Despite Krasnaya Polyana’s well-deserved popularity, many are eager to try something new. City World presents a list of alternative Russian resorts.
Manzherok
The trendiest resort in Altai, situated at the base of Malaya Sinyukha Mountain near Lake Manzherok, is constantly evolving. It’s just a 30-minute drive from Gorno-Altaisk airport. The resort boasts 50 km of trails with varying difficulty levels — from a beginner’s slope with a magic carpet to freeride terrain. The snow park features various jumps and jibbing elements. Six lifts service the slopes. The resort complex includes seven restaurants (one with panoramic views), two hotels, a ski school with equipment rental, bath and thermal facilities, a spa and fitness center, and the Forest of Wonders Amusement Park.
Altai is one of Russia’s most scenic regions. The resort offers helicopter tours to Mount Belukha, the Katun River valley, Lakes Teletskoye and Karakol. Winter excursions include trips to Chemal and along the Chuisky Route, visits to Siberian husky, reindeer, and bison nurseries, a maral breeding farm, and a swan lake where birds come to winter.
Arkhyz
Located on the eastern edge of the Western Caucasus in Karachay-Cherkessia, this resort features 27 km of slopes ranging from “green” to “black” in difficulty. Nearly all slopes are equipped with snow cannons, and night skiing is available on some trails. Seven cable cars and a magic carpet for beginners provide access to the slopes. The southern slope hosts a snow park with jumps and jibbing features for both novices and seasoned athletes. The resort offers two ski schools, an instructor training program, equipment rental, a tubing area, and a children’s playroom. A premium hotel with an outdoor heated pool and hammam has opened on one of the slopes, surrounded by ancient forest.
The resort organizes paragliding flights and off-road adventures on snowmobiles and all-terrain vehicles through the Sofia Valley, along the Psysh River to the Bely waterfall. History enthusiasts can explore the Nizhne-Arkhyz settlement, ruins of the ancient Alanian kingdom’s capital. The famous Arkhyz mineral water is readily available, with healing springs found throughout the area. The resort is just a three-hour drive from Mineralnye Vody airport.
Sheregesh
This resort in the Kemerovo Region, at the foot of Mount Zelenaya, is a three-hour drive from Novokuznetsk airport. It offers over 41 km of ski runs for all skill levels, including freeride terrain. The resort boasts 22 lifts, including rope tows, chairlifts, and gondolas. Accommodation options primarily consist of guesthouses and apart-hotels, with a few designer properties and two premium residences featuring modern minimalist design and spherical glass roofs.
Gornaya Shoria is a unique and fascinating region inhabited by descendants of ancient Turkic peoples. Historically, the Shorians were known for fur trading and blacksmithing. You can learn more about this at the Museum of Ethnography and Nature of Gornaya Shoria in Tashtagol. The area experienced a “gold rush” in the 19th century, and local tour companies now offer excursions to former gold mining sites. Sheregesh itself offers heliskiing and dog trekking — an opportunity to go hiking with a husky companion.
BigWood
For those seeking northern exoticism without a long flight, skiing in the Khibiny Mountains of the Murmansk Region is ideal. It’s just a 30-minute drive from Apatity airport or two and a half hours from Murmansk airport. While the mountains here are modest, reaching up to 1,200 m, BigWood resort offers challenging “black” runs and freeride terrain. In total, there are 30 km of slopes and 10 lifts. As the resort is within Kirovsk city limits, visitors have access to all urban amenities: executive-class apartments, Scandinavian-style hotels, and even a sanatorium with a large pool offering panoramic mountain views.
Being located above the Arctic Circle, the resort experiences very short winter days and polar nights during the New Year holidays. The season starts late, in December, but extends until May. The best weather and snow conditions typically occur in late February to early March. Here, you can enjoy all the northern delights: husky and snowmobile rides, and chasing the Northern Lights. While in Kirovsk, it’s worth visiting the Polar-Alpine Botanical Garden and the Apatit Museum and Exhibition Center, which houses an impressive mineral collection.
Khvalynsk
Two small ski resorts on the Volga River bank in the Saratov Region may not appeal to hardcore skiers, but they’re perfect for those who enjoy a mix of skiing and relaxation. The slopes are located within the Khvalynsky National Park, a climatic and thermal resort. The ski resorts have similar names that are easy to confuse: one is called Khvalynsky, the other Khvalyn. The first offers just two ski and snowboard trails: a “green” and a “red” run, as well as an ice rink and a sledding slope. The second has three trails — “green”, “blue”, and “red”, plus a 300-square-meter outdoor thermal pool with a panoramic view of the Volga River. Both resorts feature hotels, restaurants, and spa centers, with Khvalyn also offering a bath complex.
Khvalynsk is a historic Volga town, birthplace of the artist Kuzma Petrov-Vodkin, who is honored with two museums here. On your return journey, consider spending time in Saratov to stroll along the impressive five-kilometer embankment or visit the Radishchev Art Museum. At Saratov’s Gagarin Airport, you can view interesting exhibits dedicated to space exploration — the first cosmonaut’s landing took place in the Saratov region. The journey from the airport to Khvalynsk takes about 4.5 hours.
Photo: shutterstock.ru
