A Freeride Journey by Snowcat and Snowmobile Across the Eastern Edge of Kazakhstan – the Altai Mountains!
What if you left it all behind and disappeared into the mountains — somewhere near Siberia, where China, Russia, Mongolia, and Kazakhstan all meet? What if you lived in a remote mountain cabin with no road access, reachable only by an old, tracked UAZ vehicle? Add to that untouched snowy wilderness, ready to be explored with the help of a comfy Pistenbully snowcat, sparsely forested terrain, and mountains as freeride-friendly as our beloved Pilsko. Friends, we present a trip deep into the wild — into the silence and soul of winter — where you might just rediscover your spirit, your inner snow leopard.
This adventure is divided into two parts — two different locations:
- The first five days will be spent in a cozy mountain guesthouse, with access to a snowcat and snowmobiles.
- For the next three days, we’ll move to a different valley, where we’ll stay at an old farm in rustic village houses, fully adapted for winter conditions. There, we’ll ride out on freeride missions using a snowcat.
Both locations are 100% authentic, full of local character, home-cooked food, and, of course, the legendary Russian banya — a traditional wood-fired sauna.
The Siberian climate of the Altai Mountains brings heavy snowfall and crisp, cold days starting as early as November, making this the perfect season opener!
Snowcat – 5 days
Snowmobiles – 1 day
Wilderness
Local Guides
2 Different Locations
Price Includes:
- 8 nights accommodation in twin/triple rooms
- Full board during the mountain stay (8 days)
- Access to the sauna in the mountains
- 5 days of snowcat freeriding with local guides
- 1 day of snowmobile freeriding
- Supervision by a Polish team leader
- All local ground transfers
- Standard travel insurance including medical expenses, accident coverage, and personal liability. Additional insurance covering off-piste skiing is required. Many of our clients already have year-round high-altitude policies. If you don’t have one, we can provide coverage for the trip at a cost of 370 PLN.
Price Does Not Include:
- Flights
- Ski or snowboard equipment – you need to bring your own
- Avalanche safety equipment (beacon, probe, shovel) – available for rent, reservation required
- Extreme sports insurance, including off-piste skiing
- Tips
ACCOMMODATION AND TRANSPORTATION
- We will most likely fly to Oskemen with Turkish Airlines
- For the first 5 nights, we’ll stay in a mountain lodge run by local freeride enthusiasts, in twin rooms with a private bathroom.
- For the next 3 nights, we’ll move to a ranch and stay in cabins with bathrooms, in twin or triple rooms.
- The Russian banya — a traditional wood-fired sauna — will be our daily ritual 😉
- For more information, check the TRIP PROGRAM tab
OFF PISTE – Terrain Details:
- Our base is located at 700 meters above sea level, and we ride at altitudes ranging from 500 to 1500 meters (that’s sufficient because it’s quite cold there)
- Our freeride transport options are:
- Snowcat with a 12-person cabin – for 5 days. The snowcat’s advantage is comfort and the ability to socialize in the cabin. The planned daily vertical drop is around 3500m, which includes approximately 5–7 ascents;
- Snowmobiles that take one person on the seat and tow the other on a rope – for 1 day. The advantage of snowmobiles is speed and mobility, which allows for more runs and up to 5000m of daily vertical drop.
- This part of the Altai Mountains is characterized by sparsely forested slopes up to 2000 meters in height and an average gradient of about 30 degrees
- Our base is a 45-minute 4×4 (or tracked vehicle) drive from the nearest civilization, offering vast areas of untouched terrain accessible exclusively by snowcat. There are several routes to various points, from which there are multiple descent options, so we rarely repeat the same runs
- We rate the terrain as relatively easy (5/10), providing excellent opportunities for those looking to improve their off-piste technique
- More advanced riders will find interesting tree sections and a variety of jumps, drops, and steeper areas
Difficulty Level: 5/10
- This trip is ideal for intermediate riders who want to improve their off-piste technique with the relatively low effort that a snowcat provides. The moderate slope angles and the fact that we usually ride below the treeline mean that the avalanche risk is relatively lower (though never completely absent).
Trip Profile
- Our daily activities are based on snowcat ascents. There are areas with steeper slopes and more challenging descents that can be accessed with short summit approaches.
SAFETY
- We will be guided by local experts who know the area inside out
- We provide one guide for every six participants
- Depending on the number of participants, we will try to divide into smaller groups to operate more efficiently in the field
- The trip will be overseen by a Polish team leader
- INSURANCE:
- The trip price includes basic travel insurance. Additional coverage for off-piste skiing is required. This can be purchased from us for 370 PLN per person. We do not include this in the base price as many of our clients have their own year-round high-altitude policies.
- There is also an option to purchase Trip Cancellation Insurance, which provides a refund in case you are unable to join us due to illness or other unforeseen events.
- Participants must have avalanche safety equipment and know how to use it
- We strongly recommend completing an avalanche safety course before starting your adventure with freeriding or ski touring
- We also recommend an avalanche backpack, which can be rented from us (reservation required)
VISA
- Not required.
HOW TO JOIN THE TRIP
- Fill out the reservation form
- We will contact you to sign the contract
- Pay a 30% deposit
- We’ll complete the group, handle the formalities, flights, details, etc.
- Pay the remaining amount 30 days before departure
CANCELLATION POLICY
- If you cancel up to 60 days before departure, you can transfer your deposit to any other trip – we will issue a voucher valid for 2 years.
- We recommend additional insurance in case of illness or an unforeseen event preventing you from traveling. You will then receive a full refund for the trip. Ask us about Trip Cancellation Insurance.
- We reserve the right to change the program due to circumstances beyond our control, such as insufficient participants, snow or weather conditions, or political situations. In case we need to cancel the trip (even for reasons beyond our control), we will promptly refund all payments made.
Day 1 (December 6)
We fly out from Warsaw.
Day 2
In the afternoon, we land in Oskemen and drive about two hours to our first location – a mountain guesthouse, where dinner and an introduction to the guides await.
Days 3 - 5
Snowcat days, yaaay! We begin a 3-day adventure with our first snowcat, which will take us to the surrounding snowy slopes. After breakfast, we head into the mountains, aiming for around 5–7 long runs per day with a total vertical drop of up to 3500m. There’ll be time to rest, have a sandwich, and sip from a thermos while surrounded by untouched nature (well, except for what we carve out ourselves 😉
We plan to return to base around 3:00 PM, where a warm meal will be waiting. Evenings will be all about group bonding – a crucial part of winter life in these parts 😄 Sauna is a must!
Day 6
Another day of freeride, this time with snowmobiles. It’ll be fast and intense!
Day 7
After breakfast, we’ll explore some nearby towns to soak in the post-Soviet atmosphere. In the afternoon, we’ll arrive at our second location – an old farm even closer to the Chinese border.
Days 8 - 9
Two full days of freeriding from a snowcat in a new zone.
Day 10
After breakfast, we’ll head to the airport and fly back toward Poland.
Day 11
We land in Warsaw in the afternoon.
