I am releasing the following material about one of the best ski resorts in Russia – Sheregesh. In the last article, I described my experience as a beginner in Dombay, and in this one, I almost confidently ski in Sheregesh (and compare it with other skis from my travel luggage).
If you like to ride and have not yet been to Siberia, then Sheregesh in the 2023 season is an idea for you to note. The gurney opens early, already in mid-November, and ends in mid-April. It was in “Gesh” that I caught the mood of a cool skiing party, which was not, for example, in Dombay: bars on skis, apres, frost, Christmas trees – the sensations remained the most festive.
How did we get to Sheregesh? Transport
My friends and I spent the January holidays of 2023 here (well, we celebrated the New Year at the same time). Despite the fact that getting from the capital is quite far, it's worth it, believe me. I still remember the Sheregesh ski resort with pleasure, because its main advantage is the variety of slopes and snow. Plenty of fluffy snow!
So, where is Sheregesh?This is a village in the Tashtagolsky district of the Kemerovo region. The nearest airport to the resort is located 150 km away – in the city of Novokuznetsk. S7 flies direct to Novokuznetsk: the cost of a round-trip flight from Moscow in February 2023 starts from 15,000 rubles. If you are flying with sports equipment, add another 5,000 rubles to the fare (S7 has nice discounts on sports luggage, but the full price for it can be 40 percent more expensive). From Kazan, for example, Nordwind Airlines has direct flights, and they cost about the same. We flew from Moscow, tickets cost 21,500 rubles per person in both directions.
Then follows an equally important step: to plan an independent trip to Sheregesh, book a transfer IN ADVANCE. This is the only convenient way to get to the village, and besides, many flights arrive in Novokuznetsk at night.
It took us about 3 hours to get to the resort by car. As you understand, a three-hour taxi that will carry your snowboards or skis and some other luggage is not the cheapest story, so we, as usual, went with a big group to chip in FOR EVERYTHING. Count on the amount from 5,000 rubles for a passenger car for two or three to 8,000 rubles for a minibus.
The most curious thing is that at the exit from the airport we immediately felt a unique smell of rubber. This is waiting for you too, but do not rush to look around for the source: this is how the AIR smells in this industrial region. Well, what, here is such a local feature!
By the way, one evening in a local bar, new acquaintances told me about another format of recreation popular among skiers – author's tours. You join a group of like-minded people, and the organizer does literally all the organizational moments for you – from hotels and transfers to a “cultural” program. You only ride on the best tracks, relax in cool places and communicate with interesting “classmates”. I think that this is beautiful, it’s a pity that I have already used my vacation for this year. As I was advised, everything about author's tours can be studied and viewed on the YouTravelMe website.
Prices for hotels and apartments in Sheregesh – 2023
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Where to stay in Sheregesh? Geographically, there are two options: in the village or near the tracks themselves. I’ll tell you more about both options, since housing prices in Sheregesh also depend on the choice.
Accommodation in the village.This is the residential part of the resort, the most ordinary urban-type settlement – with shops, cafes, a cinema, graffiti on houses, children's slides. You can rent an apartment in an ordinary panel house (there is a Daily website for this) and go to the grocery store like a local. The slopes can be reached in 10 minutes by car.
Price:
- An apartment on Dzerzhinsky Street (where we lived) will cost 28,000 rubles per week, but you can settle at least three of us
- Another option with two bedrooms and a nice design will cost 25,000 rubles for a week
Accommodation near the slopes. In the immediate vicinity of the ski lifts there are hotels and hotels. The prices for them at the Sheregesh ski resort in 2023 are as follows (for a week of stay in February):
- A very nice mini-hotel Rosehip, with a sauna, not far from the slopes and with a beautiful view from the windows – 33 000 rubles
- Ski Park Guest House one and a half kilometers from the ski lifts, with a barbecue area — 38,000 rubles
- Guest house We Ski Gesh also with a sauna, 720 meters from Sector E – 40,000 rubles
- For comparison, in the Shorya Port mini-hotel across the road from the slopes, from which you need to walk about a little, standard room costs already 57,000 rubles per week
All housing is similar to each other – these are wooden houses with all amenities, sheathed from the inside with wooden panels. Prices for hotels in Sheregesh in 2023, as in any other resort, depend on the proximity to the slopes (and the level of amenities, of course). They look for and book hotels on Ostrovka.
