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Reliability of Snow Cover

• Occasionally gets enough snow for skiing
• Is often closed due to a lack of snow
• Occasionally suffers from a lack of snow
• Rarely suffers from a lack of snow
• Shymbulak is snowsure even in the poorest seasons

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Variety and quality of ski trails

• The ski runs are featureless and unvaried
• The ski runs are varied but not extensive enough for a week
• Shymbulak has diverse and interesting pistes including forests and high alpine terrain

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Off Piste

• No off-piste worth mentioning
• Off piste is out-of-bounds
• Some varied offpiste that stays fresh for one or two days
• A vast array of off-piste routes that can stay untracked for several days

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Scenery

• An ugly resort in a bland setting
• Average mountain views and resort
• A spectacular setting and a beautiful / historic resort town

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Getting There From The Nearest Airport

• At least one overnight stop
• Requires a whole day
• Requires more than half a day – you may have time for a few turns
• Arrive by lunchtime and ski all afternoon
• There is a main airport within an hour of Shymbulak

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Access by Public Transport

• There are no buses or taxis to Shymbulak
• There are slow or infrequent buses / trains available
• Getting to the resort is easy with frequent bus / train connections

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Accommodation Options

• No places to stay in/near Shymbulak
• A few places to stay in the resort
• A wide variety of accommodation suitable to suit all budgets

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Cheap Hostels and Pensions

• No budget accommodation available
• Just one or two hostels so book ahead
• Several cheap hostels and pensions available

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Luxury Hotels

• No luxury accommodation available
• Just one or two luxury hotels so book ahead
• Several up-market hotels in Shymbulak

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Ski in/Ski out Convenience of Accommodation

• The ski area is located far from any accommodation
• A free ski bus takes you to the ski area in a short trip
• Ski-in ski-out accommodation is available

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Childcare Facilities

• There are no child care facilities at Shymbulak
• The resort has limited child-care facilities
• the resort has excellent child-care facilities including at least one reasonably priced creche

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Snowmaking

• Shymbulak relies entirely on natural snow
• There are just a few snow cannons
• There are snowmaking facilities on all pistes

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Snow Grooming and Piste Maintenance

• There are no snow groomers at Shymbulak
• Occasionally some pistes are left ungroomed and in a poor state
• All the runs at Shymbulak are groomed daily

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Skiing in Cloudy or Windy Conditions

• There is nowhere to ski when it is windy or visibility is bad and lifts often shut
• There are some trees for poor visibility but main lifts sometimes close
• Shymbulak is mostly in forest where you can ski in flat-light and windy days, lifts rarely close

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Nearby Alternatives

• If snow conditions are poor at Shymbulak, it will be poor everywhere nearby
• There are good alternatives within an hours drive
• Other locations on the same lift pass provide a rich variety of snowsure ski conditions

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Regional Snow Condition Comparisons

• Shymbulak usually has poor snow conditions compared to other resorts in region
• Has average conditions for the region
• Usually has the best snow conditions in the region

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Lift staff

• The staff at Shymbulak are rude or unhelpful
• Lift staff at Shymbulak are pleasant, cheerful and eager to help

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Crowds and Queues

• The resort is always busy and there are usually long lift queues
• It is quiet apart from occasional weekends and school holidays
• It is uncrowded and lift queues are very rare

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Snowboarding and Ski Schools

• No ski schools available
• One or two ski schools but local language only
• A few ski schools but book early for multi-lingual instructors
• Plenty of ski schools and multi-lingual instructors available
• Excellent ski schools with friendly multi-lingual ski instructors

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Equipment and Repairs

• Nothing can be sourced, not even ski-wax or ptex
• There are some ski shops but rentals need to be booked in advance
• Good quality ski equipment can be purchased or hired and overnight repairs are possible

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Skiing for Beginners

• Beginners can only watch others ski and snowboard
• A few gentle slopes but beginners will get bored in less than a week
• Vast areas of gentle terrain

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Skiing for Intermediates

• No intermediate terrain at Shymbulak
• Intermediate skiers will get bored after a few days
• Vast areas of cruising runs

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Skiing and snowboarding for Advanced

• Nothing for advanced skiers and snowboarders
• Enough steep terrain for a few days with some good offpiste
• Enough steep terrain and offpiste areas to entertain advanced skiers for at least a week

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Snow Park

• Not even a kicker at Shymbulak
• Average sized park quite well looked after
• Huge park area and expertly crafted pipes, jumps and boardercross trails

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Cross-country skiing

• There is nowhere to go for cross-country skiing around Shymbulak
• There are some cross country trails available
• The area features many spectacular and well maintained cross-country trails

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Luge and Toboggan Runs

• No designated luge or toboggan runs
• There are toboggan runs that open quite often
• Shymbulak has long and well maintained luge / toboggan facilities suitable for all ages

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Mountain Restaurants

• Nowhere to buy food by the pistes
• Some places to eat up on the mountain but they are often busy and expensive
• There is a variety of excellent mountain eateries right next to the slopes to suit all budgets

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Eating (Within the Resort)

• Bring your own food, there isn't even a shop
• There are a few places to eat in the resort but nothing special
• A wide variety of places to eat and drink in the resort, from fast food to fancy restaurants

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Apres-Ski

• Nothing to do, not even a bar
• There are a few bars in the resort but nothing special
• Clubs and bars stay open until very late and have a friendly atmosphere

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Other Sports Facilities

• No sports facilities at all apart from ski lifts
• Resort has just a small public swimming pool
• Resort has all kinds of sports facilities, including a full-size swimming pool

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Things to do (apart from Snowsports)

• Besides the snow and walking there is nothing to do here
• The non-skier will find things to do for few days but may become bored after a week
• The resort area is a fascinating place to visit, regardless of winter sports

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Winter Walking Trails

• Very limited walking and no snowshoe trails
• A couple of designated scenic walking/snowshoe trails
• Extensive and diverse winter walking trails for all abilities

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Lift Pass Value for Money

• A 1 week ski pass is overpriced compared to the number of lifts available
• The ski pass is averagely priced and covers a reasonable number of lifts
• Ski passes are excellent value for money and cover a lot of lifts spanning a big area

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Overall Value for Money (National Comparison)

• Overall, Shymbulak is one of the most expensive ski resorts in the country and not worth the money
• Overall represents average value for money
• Overall offers the best value resort in the country

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Overall Value for Money (International Comparison)

• Overall, Shymbulak is one of the most expensive ski resorts in the world
• Overall it offers pretty average value for money compared to resorts from other countries
• Internationally the resort offers excellent value for money