Explore 4 ski resorts in Russia. Every card links to a full resort page with pictures, terrain and the numbers; the arrow opens the description without leaving this page.
Part of the cluster of resorts above Sochi in the Russian Caucasus, built for the 2014 Winter Olympics and modern throughout because almost all of it was constructed at once. The terrain runs from the valley floor up to the ridges with a substantial vertical, and there is a good spread from gentle runs to steeper ground higher up. The lift system is new and the infrastructure is extensive. The Black Sea coast lies about an hour off, which is an unusual thing to be able to say about a ski area. Check entry requirements, flight routing and current travel advice well before committing to anything, because the practicalities of the journey matter far more here than the details of the skiing.
A modern resort in the Altai mountains of southern Siberia, on the Katun river near Lake Manzherok, developed rapidly over the past decade with new lifts and hotels. The terrain is modest in vertical but well equipped, with a gondola from the base and a good spread of gentle and intermediate runs. It is aimed at Russian domestic tourism and works as a year round destination rather than purely a ski area. The Altai is a region of considerable natural beauty with lakes, forest and a distinct local culture, and much of the appeal is the setting rather than the skiing itself. Check entry requirements, flight routing and current travel advice carefully before making any plans, because getting here from western Europe is a long undertaking.
Built for the Sochi Olympics in 2014 and the largest ski area in Russia, rising from a purpose built village on the Mzymta river up to ridges near the Georgian border. The vertical drop is among the biggest in Europe. The lift system and the pistes are modern throughout, because almost all of it was constructed at once, and the alpine events of the Games were held on this mountain. There is a great deal of long intermediate skiing and serious terrain higher up. The Black Sea coast at Sochi lies about an hour off, which is an unusual combination anywhere in the world. Check entry requirements, flight routing and current travel advice carefully well before you commit to anything, because the practicalities of getting there matter far more than the skiing.
Siberia's largest ski resort, in the Kemerovo region, and almost unknown outside Russia. Deep, dry, extremely cold snow and a long season running into May. The terrain is wide and open above the treeline with good freeride and gentler forest runs below. Beginners are served, though the facilities are less polished than in the Alps. The base is a modern cluster of hotels and lifts below a rounded mountain, and the town below is an ordinary mining settlement. Hotels and guesthouses are cheap, the clientele is domestic Russian and there is little English. Check entry requirements, flight routing and travel advice carefully before you commit to anything, because this is a long and complicated trip from western Europe and the practicalities matter far more than the skiing.
