Sheregesh Ski Resort

Sheregesh sits on Mount Zelenaya in the Gornaya Shoria mountains of southern Siberia, and its reputation rests on snow: the continental climate produces dry, light powder in large quantities, the season runs from November or December into April or May, and there is enough off-piste terrain between the trees to have made it the main freeride destination in Russia. Lifts run to around 1270 metres with a vertical of about 700, and the resort has grown fast and somewhat chaotically, with hotels and bars spreading up the slope. It is known for its nightlife as much as its skiing. The Grelka Fest each spring involves several thousand people descending in swimsuits and costumes, which has held a record for the largest such gathering. Above the resort in the taiga stand the Gornaya Shoria megaliths, a rock formation whose blocks have attracted the usual unfounded claims about ancient builders.

What you actually see

• The dry powder - light continental snow with a season running into April.
• The tree skiing - off-piste terrain between the trees, the main draw for freeriders.
• Grelka Fest - a spring mass descent in swimsuits and costumes.
• The megaliths - a natural rock formation above the resort, subject of unfounded claims.

When to go

December to April; March offers snow with more daylight. Several days.

Honest expectations

It is a long way from anywhere, with a road transfer from Novokuznetsk. Lift infrastructure and queues lag behind the number of visitors at peak. Building has been rapid and unplanned. Nightlife dominates the village, which suits some and not others. Cold snaps close lifts.

Nearby

Tashtagol is the district town; the Shorsky national park is around the mountains.