7 nights / 6 days of skiing
There are destinations that few European skiers have put on their bucket list. Not because they don't deserve to be there—but because they don't yet know what awaits them. The Kazakh Altai is one of them. Wild mountains on the edge of Siberia, continental snow of rare lightness, and untouched slopes accessible only by snowcat, which you will be among the first Europeans to ski. This week doesn't exist in mainstream catalogs. It never will.
PowderWeGo takes you to Ridder, in the Kazakh Altai Mountains, for six days of cat-skiing in Kazakhstan. Experience pristine nature and a dry cold that transforms every inch of snow into light powder. The fitness level is accessible—the snowcat makes the ascent—but advanced skiing skills are essential. Here, the mountain doesn't forgive mediocrity. It generously rewards those who know how to enjoy it.
Cat-skiing Kazakhstan — Altai Ridder
from €5,950*
DECEMBER
Kazakhstan
12 people per group / 2 guides
Ascents +800m
Catskiing
Snowcat or snowmobile included
Personalize this trip
Or contact us at +33 6 51 66 58 53
The Siberian powder snow of December — cold, dry, light as icing sugar, fresh with every departure
The snowcat climbs while you enjoy the scenery — then drops you off at the top of a virgin face
Mountains that almost no European skier has yet explored — a true terra incognita
Altai eagles circling above the ridges, fir and birch forests blanketed in fresh snow
The warmth of the lodge or dacha in the evening, the Kazakh cuisine, and the rare feeling of having skied where no one else skis
In the far east of Kazakhstan, where the borders of Russia, China and Mongolia almost touch, the Altai Mountains rise from the steppe in a succession of snow-covered massifs that very few Western skiers have ever approached.
The Ridder region — formerly Leninsk, nestled in the Siberian taiga in the shadow of Mount Ivanov and Mount Prokhodnoy — is the epicenter of what we consider to be one of the best off-piste skiing destinations in Central Asia .
North and northeast slopes protected from prevailing winds, wide and technical couloirs, and already exceptional December snow cover thanks to the Siberian flow which pours its dry snow onto the Kazakh foothills.
A backcountry skiing paradise in the pre-season.
The Altai's continental climate is what makes all the difference. Far from any ocean, Atlantic weather systems never reach this terrain. The snow that falls here is cold, light, and remains powdery for days after the last snowfall. December temperatures regularly drop below -15°C at night—which, for a skier, is excellent news.
The powder snow of the Kazakh Altai is every bit as good as that of Japan or Utah. It also has the added advantage of having been discovered by only a very select few.
Around you, the Altai Mountains live at their own pace. Steppe eagles soar over the frozen peaks. Wolves roam the taiga clearings at night. The Kazakh villages around Ridder perpetuate a millennia-old nomadic culture, and the warmth of their hospitality contrasts sharply with the harsh cold outside. Skiing in Kazakhstan is also about this: a destination that offers a complete change of scenery, going far beyond just skiing.
The principle of cat-skiing in Kazakhstan is simple, and that's precisely what makes it so addictive: the snowcat ascends, you ski. No effort on the way up, no skins to use, no vertical gain to manage. All your energy and concentration go towards the descent—on northeast-facing slopes that accumulate fresh snow and keep it pristine for days after each snowfall. The Prokhodnoy and Ivanov mountain ranges offer an exceptional array of lines: technical couloirs framed by fir trees, wide, open bowls with ideal aspects, and steep faces reserved for skiers who love to feel the slope beneath their edges.
Six days of skiing, early morning departures by van from the hotel, the snowcat at the foot of the first slopes, and guides who know this mountain range like the back of their hand. The day's lines are selected in real time: recent snowfall, wind direction, snowpack stability. Nothing is set in stone—everything is optimized so you ski the best terrain available that morning. For those seeking an extra thrill, a heli-skiing day can be arranged as an option, subject to availability—another way to reach the most remote areas of the mountain range.
Accommodation is in a hotel or traditional dacha in Ridder—two options depending on your comfort preferences. Hearty breakfasts are served before departure, followed by lunches in the mountains and dinners at the hotel or in town. Kazakh evenings have their own unique flavor: the food is generous, the tea is piping hot, and the conversations around the table have that special something that only small expedition groups share. Maximum twelve people. Two guides. An entire mountain.
Questions about your catskiing trip to Kazakhstan ?
We respond within 24 hours.
This stay is available both as a group package and as a private package — contact us for a personalized quote.
