Mountaineering Tour
Went for a 1 day mountaineering trip to Peak Okytabryonok. The guide natalya was very professional and really took care of us. Highly recommended!
Almaty Region Nature Trip
April — October
Almaty region, Kolsay, Charyn
from €1200
Make your visit to Kazakhstan unforgettable with this intense guided tour in the vastness of Almaty region.
The tour includes everything to become a whole new adventure for you: off-road jeep tour, spectacular nature, diverse landscape, horse riding and hiking (optionally) and Kazakh national food. Don’t miss your chance to get into the wilderness and the life of nomads.
Timing: April to October
Programme:
Day 1. Almaty – Black Canyon- Saty village- Kaindy lake
Lake Kaindy is located in a fir forest at 2000m above sea level in the Kungei Alatau mountain range. The gorge and lake itself was named after a big birch-trees forest which you will pass on the way there. Kaindy means a birch in Kazakh language. The lake was formed as a result of a landslide triggered by the earthquake in 1911. It formed a dam and the gorge was flooded with mountain river water. Today, the spruce trees are dead, their roots drowned beneath the surface of the lake, but their dried tops rise over the turquoise water. This is one of the most unique and mysterious places in Kazakhstan.
08.00 Meeting in Almaty. Transfer to Baiseit village (130 km, 2 hours).
10.00 Arrival at Baiseit. We stop at the road market in the Baiseit village and see the life of the locals. We can also walk through the Asian market and taste fruits, bread and shashlyk
12.00 Baiseit village- Black Canyon – Saty village
14.00 Lunch in the Saty village. We will enjoy a traditional homemade lunch at the house of locals
15.00 Transfer to Kaindy lake (12 km)
16.00 Arrival to Kaindy lake. Walking near the lake, enjoying the views. Optionally, you can take a scenic horseback ride.
19.00 Traditional homemade dinner and overnight in the guest house where you can see the life of local people
Day 2. Saty village – Lake Kolsai 1 – Lake Kolsai 2- Saty Village
Kolsay lakes is the system of 3 picturesque lakes located in the eastern part of the beautiful Kungey Alatau gorge on the altitude of 1800, 2250 and 2700 respectively. Kolsay lakes are at the top of the must-see in Kazakhstan. The two lower lakes are surrounded by fir trees, alpine meadows and mountain pastures.
After driving to the first lake and enjoying its beauty, we will start the walk to the second lake (8 km one way). It’s also possible to take a horse ride to Lake Kolsai 2 (about 1 hour one way). The dark blue color of the water and the calmness of the area are the unique features of Kolsay.
P.S. If you’re not ready to climb the mountains, we can just walk and enjoy the view of the first lake. Then we get back to Saty village and drive to the upper reaches of Chilik river to explore the area
8.00 Breakfast in the guest house. Transfer to the Kolsay Lake (15 km, 30 minutes)
9.30 Hiking from the Lake Kolsay 1 to Lake Kolsay 2 (7 km one way, 800m altitude gain, about 2-3 hours)
12.30 Lunch break at the Lake Kolsay 2
16.00 Return to the Lake Kolsay 1
18.30 Traditional homemade dinner and overnight in the guest house
Day 3. Tour of 4 Canyons (130 km by car, 10 km hiking-optional)
We’re going to see the hidden canyons that not many other travelers know about. We’ll visit the Moon canyon which is also knows as the Yellow Canyon or Uzunbulak. Yellow clay gives the canyon its color. With the unique roundness of the landscape and the lack of a single sharp corner, it looks incredibly similar to the surface of the moon. We’ll take a short hike through the narrow gorge to the shore of Charyn river. We’ll see the Moon canyon from the best panoramic point. We’ll enjoy a gorgeous view of the Valley of Castles from the most extraordinary angle. We’ll be camping in a wonderful place in 10 km from the confluence of Charyn and Temirlik rivers.
Temirlik is located on the boundary of Charyn National Park. At the bottom of the canyon there are relic ash trees and nests of the falcons in the rocks above.
