Trip Report
This report was written by Michael E. & the Explore-Share team
Kyrgyzstan is slowly but surely becoming a ski touring paradise for skiers of all levels, but especially for those who already have a love for the Pow. Issyk-Kul is one of the most popular areas for backcountry skiing in the country, and Jyrgalan Valley is a great place to explore this area over the course of a few days.
We went in January, so it was frigid (-10°), but that also meant snow in abundance. Our IFMGA mountain guide, Andrej (booked via Explore-Share), was really nice and professional and coordinated all the logistics for us, including the PCR testing. The family pension that we stayed in had a sauna and was around 25€ per person full board, and it was located in a tiny town in the valley.
There wasn’t much to do in the town itself, but really, that wasn’t why we were there anyway! So at the end of the day, after some thrilling and intense skiing, we were pleased to just rest and then set off on another day of adventure the next morning. Plus, we loved our Kyrgyzstan ski adventure because every ski day was really different.
In total, we spent five days skiing in Kyrgyzstan. On three of those days, we went skiing in Jyrgalan using the skis from the pension. The other two days, we went skiing in a nearby resort and a more remote spot, a thirty-minute drive away from the town. Although you don’t need any previous ski touring experience to take on this itinerary, we didn’t use any ski lifts, so you need to be fit. Also, you should definitely have a passion for skiing as that is basically what there is to do.
All in all, it was a great experience in Jyrgalan, Kyrgyzstan. We had a very competent and experienced guide who was very involved in ensuring we got the best experience. A must-do, I highly recommend it!!
Photo Tour