Our strengths:
Our knowledge of the Kazakh Altai massif and its best December routes
22 years of experience in off-piste skiing , cat-skiing and backcountry skiing in adventure terrain
Groups of no more than 6 skiers per guide — size makes all the difference
A snowcat access that maximizes the number of runs and opens up areas inaccessible on foot
An uncompromising approach to safety: daily snowpack assessment, avalanche equipment provided
You will enjoy:
Siberian powder snow — some of the lightest and driest snow in the world
Untouched slopes in December, the first snowfall of the season, no tracks before you
Off-piste skiing in the Altai region with a variety and quality rarely seen in Europe
A complete change of scenery: Central Asia, the taiga, the dry cold, Kazakh culture
The quality-experience ratio: exceptional conditions at a price unbeatable elsewhere
Arrival at Öskemen Airport in the late afternoon, around 5:00 PM — after a flight from Paris via Istanbul, the last gateway before Central Asia. Quick snack followed by a minibus transfer to Ridder: a two-hour drive through the snow-covered steppe and taiga, at the foot of the first foothills of the Altai Mountains. Arrival at the hotel, check-in, and a first glimpse of the massif in the darkness and cold of December.
Early breakfast, then off by van to the operational area. The snowcat is already there, engine warm. It climbs as you watch—the birch forest passing by, the ridges rising, the cold intensifying with altitude. At the top, the face opens up. Your guides have chosen the line. The snow is cold, light, deep—off-piste skiing in the Altai like you've probably never experienced before.
The Prokhodnoy and Ivanov mountain ranges offer lines for all levels of experienced skiers: wide, sweeping bowls with generous shoulders, more technical couloirs framed by snow-covered fir trees, and northeast-facing slopes that rarely see the sun and retain their powder for days on end. The runs continue, one after another, until mid-afternoon. Return to the hotel. Debriefing. Dinner.
For those who want to go even further into the mountain range, a day of heliskiing in Kazakhstan can be organized as an option depending on the availability of the aircraft — access to the most remote areas, lines with more than 1,000 meters of vertical drop, another view of the Altai from the sky.
Last free morning in Ridder. Lunch, transfer by minibus to Öskemen Airport. Return flight via Istanbul. You return with snow in your legs that few French skiers have yet experienced — and a persistent desire to return before everyone else discovers it.
A package including heli-skiing is an option, which must be requested before booking.
This program is indicative and may be modified depending on weather conditions, snowpack conditions, and the availability of the snowcat or snowmobiles . The guide has sole discretion in this matter.
Number of travel days: 8 (allow an extra day before and 1 day after)
Number of skiing days: 6
Technical level: 3/5 experience in ski touring and off-piste skiing in deep snow.
Physical level: 2/5 capable of moderate effort for several hours.
Number of participants: maximum 2 groups of 6 pax + 2 guides.
Our package includes:
For a group of 6 participants + 1 professional mountain guide
Accommodation in a hotel or traditional dacha in Ridder, in a twin room
Transfers to/from Öskemen Airport (2-hour drive)
Supervision by professional PowderWeGo guides/instructors
Safety equipment: ABS® airbag backpack, avalanche transceiver (DVA), probe and shovel
Snowcats or snowmobiles for accessing the terrain
Full board: breakfasts, lunches in the mountains and dinners at the hotel
Our package does not include:
The round trip to Öskemen (connections via Istanbul and Almaty — we recommend an overnight stay in Istanbul the day before departure; we can arrange your transfer upon request)
Travel and repatriation insurance (mandatory — to be provided before departure)
Ski equipment: warm clothing (prepare for -20°C), powder skis (110 mm width recommended), boots, bindings, helmet
Drinks and meals in town
Tips
Single room supplement: €170/night for 1 person, €85/night for an even number of people
Essential cold-weather gear: December temperatures in the Kazakh Altai regularly drop to between -15°C and -25°C. Bring appropriate thermal base layers, mittens, and a balaclava. We will provide you with a detailed equipment list upon booking.
We can help you book your flights upon request. We also recommend an overnight stay in Istanbul before your flight to Öskemen, or a transit through Almaty — contact us.
Special dietary requirements or allergies? Let us know when booking, our chef will take care of it.
Heli-skiing in the Altai : access to the most remote areas of the mountain range — on request, subject to availability
Private Snowcat : exclusive use of the snowcat for your group — upon request, advance booking recommended
Ski touring as a complement or alternative: on request
Private group: the entire stay privatized for your group — dedicated rates, flexible dates
Private suite at the hotel: upon request, subject to availability
Premium chauffeur-driven vehicle for transfers: on request
Overnight stay in Istanbul on arrival or departure, or extended stay: we organize everything upon request
We also recommend spending a night in Istanbul before your flight to Öskemen, or transiting through Almaty — and why not spend a few days visiting Almaty or Astana on your return? Contact us to create your tailor-made trip.
This trip is for skiers who want to go where neither they nor their friends have ever been before—and return with images that no one will recognize. December in the Kazakh Altai is the most unique start to the season you can experience. Places fill up quickly, especially for private group bookings. Don't miss this opportunity.
If you hesitate, it will be too late.
And placing an option costs nothing.
Your level doesn't quite match? Contact us before registering — we'll tell you in five minutes if this week is right for you, or if another option would be a better fit.