8:00 Breakfast. Transfer to the Moon Canyon
11.00 Hiking through the picturesque canyon to the bank of Charyn River (about 4 km)
11:40 Picnic by the river
12.30 Hiking back to the car
13.30 Transfer to the best view point of the Moon Canyon
13.50 Transfer to the view poit which is called a Rocky Shelf
14.40 Transfer to the view point of the Valley of Castles from the back side
16.00 Lunch. Transfer to Temirlik Canyon
17.30 Walking, camping, cooking
19:00 Dinner
Day 4. Temirlik Canyon – Bridge over the Charyn River – The Valley of Castles – Kokpek village- Red Mountains (80 km by car, hiking 12 km-optional)
Charyn Canyon is one of the most beautiful canyons in Central Asia! Its most famous part is called the Valley of Castles. It’s also called the “little brother” of Grand Canyon in the US. “The little” it can only be called because of the size, but this is more than compensated for by the amazing beauty of the natural monument. It is believed that it appeared due to sedimentary rocks that are more than 12 million years old. The length of canyon is 154 km. The canyon is a part of the Charyn National Park and you will have the opportunity to see the Valley of Castles with rocks similar to ancient castles.
Enjoy a stunning view of the huge gorge with vertical cliffs of different colors! Amazing shapes are created by wind, rain and sun for centuries. 
9:00 Breakfast in Temirlik canyon
10:00 Transfer to the bridge over the Charyn River
11:00 Stop at the bridge, walking, taking pictures
11:30 Transfer to the Valley of Castles
13:00 Hiking by the Valley of Castles to the Charyn River. In summer it’s possible to swim in the river
15:30 Transfer to Kokpek village. Traditional homemade lunch in the village, simple and tasty
16:30 Transfer to the Red Mountains. Enjoying the outstanding view of Altyn Emel at sunset on the way
18:30 Walking, dinner, camping. Gathering near the campfire
Day 5. Red Mountains – Bartogay lake – Assy Plateau – Kyzyl-Auz Mountain Pass (70 km)
Today we’ll have a chance to explore the real life of local nomads. We’ll enjoy the amazing views of Bartogay lake and Assy Plateau-a huge high-altitude pasture (Zhailau in Kazakh). Bartogay lake is also known as a perfect place for birdwatching.
Plateau Assy is one of the most picturesque places where you may see the beauty of the green zhailaus under the snow-capped mountain. You may also see everything a traveler is hunting for: splendid flowers surrounded by the beautiful mountains, hundreds of horses and sheep in the pastures, rivers with crystal water and real kazakh yurts. We’ll set a camp in a wonderful place enjoying the wildlife.
Bartogay located in the gorge of the same name on the Chilik River, is an artificial reservoir that was made in the eighties and is still a source of clean water today.
8:30 Breakfast in the Red Mountains
9:30 Transfer to the Bartogay Lake
11:00 Walking along the lake shore
11:30 Transfer to the Yellow Canyon
12:30 Lunch in the canyon
13:30 Hiking and enjoying the views of the famous Kazakh grazing lands
15:00-17:00 Transfer to Kyzyl-Auz gorge through the pastures looking into the life of the nomads..
18:00 Walking, dinner, camping. Gathering near the campfire
Day 6. Assy Plateau – Assy-Turgen observatory – Batan gorge – Medvezhiy (Bear) Waterfall – Trout Farm- Almaty
Today we’ll visit the Assy-Turgen astronomical observatory which is located on a mountain plateau Assy at the altitude of 2750 m above the sea level. This is the only observatory in Kazakhstan with the ideal astroclimate which studies the apparent surface of the giant planets of the Solar System.
Then we go down to Turgen Gorge, one of the most beautiful gorges around Almaty. We’ll take a walk to a 35 meters high Waterfall Medvezhiy (about 2 km) starting from the Batan village. If you’d like we can also arrange horse riding or hiking (16 km) to another waterfall of the Turgen which is called Kairak Waterfall.
