Where to relax in winter: Dombay

Rating: 8,2/10 (305 votes)

Where is Dombay

The resort is located in the North Caucasus, in the village of the same name. The village, in turn, is located in the Dombai glade – hollow between the mountains at an altitude of 1620 meters above sea level. The main mountain for skiing – The mass of Achitara, whose height is 3002 meters. You can ride from December to April.

How to get to Dombai

Getting to Dombai is not so easy – will have to mentally prepare for at least one transplant. There are several routes to Dombai.

The most convenient way to get to Dombai is by plane. To do this, you need to fly to the nearest airport, which is located in Mineralnye Vody. Airplanes of different airlines fly from Moscow to Mineralnye Vody every day. The flight will take two hours and will cost from 2,700 rubles. Then you will need to get to the ski resort – and this is as much as 200-230 kilometers. You can wait for the bus, take a taxi, or use the hotel transfer. It is better to order a taxi for yourself in advance so that it will arrive at the time of arrival. It will take 3.5-4.5 hours to drive, so a taxi will cost at least 3.5 thousand. It is best to get together in a group and hire one fixed-route taxi – for all it will cost 5-8 thousand. Handle private carriers with care to avoid being scammed.

Dombay

Dombai

If you are more into trains, there are some good options. From Moscow you can get to Mineralnye Vody, Cherkessk, Nalchik or Nevinnomyssk. To do this, you need to sit at the Paveletsky, Kursk or Kazansky railway stations. Then at the railway station you need to take a taxi, or take a regular bus with a change in Teberda. The train travels to Mineralnye Vody from Moscow for 28-40 hours, depending on the route. A reserved seat will cost about 2,200 rubles, not much cheaper than an airplane. So this option is good only for those who are afraid to fly.

There is another, rather cheap, but not very convenient option - – direct bus from Moscow to Dombai. Such buses run once a week, they are equipped with a dry closet, a boiler and a TV. The trip will be long, but on the way you will be able to admire the wonderful landscapes.

If you prefer to travel independently, you can get to Dombai by your own car. The distance between Moscow and Dombay is 1600 kilometers, so the road will take more than a day. You need to start driving along the federal highway M4. First get to Rostov-on-Don, then to Cherkessk. The roads in Karachay-Cherkessia are not very good, but the Teberda-Dombay highway is almost ideal. When you leave Teberda, get ready to pay a fee for the opportunity to drive through the reserve. Well, in Dombai itself, be sure to put your car in a paid parking lot – hijacking is not too rare here.

Trails and slopes

Dombai trails are suitable for both professional and beginner snowboarders and skiers. All of them are wide enough, not very steep, and if you are already riding confidently, then you can try your hand at freeriding and off-piste skiing. Trails are mostly of high quality, icy areas are very rare.

Especially for beginners on Dombai there is a `` Paddling Pool '' - A 300-meter slope at the very foot of the mountain with a drag lift. It is designed for learning to ride, as well as acclimatization – if you go straight to the top of most of the trails, you can catch altitude sickness because the trails are very high. Another shallower `` paddling pool '' is located at an altitude of 2250 meters, on the fourth stage of the KKD. It is in the `` paddling pools '' children often ride.

Skiing on Dombai can be very diverse, although there are not many black slopes here. Dombay is able to serve about 200 thousand people a year, and in general it is not very crowded here. The total length of the tracks – 20 kilometers, and the maximum height difference is as much as 1400 meters.

Mostly people ride in the area of the fourth and fifth stages of the KKD. There are two tracks of medium difficulty level here:

Blue-red track on the fourth stage. You can ride it from December to March. The trail is rather narrow; snow groomers are not processed very often. It will definitely appeal to experienced skiers, but snowboarders on such a narrow track have nothing much to do;
The blue-green track is on the fifth stage. A rather long track – it stretches for two kilometers. It works for a very long time, from November to May, it is regularly processed by snow groomers. It is this track that is being prepared at the very beginning of the winter season.

Under the four-seat KKD `` Yugoslavskaya '' the track is located, suitable for skiers of all levels. At the beginning it is 5 meters wide, and at the end it expands to 50 m. Slalomists often ride on the lower, gently sloping section. From the end of the piste you can easily go to freeride.

Skiers

Skiers

Dombay offers its guests excellent conditions for off-piste skiing. But remember that this place is avalanche dangerous in winter. Try to avoid areas marked with AVALANCHE DANGER placards, and be sure to ride only with avalanche equipment – transceiver, probe, shovel and walkie-talkie. It is best to ride with the guides.

