Resorts & AdventuresResorts & AdventuresPhoto: Kalabaha1969, CC BY-SA 3.0 · source
Tabagan is a year-round resort in Talgar District, just 17 km from Almaty. It's easy to visit for a day: ski or snowboard in winter, rent a bike or horse in summer, and return to the city in the evening. You can also stay overnight—the resort has cottages, a hotel, and a restaurant. The territory is compact at 91 hectares but densely packed with activities: six slopes with a total length of 37 km, including three beginner slopes and three for more experienced riders, with a vertical drop of 400 meters. Two T-bar lifts and one chairlift serve the slopes.
The resort was built in 2005 and officially opened in January 2006. For that time, it was a construction project with serious ambitions: modern equipment, well-planned infrastructure, slopes designed for competitions rather than just recreational skiing. The level was confirmed quickly—already in 2006, Tabagan hosted the Eurasian Media Forum, a major international event that required not only the mountain but also supporting infrastructure: hotel, restaurants, and conference halls. The resort then began hosting major sporting events. In 2011, it hosted freestyle skiing competitions at the Asian Winter Games, and in 2017, it held ski acrobatics and big air competitions at the Winter Universiade. Both tournaments require specially prepared jumps and precise, repeatable slopes—casual recreational resorts aren't trusted with such events. For a facility built just a few years before these tournaments, such a track record is rare.
In winter, Tabagan isn't just for daytime skiing. There's night skiing, cross-country ski trails, snowmobile tours, and a cable car for those who want to enjoy the view without skiing. This variety caters not only to athletes but also to mixed groups where some ski while others prefer leisurely walks in the snow.
In summer, the mountain stays busy: grass sledding works just as well as snow sledding in winter, plus there are horseback riding, quad bikes, mountain biking, paragliding, paintball, and a climbing wall. The resort has its own water park, Akvalandiya, with swimming pools, hot tubs, a sauna and massage services, two restaurants, and even a shooting range—amenities rarely found at a ski resort of this scale. In summer, it's perfect for families: children have a skate park and pool, adults have biking and riding trails, and everyone gathers for dinner at one of the restaurants in the evening. Essentially, Tabagan was designed as a year-round resort rather than a seasonal slope that sits empty for six months—and there are enough activities here to make that vision work.