Then we’ll be heading down the Turgen gorge straight to the Trout Farm. You can catch the trout from the pond by yourself and bring the newly caught fish for cooking in the restaurant (paid additionally). 
Then we’ll go down to the Golden Man’s statue (8 meters high). The Golden Man was the Scythian warrior who lived in IV century B.C. His tomb was found in 1969 near Issyk city and the Golden Man has become a Kazakh national symbol.
Optionally we can visit a historical and cultural museum “Issyk”. It’s also posible to visit an Ostrich Farm and Arba Vine Vineyard on the way to Almaty. It takes about 2 hours (80 km) to get from the Batan Village to Almaty.
8:00 Breakfast. Transfer to the Assy-Turgen astromical observatory. Walking, enjoying the views
10:30 Transfer to the Batan Village
12.00 Lunch in the cafe
13:00 Hiking to the Waterfall Medvezhiy
14:30 Visiting The Trout Farm
15:30 – 18.30 Transfer to Almaty
We’ll choose our routes based on the weather conditions and the ability of the group*
Duration: 6 days
Group size: from 2 participants
Timing: April to October. Best months: April, May and September
* We’re happy to organise the programme on dates to suit your group – please contact us for more information.
Cost: from €1200 per person (depends on the number of people in the group)
Cost includes: The services of an English-speaking guide; All the transfers (jeep/SUV) during the program; All the environmental/ecological and admission fees (National Parks) during the programme; Accommodation during the programme (2 nights in the guest house in Saty Village, camping outfit for overnights except sleeping bags (if you have your own sleeping bag, we’d recommend to bring it with you. If you don’t have a sleeping bag, it can be rented); Drinking water; Full board.
The cost doesn’t include: Accommodation in Almaty (we can help with recommendations or booking a hotel for you); Meals not indicated in the programme (breakfast in Day 1, dinner in Day 6), alcohol drinks, individual snacks; Personal expenses and other expenses not indicated in the programme; Horseback riding, lake boating, lunch in the Trout Farm. Additional excursions to the Issyk Historical Museum, the Ostrich Farm and Arba Vine Vineyard.
You will need to be:
In good physical shape (able to walk for long distances uphill) if you’d like to go up to the Lake Kolsay 2 and Kairak Waterfall in the Turgen Gorge.
All of the rest treks/walks during the programme are not that difficult and suitable for people with average fitness level.
You will need:
– clothing: sporty clothes, warm clothes (waterproof outer shell, fleece, down jacket in case of cold weather);
– hiking boots, walking-friendly shoes, headdress;
– sunglasses and sunscreen, swimming suit;
– personal backpack to carry water, lunch and spare clothes (days with hiking parts);
– sleeping bag (if you don’t have a sleeping bag, it can be rented);
– personal medical kit;
– personal mug, spoon, bowl (optionally);
– travel insurance (is required).
Join us on this 6-day trip to discover Kazakhstan’s most unique sights: magnificent lakes and amazing canyons, fascinating mountains and waterfalls of the National Parks in Almaty Region.
Please contact us to find out more detailed information and request additional services or locations.
FrozenRocks.kz Backcountry Adventures
Amazing!
We went to Ridder with Frozenrock in February, a group of 6 friends for 6 days tour. It was a fantastic adventure: great snow, excellent organization, and remote locations. Our two guides, Andrej and Kirill, were also amazing!
6-Day Kazakhstan Ridder Camp Ski Private Guided Tour and Adventure
Backcountry Skiing in Ridder
We did 4 days of backcountry touring withFrozenRocks, Julia and Dimitry, our guides were great. The terrain and snow conditions were great as well, The town of Ridder had a great coffee shop called Cream that we met at every morning, the restaurants snd food was amazing! Would definitely do this trip again!
6-Day Kazakhstan Ridder Camp Ski Private Guided Tour and Adventure
Avalanche course and day tour
Completed a two day avalanche awareness course with max then a day tour with Kirill. Both were fantastic!! Max was a very knowledgeable instructor and we learnt a lot!!The day tour was fantastic, beautiful scenery, nice snow and great guide.Highly recommended and would love to come back for more touring
Highly recommend it!
