Unique ski mountaineering tournament to be held in Kazakhstan

Kazakhstan’s ski alpinism tournament is scheduled to take place in Shymbulak ski resort for the first time following the formal recognition of this sport between November 30 and December 1, Kazinform News Agency cites the National Olympic Committee of the Republic of Kazakhstan.

The competition will be held in two disciplines. On November 30, the athletes will participate in a vertical race, and on December 1, the sprint event will be held.

The route of the vertical race does not allow for a rapid descent, and is situated on the slope from the upper station “Kombi 1”, with the finish line located at the Talgar Pass. The route for the sprint event is situated on the Left Talgar slope.

The event will bring together athletes from Shymkent, Oskemen, Petropavlovsk, the Akmola region, Karaganda, Almaty, and Almaty region.

Ski alpinism is a sport that combines elements of uphill skiing and downhill skiing. The competitions have been held in Kazakhstan since 2015. Since 2021, ski mountaineering has been included in the list of Olympic sports.

In 2024, ski mountaineering was formally recognized as a competitive discipline within the sporting framework of Kazakhstan.

In accordance with the outcomes of Kazakhstan’s tournament, a national team will be formed, which will participate in the Asian Winter Games Harbin 2025.

It was earlier reported that nine biathletes are to represent Kazakhstan at the 2024 IBU Biathlon World Cup in Finland.