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Three hours' flight to fairy tale

Yamal to build first ski resort in the Polar Urals

24 october 2022

A new year-round family ski and spa resort will appear in Yamal-Nenets Autonomous Area. It will be built on Rai-Iz Mountain in the foothills of the Polar Urals, next to the Sob River. For the first time in Russia, the resort will be built under a concession: on 14 October, the YNAA authorities signed a concession agreement to begin work on the Rai-Iz complex with Gazprombank, AZIMUT Hotels and Sheregesh Sports Tourism Complex.

Yamal already has one ski resort, Oktyabrsky. However, the new resort is predicted to attract a significantly larger flow of tourists to Yamal.

'The proximity of the region to the federal centres is in our favour—only three hours by plane, and we have the longest ski season in the country, more than 200 days a year,' stressed YNAA Governor Dmitry Artyukhov.

The arctic climate allows skiing at Rai-Iz Mountain from October to June, when other ski areas are in seasonal hiatus. And it takes less than an hour to reach the new resort from the region's capital: Rai-Iz Mountain is only 40 km from Salekhard. In the same direction, in Jade Valley, is the Snezhinka International Research Station, under construction, another attraction worthy of the attention of visitors to Yamal. A reliable trail will be built to link this unique facility with the new ski area.

The Yamal resort will open in 2026. It will meet the highest standards, not conceding to the best resorts in Russia. The Rai-Iz tourism cluster and the development of tourism infrastructure will be developed by Tourism.rf.

It is already known that Rai-Iz cluster will be able to accommodate more than 4,000 guests at a time. The 19-kilometre-long slopes are not only suitable for experienced skiers but for beginners as well. The summit—and Rai-Iz is 1,097 metres high—will be accessible by one of two lifts. The construction of the trails will be carried out by the Sheregesh Sports Tourism Complex, which has already gained considerable experience in this area.

Two AZIMUT hotels, restaurants and cafés will be built at the resort. After the ride, guests can relax in the spa before heading to the ropes park. And at the end of the day, take a walk around the picturesque countryside, admiring the unspoilt nature around you.

Rai-Iz has other trumps up its sleeve. In winter, it's the perfect place to catch the northern lights: hurtling down the mountain in the glow of fairy lights, what could be more romantic than this? And Yamal is also a land where the indigenous peoples of the North have preserved their traditions for centuries. So when visiting Rai-Iz, guests will also be able to live in a tent, ride reindeer and taste the original national cuisine.

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