Safe and nice day trip during my vacation in Almaty. Thanks to Max and the crew. Did it last year and came back this year again.
1 day Skitour trip
Ходили с Максимом по окрестностям бутаковского ущелья. Максим очень грамотный и интересный гид. Мало того что рассказывает уйму интересного как с технический стороны, так и байки из жизни. Основное в мероприятиях с Максимом это безопасность, пока группа отдыхает, он проверяет склоны и выбирает наиболее безопасные и главное интересные, подходящие под опыт группы. Сто процентов рекомендую его как гида для скитура!
Шим(Чим)Булак- лучшие гиды здесь!
Мы с женой обладаем разным уровнем катания. Я достаточно опытный райдер, а жена - начинающий. Нам было важно найти сопровождение на наш период пребывания в Алматинских горах. Но, как водится, спохватились мы в последний момент. Обратились в FrozenRocks. Максим очень оперативно отреагировал и смог найти для нас гида Юлю.Юля узнала все наши возможности, наличие / отсутствие оборудования и условия работы с нами) Помогла подобрать оборудование жене, и, оценив наши навыки, распределила свое время - сама занялась переобучением жены под фрирайд, а для меня обозначила маршруты под самостоятельный фрирайда в близи трасс. Это оказалось очень эффективно! В итоге, мы получили и обучение, и прекрасную каталку. Кроме этого, Юля помогла с планированием нашего времени и программой катания не только в Шамбулаке, но и на других курортах региона. Завершением выезда стал бэккантри с Олегом для меня и самостоятельное катание для жены. Олег тоже прекрасный гид. За пол дня катания мы с ним успели проехать по тем местам, где я еще не катался самостоятельно, а так же осуществить два часовых подъема и спуска по девственному снегу близлежащих склонов! В общем, благодаря FrozenRocks - Максиму, Юле и Олегу нам удалось полностью реализовать задуманное и шикарно катануть! Все ребята, внимательные, четкие и позитивные! Хайли рекоменд, как говорится!)
Скитур в Риддере
Свитер в Риддере это отдельный вид удовольствия. Незабываемые споты, отличные гиды, прекрасная каталка. И как вишенька на торте - баня с прекрасным сугробом на улице. Frozen Rocks - лучше. Риддер - место куда обязательно вернусь.
6-Day Kazakhstan Ridder Camp Ski Private Guided Tour and Adventure
Custom 3 days of skiing
We had a great time with Max. He did a custom 3 day ski trip with us for a couple of days at 2 ski resorts and one day of touring. He was very knowledgeable, helpful and great at finding us amazing snow and powder. Highly recommend!
Jan 2024 • Solo
Skitour with FrozenRocks
Perfection is the right word to describe my experience with FrozenRocks. Staring from answering plenty of my questions well in advance before the trip, provide me advices about accomodation and services availability in Kazakhstan through highly qualified guiding and end up comfortable transfers. I plan to come back for skitouring fun with FrozenRocks again.
Feb 2024 • Solo
Professional and interesting!
Very neat and professional guide Max. There are always good ascent routes and interesting descent lines. If you need help, the guide is always with you! And most importantly - it’s safe with him!!! - checks the snow himself before descending, in unsafe areas everything is clearly organized! I recommend!!!
Jan 2024 • Couples
Brilliant, beautiful experience!
We had a really great experience! We are experienced skiiers but had never done Backcountry skiing. Our guide, Maxim, was really patient with us. He has a lot of experienced and found the perfect hike for us, which we enjoyed from the start to the end. He is also a very nice guy, with proficient English skills, so we had great conversations. We can highly recommend booking this tour if you would like to explore the Tian Shan mountains off the beaten track!
Just awesome
Found this guys just before arriving in Kazachstan and it was an excellent choice! Everything went just fine! My guide Vlad is such an awesome guy. I really appreciated his company, his knowledge, what else I can say, totally recommend this trip for anyone, especially for solo travellers!