My advice to everyone. You can choose to stay in Sheregesh near some track … But keep in mind that some (excellent) sectors for skiing are at a distance of a car ride (because we all understand that you will not go anywhere with equipment).
This is how the Sheregesh ski resort works: it makes no sense to plan that you will spend a week skiing only on the “Dollar” or “Mustag” track. Be sure to get to the sectors E and “Panorama” – because they are super! This means that you still have to use a car or a taxi, and it follows from this that it’s not very scary to live not near the highways (or not near “the very ones”). After spending 10 days in Geshe, I was completely delighted with the fact that there is so much variability for skiing.
Personal experience
We are with the company rented several apartments for themselves in the village in the same house on Dzerzhinsky Street, as they wanted to save on housing. Every day, a trip to the Sheregesh cable cars cost us 250 rubles by taxi, since we can get there quickly.
I can say with confidence that we did not regret a bit: if we wanted to party, we went out to bars or to dance in the evening. But often after skiing you just want to relax, which we did periodically visiting each other. At the same time, everyone’s apartments were spacious, all our belongings and a bunch of friends in the living room were easily placed there.
Ski pass prices in 2023 at the Sheregesh ski resort
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The first and the most The important thing I want to tell you is that there are a lot of slopes in Sheregesh, many sectors and there is no single ski pass system! That is, you will have to buy several different cards and replenish each one separately. If, of course, you want to try all the tracks that are here.
But seriously, don't let that scare you. The Sheregesh ski resort is remarkable just because skiing is boring just because of the diverse selection of slopes. Of course, the ski pass system could be unified… but the owners of the cable cars are different, what can you do.
On the good side: the cable cars in Sheregesh are worthy, the resort's infrastructure is well developed. The ski lifts at the resort are very different: chairlifts, gondola lifts, ski lifts. Many new ones, some with heating and protective screens, some older ones, very nice ones. I advise you to try everything!
Prices for lifts in Sheregesh in 2023 depend on the company they belong to and the level of amenities. But you will have to spend anyway. I will briefly analyze what slopes and lifts are, and what are the prices for a ski pass in Sheregesh.
The easiest way is to navigate by sector. There are four of them:
- SECTOR A
It is quite possible to hang out here for the whole day. Sector A contains the most famous pistes in Sheregesh (Dollar, Elena, Lob). At the same time, this is the most crowded sector of the resort! Crowds of people, constant queues for the ski lifts, many children. The number of skiers on the slopes can be tracked using webcams, which is quite convenient. But in any case, the rule for all skiers is the same: if you want corduroy, come first. At the exit you will find souvenir shops, cafes, hotels, a children's sports school with its own slope, an adult ski school, rental shops.
There are two types of ski passes in sector A. Fare:
— A ski pass for a day (Kaskad company) will cost 2415 rubles
— But other lifts also operate here, you will have to pay for them separately if you want to alternate routes (for example, the Freestyle lift costs 200 rubles per times)
- SECTOR B
The westernmost and newest of all. It is also served by the Kaskad company. In this sector, among other things, the cable car I love in Sheregesh, the Vostok lift, operates. Brand new chair lifts with heating and a protective descending screen. There are fewer trails here, but they are very worthy, I definitely advise you to look. Just keep in mind that there are no cafes in this sector on the roll-out, and you are unlikely to hang out there for the whole day: however, half a day is just fine.
