A New Ski Resort Opens in Uzbekistan

Amirsoy Mountain Resort, billed as the first modern ski resort in Uzbekistan, is open to skiers.

The resort, which is in the Charvak Tourism Zone 65km east of capital Tashkent and has been built at a repuited cost of €100m, covers 900 hectares on the northern slope of the Maygashkan Mountain located
in the western part of the Tian Shan range.

Amirsoy is designed to be a year-round resort, with skiing and snowboarding in the winter, and hiking, mountain biking, and other outdoor activities in summer.

Uzbekistan’s winter sports industry dates back to the Soviet period, when ski resorts were built at Beldersay and Chimgan. The Uzbek government has commissioned leading European companies to produce the country’s winter sports master plan, which includes not only the creation of Amirsoy, but also the future upgrade of existing resorts, and the linking of Amirsoy, Beldersay, and Chimgan into an extensive ski zone across the Chatkal Mountain Range.

The management of Amirsoy has been contracted to Andorra-based PGI Management , a company which already operates high profile ski resorts in Andorra, France, Azerbaijan, Argentina, and Turkey.

Amirsoy opened with a 2km long Doppelmayr-built gondola along with a chairlift and a Sunkid conveyor, as well as two lifts for tubing.

Lift passes start from UZS 185,000 (£14.75) per day; and there is a 50% discount for children and senior citizens. Further discounts are offered for those skiing on two or more consecutive days.

There are 15km of prepared slopes with seven groomed runs, the longest of which is Bravo (2,383m), plus opportunities for off-piste and heli-skiing. The resort also has floodlighting for night skiing and TechnoAlpin snowmaking in place.

Ski rental and ski school are both available and more lifts and runs will be added over the next three years as the resort expands.

The Amirsoy is the 5* Park Hotel “Le Chalet by Amirsoy” features 40 Swiss style wooden chalets which can accommodate between two and eight guests. In addition to the en suite double bedrooms, they also have kitchens, lounges with fireplaces, and extensive terraces with mountain views.

Guests can dine in their chalets, or in one of the resort’s three restaurants: Olive Garden, La Brasa, and The Opera Bar. 

Uzbekistan is visa free for 65 nationalities (including all EU passport holders), and has direct flights twice a week from London Heathrow to Tashkent with Uzbekistan Airways.

If you’re considering travelling to Uzbekistan, here’s a handy guide from Central Asia’s #1 travel blog.