Sep 2023 • Solo
An unforgettable tour with an extraordinary guide!
When I decided to go back to Almaty after my trip in 2022, I directly contacted Max, because he was an amazing guide on last year. In Sept 2023, we made a 4-days tour in Altyn-Emel and Tuzkol Lake, and it was an incredible tour! Max is a very professional guide, with a deep knowledge of the sites he visits with you, able to provide a lot of interesting info about them. He also knows extremely well the region and can therefore propose breathtaking visits of hidden sites, far from touristic ones. He was considerate, courteous and as a woman travelling alone, I felt completely secured with him. He clearly meets the highest standards, and I strongly recommend him (also for mountains sports he is so passionate about!)
Apr 2023 • Friends
great Ski touring trip in Kazakhstan
Great experience and adventure in the beautiful kazakhs\' mountains. Great crew taking care of the level of the group, the snow conditions and the motivation. I recommend to travel with them it was perfect to visit the country and do the sport that we love. Bisous
Mar 2023 • Solo
Well organised ski-touring.
3-day-ski-touring, Shymbulak and Butaksuka-Valley. Very good contact with Max, excellent guiding by Dima, perfect English, no complaints from my side, reasonable price. I would book again.
Mar 2023 • Friends
Best
I went to ridder camp twice in december 2022 and march 2023. Best trip, great snow, excellent guides. Houses with all amenities. Julia you are the best, thank you!
6-Day Kazakhstan Ridder Camp Ski Private Guided Tour and Adventure
Feb 2023 • Couples
Great Almaty experience
I’m not used to leave reviews, but Max really deserves it. Professional, precise and very kind. I spent two days with him, one skiing and one hiking in a wonderful Canyon. If you wanna enjoy Almaty’s natural beauties Max is your best choice
Great Ski touring in the Altai mountains
Great trip with a great group of people. A fantastic chance to ski a very out the way place. Warm and comfortable accommodation.
6-Day Kazakhstan Ridder Camp Ski Private Guided Tour and Adventure
Thrilling, stunning, exciting
I have been ski touring with Frozen Rocks company in Ridder back in December 2022. The trip was well organized with respect to accommodation, logistics and food supply. For 3 days in a row we were ski-touring at different locations every day. So the intensity was varying. Good to have a good company aside along with professional guides/instructors. A great bonus was to finish a hard work day in a sauna well prepared by a accommodations holds!
6-Day Kazakhstan Ridder Camp Ski Private Guided Tour and Adventure
Dec 2022
First time ski touring with Max -- amazing!
We went ski touring together with Maxim, for the first time in our lives. Communication before the tour was clear and understandable, Maxim helped not only with renting one split board, but also recommended a place for an excellent rental of a second board; he showed a video from the location in advance. On the day of the tour we met exactly on time, quickly got to the place. Maxim is careful with regard to safety, performs group checks, patiently walks us through a new sport for us. We climbed up the picturesque valley, timing turned out exactly as expected. It is important to go ski touring not for the sake of skiing (it is very short in time), but also just to enjoy the views, a mini-hike. The atmosphere during the ascent was just like hiking, everyone helped each other. Maxim suggested some techniques, and provided practice. We finished climbing tired but happy, had a snack and went down. The local snow was very different from the one we are used to: very crumbly, almost entirely composed of facets. But you get used to it and get a lot of pleasure from unrolled wide slopes.I highly recommend Maxim as a guide, we match on interests and manner of communication, and hope to go again!
Feb 2023
I'm going to join their tours again.
I took the 1-day ski-tour trip with these guys. It was a fine sunny day with amazing views!On the way downhill the weather got very foggy but thanks to the guide we all came back safe and sound.
Feb 2023
Excellent tour near by Almaty
I have participated in skitour with Frozen Rocks in February 2023 and had a nice experience being part of that tour. All participants were good companions and we have spend good time on a whole route. The tour was well organized and performed. We made very memorizable descents on the slopes of Kok-Zhailau place.