The cost of the passage in sector B:
— You can take a ski pass for half a day, which costs 1725 rubles for 4 hours
- SECTOR E
Below, in my opinion, is the coolest exit to the valley – with shops, cafes, mulled wine on the street, a school of instructors and photo zones. It is pleasant because there are no hotels there, which means that there are people, but all the skiers, so to speak, are not idle. This is the second most popular sector – in principle, many tourist reviews about Sheregesh cover this sector and the one that is “A”. There is also an instructors' school down here. I studied there, and I really liked the instructors.
- SECTOR F
It is small and serves one Panorama track of the same name with ski lifts (300 rubles). The most deserted sector, although the track is definitely worth a ride, it is interesting. And to the left of the “Panorama” there is a forest, which snowboarders have long chosen as a freeride area.
Nuance: between sectors E, F and A we moved only by cars. Therefore, it is logical to choose one thing for skiing during the day. How to save money: if you are going to ski for a long time and you like some sector and track, take a ski pass for 4 days at once. For example, in sector A, this will cost 7900 rubles.
How to combine skiing and slopes?
In fact, several of the most popular and interesting routes start from Mount Zelenaya: the ascent to the top begins with cable cars from sectors E, F, A. At the top, you can walk between them, it's nearby. Only ski passes are needed for climbs.
1) Option for skiing No. 1: combine Panorama and sector E + one-time lifts or passes for half a day
You can start from Panorama, taking several one-time ascents. At some point, having risen, go down the highway not to Panorama, but to sector E, into the valley. You can have lunch there and get the next tickets.
If I was not sure that I wanted to ride only in the E sector, then I often took one-time climbs. So it is not a pity to waste time on rest. Moreover, unused one-time can be rolled back the next day. But here's another nuance is that I ride quite slowly. My nimble friends descend faster, which means it is more profitable for them to take a half-day pass.
For the cost, it will turn out like this:
- 4 one-time ascents to the Panorama – 1200 rubles. Then 4 ascents from sector E (to the same Mount Zelenaya) – 1120 rubles. Total for the day: 2320 rubles.
- Half a day (4 hours) in sector E – 1450 rubles. 4 hours at the Panorama – 1500 rubles. Total: 2950 rubles per day.
It is clear that it is more profitable to take a ski pass for the day for 1950 rubles. But it seems to me that if you are an experienced skier, then you are unlikely to want to race on one track all day when there are several interesting others in the neighborhood.
2) Riding option number 2: combine riding in a sector B with moving along the tracks to sector A
Also cool. Considering that sector B is smaller, you can take several one-time or half-day trips, so that later you can update your impressions on A. Both there and there the Cascade lifts work, and in terms of expenses it will turn out: the Cascade lift for 4 hours – 1725 rubles, for the day – 2415 rubles . Well, or you can spend the whole day on A. There will be enough impressions.
The two proposed options affect all 4 sectors – and of course, you can run around your favorite tracks for quite a long time without moving. The piste map in Geshe is very impressive, which is great.
Prices for equipment rental
All the necessary equipment for rental can be found at the exit from popular sectors (A, E), or in the village . In the second, I really liked the rental on Dzerzhinsky Street, super positive and nice guys.
The average prices in Sheregesh in 2023 for rental are as follows:
- Ski or snowboard equipment (board or skis with boots and bindings) – 900 rubles per day, but 1500 rubles on weekends and holidays
- Additional equipment (helmet, goggles, sticks, protection) – 200 rubles
- Clothes (jacket, pants) – 300 rubles
Food prices in Sheregesh
There are very few grocery stores in the hotel town (near sector A): this is a place of parties densely built up with bars and guest houses. Therefore, there the main calculation is that you will have lunch and dinner not at home.
I will give an example of the cost of lunch in several establishments, so that you can roughly imagine what prices are in Sheregesh cafes and restaurants in 2023:< /p>
- Café Yurta — shurpa 450 rubles, manti 77 rubles each.