Basically, off-piste skiing is organized from the top of the fifth stage of the KKD down the northern slope, to the Gonachkhir gorge or to the Dombai route. By the way, there is an opportunity to ride on extreme routes, to the starting point of which you will be taken by helicopter.

It is very pleasant to ride on the northern slopes of Dombai, which are closed from the winds and the sun – here all winter there is fresh, thick snow. It will be comfortable to ride here even for those who have not yet tried their hand off the pistes.

Lifts and prices for the rise

There are several lift systems in Dombay that raise the maximum at 3170 meters above sea level.

KKD – old chairlifts and several towing towways;
MKD – old pendulum road;
Modern cable cars: gondola and two four-six-seat chairlifts.

Lifts start working in 8-8.30 am. KKD closes at approximately 16-16.30, MKD – at five six. If the weather is bad, the lifts do not start, or only those on Yugoslavskaya work.

For the new complex, tickets are sold only for a gondola (400 rubles each), or for a chairlift gondola (700 rubles each), or all three lifts at once (900 rubles) – so you can get to the very top. Lift pass for a day costs 1400, for two days – 2540, for 5 days – 5850. Children's tickets are usually about 40% cheaper than adults.

Lifts

Lifts

In the old complex, one chairlift lift costs only 150 rubles, and a day ski pass for drag lifts will cost you 500 rubles.

Infrastructure

Except for alpine skiing and snowboarding Dombay offers tourists a lot of entertainment. Here you can ride snowmobiles or ATVs, or go down the mountain in a transparent ball – zorbe. So extreme lovers like paragliding – a great opportunity to look at the mountains from above. Speedriding is also organized – an extreme combination of alpine skiing and paragliding.

The resort also has a skating rink, sleigh rental, and organizes hiking and horseback excursions around the Teberda Nature Reserve. In general, you will definitely not be bored.

There will be no problems with food in Dombai – cafes and restaurants are located both in the residential complex and right on the slopes. The cuisine in them is delicious home-style, and tourists really like it. In many hotels on Dombai, breakfast is included in the cost of living, but if you dine in a cafe, it will cost you 200 rubles, lunch – at 300, and dinner at about 250. Local national dishes are popular. By the way, you can dine in more expensive restaurants.

Hotel

Hotel

There are also a lot of hotels in the Dombay village, for every taste and budget. In autumn and spring, prices are around 1200 rubles per room a hundred meters from the lifts. In winter, in the highest season, prices rise to two thousand. In principle, you can rent a room in the private sector.

Entertainment for children

Rest in Dombai is possible even with very young children. If your baby is already two years old, then he can be left in the special children's room of the hotel, where the child will have fun with the educators. Also there he will definitely be fed. `` Kindergartens '' equipped hotels `` Grand Hotel '', `` Metelitsa '' and `` Snow Leopard ''.

However, the Junior Dombay children's camp will make a truly unforgettable holiday for children. Here children can learn skiing under the guidance of experienced instructors. The camp program is designed for 8 days and costs from 35.5 to 41 thousand rubles. The price includes a flight from Moscow to Mineralnye Vody and back, transfer to the resort, accommodation, meals, as well as lessons with a leader. Children from 12 to 19 years old are accepted there.

Reviews of Dombai

In general, people respond very positively to Dombai, and they often call it a fully-fledged alternative to the Swiss Alps. People love beautiful scenery and ample opportunities for skiing. We've rounded up a few positives that people tend to mention in their reviews:

Pleasant living conditions;
Delicious food in the cafe;
Great views and clean air;
Convenient for beginners – no need to climb too high;
Fluffy snow, which is very pleasant to ride.

However, Dombai has a lot disadvantages that people often describe in negative reviews:

Not very good service, instructors and staff are often rude;
grief there is no proper toilet;
Sometimes the weather is very bad;
The snowcat does not always reach distant tracks, some tracks are not of very high quality, especially at the beginning and end of the season;
Cable cars sometimes do not work for unknown reasons;
Prices are often unreasonably high.

In general, Dombai is advised to rest for those who are not so important service, but just want to ride soft snow and admire beautiful landscapes.

Prices for tours

Tours to Dombai cost from 20 thousand for two for 5 nights from Moscow. Of course, the price includes only flight and accommodation – meals and payment for ski pass and equipment will need to be taken care of separately.

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Topic: Where to relax in winter: Dombay.

Author: Kelly Costine

Where to relax in winter: Dombay (Topic)