Jan 2023 • Friends
Ski touring a go go in pow pow.
The people are great, beautiful mountains, great food. Cool to discover a piece of Kazakhstan. So much more to see. Thank you Julia and all the team. Peter Rabbit on the roof.
6-Day Kazakhstan Ridder Camp Ski Private Guided Tour and Adventure
Jan 2023 • Friends
Magical
Just returned from a week in this lovely area. Warm welcome, impeccable services. Very good skiing conditions. Julia organized the logistics beautifully and was very available to tell us about this very beautiful country.
6-Day Kazakhstan Ridder Camp Ski Private Guided Tour and Adventure
Dec 2022 • Solo
It was awesome
Excellent guides, they selected routes where there were no traces other than ours, they also selected the difficulty for the group. We lived in very comfortable conditions, excellent hearty meals for breakfast and dinner. Also in the house where we lived there is Internet. Upon arrival in Ust-Kamenogorsk, we were met at the airport and taken to the base in Ridder There was an opportunity for two days of ski touring and one day of cat skiing
6-Day Kazakhstan Ridder Camp Ski Private Guided Tour and Adventure
Jan 2023
A great experience for ski-touring enthusiasts
I had the privilege to spend a week ski-touring with Julia at the East Pole base near Ridder, and I highly recommend both the experience and Julia's organization of it. The snow is as deep and powdery as you can wish, and there is just the right density of trees in the surrounding fir and birch forests to have fun slaloming around them. East Pole was very comfortable, with excellent and abundant food. Enjoying a daily banya before dinner was also memorable.Two thumbs up !
6-Day Kazakhstan Ridder Camp Ski Private Guided Tour and Adventure
Jan 2023
Great ski tour experience in just 1 hour from Almaty city center
Thank you guys for this amazing trip! The tour was organized well and safe. Great choice of location that suitable for both beginners and advanced riders.
Jan 2023
Ski tour in Almaty
Thank you Max for a great short hike! A great opportunity to be in the most beautiful places and return to civilization in just a few hours)) It is very expensive! If you are in Almaty for a couple of days on business or skiing on prepared slopes at a local ski resort, be sure to include ski touring in your program! Skimo is closer than it seems)
Jan 2023 • Friends
Safe and beatiful
Max and Yulya are nice people who take care about all members of their group. Safety is first priority for them. We had a beautiful day route with a great views. Very good communication and organization. Also they helped me with equipment rent. Thanks a lot!
Jan 2023 • Solo
Great day in the mountains
It was one of mine first guided skitour. So the crew of frozen rocks was very supportive and provided tons of nessesary information before the trip. I was lucky with weather and snow conditions: so we had couple of very good powder runs. Mountsins were amazing too. Thanks a lot for a great experience!
Dec 2022 • Couples
Good experience
I had very good experience! This guys know what they’re doing. It was perfect ski tour day, thanks!)
Dec 2022
Ski tour
I went on a one-day ski tour, there was a very interesting route, the guides had high professionalism. Provided avalanche equipment
Highly professional mountain guides
We took a one-day skitour trip on 18th of December 2022. An overall experience was great. Especially, the fact that our group was split into two, according our hiking pace and skill. It allowed everyone to enjoy hiking and skiing. Despite the fact that there were no snowfalls in two weeks, Maxim had in mind one hidden spot with good snow conditions. We made about 750 vertical meters in total, so the run was long enough to get tired and feel GOOD. In addition to picturesque landscape, the safety was the the highest level. Thanks to FrozenRocks team for organizing that day.
Oct 2022 • Friends
Adventures with the right tour company:guide
Our one week trip to Kyrgyzstan and Kazakhstan was well organized, based on our time and interests. Max was our guide for the week , he did everything possible to make sure we are comfortable, and making the most of our tour. We saw some major attractions, did some adventures like hiking in Kolsay lakes. He knew the place and led us well. I highly recommend going on this tour with Max s Thank you for all the good times , Max.
Sep 2022 • Couples
Beautiful tour to Kolsay Lake and Canyons!