- Bar Warmer — burgers 790 rubles each, hodgepodge 530 rubles, mulled wine 330 rubles.
- EatMeat bar in the center of the village, where we went most often – borsch 390 rubles, potato pancakes with salmon 580 rubles, salad with oyster mushrooms and mushrooms 420 rubles.
A special place is the Karitshal restaurant on Mount Zelenaya. Expensive, but completely unique. It is small and we had to wait for a table (it is better to book in advance), but we were rewarded with authentic northern cuisine and a cozy atmosphere. This is exactly the place where you want to not just warm up, have a bite to eat and run further, but sit, drink tinctures, admire the interior details and views of the mountains from the terrace.
I also really liked ordering food in different shops in the valley on the exit of Sector E and dine right outside in fine weather. What could be better than a portion of hot pilaf, mulled wine and cheerful faces around?
For shopping, we went to the Maria-Ra store – a local alternative to Pyaterochka. Food prices in Sheregesh stores will not surprise you – the cost of cereals, meat, cookies is about the same as everywhere else. Unless vegetables can be more expensive.
Most importantly, Sheregesh has very bad water! Most likely, you, like us, will not even want to cook on it. We bought water canisters for this several times.
What to see in Sheregesh? Our route
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The question of what to see in Sheregesh in winter, if you don’t ski, oddly enough, also has an answer.
Firstly, there is a wonderful place in the village itself : OleneGesh. You can (should!) come there to get acquainted with the snow fox, the charming Samoyed husky and several gentle handsome deer. Even if you ride, be sure to take a break and have a weekend with the animals. You can feed the deer, stroke the husky and recharge with good energy from this cuteness.
In general, there are many opportunities for various recreation in the village: bathhouses, bars, indoor skating rinks, spas, nightclubs, beautiful places nearby. There is a cinema in old Geshe.
In the vicinity of Sheregesh, you can go to the worship cross on Mount Kurgan – walk or book a ride on a snowmobile. With children, you can also easily plan your route around Sheregesh: there is snow tubing on several tracks, the Upside Down House attraction and Yeti Park, stylized as a cave (it hosts interactive programs for those who are younger).
< h2>Prices for tours to Sheregesh
But what if … and what if you don’t want to bother with the choice of routes, search for places with food, sights, and even read this article and write out useful things? 🙂 I just want, like in tik-tok, to come to the airport and be taken by the hand.
Well, the god of skiing himself advises you to look for an author's tour – according to your needs, preferences and budget. From freeriding for the weekend to a week of full immersion in learning or polishing the existing level, from your company to meeting a bunch of interesting people – there are countless topics and programs in Sheregesh.
- The main site for author's tours in Russia is Youtravel.me.
The cost of such a tour does not include only the way to get to the meeting point. The price level varies from 9,500 rubles for a weekend trip to 25,000–40,000 rubles for a week. Here are the most popular options in Sheregesh ⬇️
Tourist reviews of Sheregesh
I liked it very much in Sheregesh! I definitely want to go back and ride there. The trip actually started with the fact that we were invited by friends who spent a great previous season here.
The brightest and most important thing in this resort is, I repeat, snow. Clean, crumbly, light. And natural, they manage almost without guns! I will never forget this feeling when you slide along the track, as if not touching the ground – fantastic. But at the moment, tourists' reviews of Sheregesh in 2023 say that there is still less snow this year than it usually happens at this time of the year. However, the whole winter is still ahead, and the season in Siberia is long – we are waiting for snow and winter joys!
The climate and weather of Sheregesh – when is the best time to go?
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The season in Sheregesh starts in the first decade of November. The current one started on November 11th. When it closes, you can see it in the snow, but in general they ride until mid-April, even until the 20th, and this happened.
The weather in Sheregesh is VERY Siberian: the average temperature in December-January fluctuates around -10°C … -15°C. But you should not rely heavily on this, the frosts are notable in winter. Already in November last year, the temperature dropped to -34 degrees! Personally, I endure such a minus quite tolerantly: the main thing is to dress and move. But equipment is more important than anywhere else, the body must work and warm up properly.