We had great experience 2 days tour to Kolsay Lake and Canyons with Max. 3 hrs drive from Almaty,with comfortable SUV and you are in place with Spectacular views of Kolsay lake, easy trekking routes guided by knowledgeable guide Max. (Great benefit of his fluent English) Good organisation of guest House and local food by host Jelduz. Second day we were astonished by valley of Canyons. Feels like another world on Earth.Ps. For new hikers like us, do choose proper shoe for long walks with good grip.
Sep 2022 • Solo
Unforgettable trip, top quality guide!!!
2-days tour in the Almaty canyons with Maxim. He is a top-level guide, helpful, respectful, providing a lot of very interesting information.He knows very, very well his region, shew me some breathtaking places, pointed animals I had not seen, and was able to reply to all my questions on history, geography, cultures etc.His professionalism is obvious and as a woman travelling alone, I felt very well with him: he respected my walking rythm (slow, with pauses, due to the heat), gave me advise on how to better breath, on food,…, and even helped me to find a taxi in a remote place.My only regret is not being able to go with him in high mountains areas: he is clearly passionated by climbing, hiking and skiing, and his comments are so interesting, and his passion so contagious!I preciously keep his contact details for a futur trip to Kazakhstan, and warmly recommend him to anyone wishing an unforgettable trip near Almaty!Thank you from the bottom of my heart for all these memories Maxim!
Sep 2022 • Friends
Great time, well-run trip with a pro guide
Had a fun time on this trip. Max kept everything running smoothly. He knows his way around the park and showed us some cool stuff. Thanks, Max!
Jul 2022 • Couples
Amazing custom tour !
We had an amazing chance to explore beautiful kazakhstan with Maxime! He was very knowledgeable and accommodated all our needs for the trip that was very intense and customised, I highly recommend him!Thank you very much Maxime !
May 2022 • Friends
Great and fun
Very good organization four our seven days stay in the Tuyuk. The team is available , friendly and gave us good advices in these montains. We had great fun riding with them.
Mar 2022 • Friends
Ski in Ridder in KZ
One week of ski touring in Ridder area was unforgettable !Snow, sun and kindness of kazakh and russian people all along the week.Oriental and russian kitchen were another way to discover KZ : smoked fishes, beshbarmak (the national dish of KZ) ...Ridder is among nowhere but has to be discovered !Thank you again to Frozenrocks (Maxim Popov) and Oleg our guide !
Aug 2021 • Solo
Hard hike but fun
Great hike with my great tourguide Max. Dont miss it when you are in almighty Almaty. Max will provide you with everything you need!
Jan 2021 • Solo
Perfect team to arrange freeride/skitour program in Almaty
Very professional job done by the team with right to my level routes chosen.All safety measures were in place and btw guys are local snow gurus with 20+ years of experience. if needed you can rent all necessary equipment here skys, bipers etc.And and of cause amazing mountains with scenic views just in 30 min from Almaty.Deffenettly can recommend!!!
Apr 2021
Great Skiing with Excellent Guides
I have done several 1-day backcountry tours with the Frozen Rocks team and each one has been excellent. Backcountry skiing outside of Almaty is challenging due to conditions and geography, so it is essential to have a good guide who knows the terrain and the snowpack. I highly recommend them for your outdoor adventures in Almaty and around Kazakhstan.
Nov 2020
Trip to Almaty mountains with Max
Evey years I do 2 trips to the Almaty mountains and it is always beautiful. Max is an excellent guide. I recommend to all Europeans to visit Kazachstan and discoiver the beautiful scenery in this huge country. It is really worthwhile and totally undiscovered.