In March and April, the weather is more pleasant – up to + 15 ° C on the thermometer, and someone even puts on a SWIMSUIT on the Warmer Fest! Well, the summer in this region is hot – from +20°C to +25°C, sometimes even higher.
Krasnaya Polyana, Dombay, Sheregesh or Arkhyz – where is it better to go?
If you are not traveled before to popular resorts, you may have a question in the spirit: Sheregesh or Krasnaya Polyana, Sheregesh or Arkhyz?
All resorts are very different! I tried to make a sign to show their strengths and weaknesses. I do not pretend to be 100% objective, but still:
| Resort | Sheregesh | Arkhyz< /td> | Elbrus | Krasnaya Polyana |
Dombay |
| Number and length trails |
***** | ** | *** | ***** | **** |
| Climate | *** | **** | ** * | ***** | *** |
| Transport accessibility |
*** | *** | *** | ***** | *** |
| Accessibility for beginners |
***** | * **** | ** | ***** | **** |
| Infrastructure | **** | *** | **** | ***** | |
| Nature | *** | ***** | ** *** | ***** | ***** |
| Snow | * **** | **** | **** | *** | **** |
| Prices | **** | *** * | **** | ***** | *** |
As you can see, everywhere has its own nuances: Sochi is warm and has great infrastructure, but it is more expensive to live and eat there. It can be very cold in Sheregesh, but there can be no snow at all in Sochi.
On Dombay and Elbrus, the mountains are higher and the views are steeper. At the same time, there is nothing for beginners to do on Elbrus, and on Dombai there is a very weak infrastructure. There are quite a few trails on Arkhyz – this resort, I hope, will surprise us in the future.
But my conclusion and advice will be this: you should definitely go to Sheregesh! So many trails, routes, good lifts, snow, Siberia – beauty, and nothing more.
How much does a holiday in Sheregesh cost?
I offer an approximate calculation expenses for a week-long trip per person in order to understand how much a vacation in Sheregesh will cost in 2023. The price tag is for one, but accommodation is designed for two, as is a group transfer.
- Flight from Moscow – 20,000 rubles
- Transfer – 3,000 rubles
- Accommodation – 15,000 rubles in an apartment, 20,000 rubles in a guest house closer to the slopes in A)
- Food – 10,000 rubles (cafes on the slopes no more than 1,000 rubles for lunch and dinner at home)
- Equipment rental – 9,000 rubles (if you rent everything)
- Souvenirs — 2000 rubles
Total: 70,000 rubles. You can safely deduct rental from this if you have everything of your own, or you live in an apartment for four. Well, or vice versa, add the cost of bars, bathhouses and snowmobiles.
Prices in Sheregesh are not the lowest, and you can spend much more. And most likely you will spend more, since my calculations are still very average (“I need to start keeping an accurate budget,” I tell myself every time). But on a rare vacation, you can still treat yourself to wonderful skiing, especially when you have been waiting for it for a whole year!
Sheregesh in the summer – what is it like?
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Now the region is trying to develop tourism not only in winter: in summer, ATV trips, fishing on the Biya River, dog trekking, trips to natural attractions – Blue Lake, Stone Camel rocks, Mount Devil's Finger are popular. You can also go to the city of Tashtagol to get acquainted with the sights of Mountain Shoria – this is the name of this mountainous taiga region.
Several years in a row, Sheregesh closed the season with a bright Grelka Fest. To understand what it is, just imagine hundreds of skiers and snowboarders on the slopes… in swimsuits! They promise that Warmer Fest 2023 will take place in April, but there are no dates yet. So we are waiting for the announcements.
Well, what else can I say. Feel free to plan an independent trip to Sheregesh in the 2023 season, and let the trip be bright!