Feb 2020
A unique experience in the remote Kazakh backcountry
Our 7-day program with FrozenRocks was excellent! Our group, consisting of two skiers and two boarders, first did a one-day skitour trip near Almaty including an avalanche safety session. The day after we embarked on a 6 day tour in the Ketmen region, where we spent the nights in a comfortable mountain hut. During our stay in the hut we were taken great care of by the local couple, cooking for us and preparing the banya (russian sauna) after hard days of skitouring. Our guides Max and Sergey made sure we rode unique lines and always managed to find good powder lines, even though the snow conditions were quite hard. At some point Max even discoved a new descent using a drone, which saved us another hour of skinning back up to the hut. Communications via email upfront sometimes took a while because the team was out exploring the mountains, but never more than a few days. Julia, one of the founders, was very kind and clear in answering all of our questions. We absolutely recommend Frozenrocks for exploring the Kazakh backcountry!
Feb 2020
Helpful off-piste instruction and scenic ski tour
The Frozen Rocks crew customized a three day ski with me for my trip to Almaty. Julya instructed me on off piste skiing and really helped me improve my overall skiing technique while Max took for a day trip ski tour in one of the gorges outside Almaty. There was 35 cm of fresh powder and the views and experience was amazing. Both Max and Julya were very pleasant and VERY instructive.
Feb 2020
Excellent ski touring around Almaty
Thank you Max for some wonderfull days skiing around Almaty Best day ever skiing 35cm powder at ShymbulakI will never forget you ski lift instruction course ;-)
Apr 2019
Excellent ski touring around Almaty
Did 2 separate 1 day trips with Frozen Rocks last year in the springtime. Stayed in Almaty city so I could enjoy the city in between tours. Excellent spots to freeride above Shymbulak and also above Cosmostation. Oleg was my guide and he knew the terrain very well and I had a great time. Would def be back for more touring!
Jan 2020
Great off piste experience in less than an hour away from the city center
I've been skiing in Almaty before but never tried freeriding there. It turned out Almaty has an incredible off-piste opportunities. We took overview tour where FrozenRocks team shown us easy reachable ski resorts which provide lift-access to off-piste areas. Surprisingly, there was almost no people on these areas so all ski traces belonged to us. Besides that we took coupe of 1-day ski-tours. It was our first ski-tour experience and thanks to FrozenRocks it was amazing. They helped us with the equipment and guided us on how to actually walk. They know mountains really well and picked the routes appropriate to our walking and riding experience.All comminication was super easy, everything was perfectly organized. All guides are very nice people. Many thanks to you guys. We'll come back for sure :)
Feb 2019
Awesome Off Piste Guided Snowboard
I did a brilliant one day trip with Frozenrocks team. Julia was so great arranging everything, it was very easy on email or whatsapp My trip was with Oleg, who was really good guy, he was calm, patient and helpful. Frozenrocks team knows these mountains and areas, some of them are ski patrol team when not guiding so you can trust them and they will take care of you They put everything into their experiences and care about the guests a lot. When booking be honest and clear about your experience level and what you want from a trip and they can design something to suit you . They do some really unique experiences and also want you to understand the culture and area aswell as having fun on the fresh tracks of courseGive them a try, i highly recommend.
Apr 2019
Great people, great experience, beautiful mountains!
Are you in Almaty for a short period, maybe you just have a day free and you want to do some touring in the beautiful local mountains? Be prepared for a really special experience, touring is still a novelty in Central Asia, so you will be able to explore untouched slopes with ease. Get in touch with Yuliya at Frozen Rocks and she will efficiently and in perfect English organise your tour. My recommendation is that you ask for Oleg. He works in Shymbulak, a nearby skiing station as a piste-controller and knows the area inside out. You will have a great experience! Highly recommended.
Feb 2019
Great way to get to know the Central Asia Backcountry Scene!
Traveling to Central Asia to ski or ride? If you're looking for guides to get you backcountry - FrozenRocks is a great option. We stayed close to Almaty for a day tour (I was actually living there) but one day I'd like to get back for a longer trip. We would use them again. Their guides know the mountains well and they can set you up with someone who speaks English. Response from the office team is quick and terrific and the service was door to door. Obviously, as with any backcountry experience, you need to go avy aware and know your own risk tolerance but some of the best lines and greatest experiences are not off the chair lifts. Check out Frozen Rocks!
