Alpika - one of the slopes (the second one is Laura) of the Gazprom Mining and Tourist Center in Krasnaya Polyana (Esto-Sadok).
The Alpika slope is accessible all year round.
Previously, Alpika was known as "Alpika-Service" and was an independent ski resort, which in 2008 was integrated into the structure of the MTC Gazprom and reconstructed.
Alpika is located in a picturesque place-on the slopes of the Aibga ridge at altitudes from 550 to 2256 meters above sea level, with a height difference of 1706 meters. According to these indicators, the resort is among the largest height differences among the ski resorts in the world.
The Alpika slope includes: two cable cars with six stations, ski slopes, observation decks, restaurants,a high-altitude sauna, various services and some entertainment.
Trails on the Alpika slope
Alpika is a slope with an extreme atmosphere, along which there are difficult (red) and very difficult (black) ski slopes. On the tracks, avid riders can show their character and hone their riding skills.
The slopes of the slope have a height difference of 1156 meters.
Alpiki trails:
- Route 12 (difficult) has a length of 2902 meters and a width of 38 meters. The height difference is 755 meters;
- Route 11 (difficult) has a length of 2049 meters and a width of 24 meters. The height difference is 374 meters;
- Route 5 (difficult) has a length of 785 meters and a width of 36 meters. The height difference is 222 meters;
- route 10 (very difficult) has a length of 630 meters and a width of 42 meters. Height difference 261;
- Route 4 (very difficult) has a length of 1173 meters and a width of 51 meters. The height difference is 445 meters.
Alpine skiing is possible from the three upper stations of the slope: Yunost, the station at 1981 meters and the Shelter of the Winds.
There are ski passes on the Alpika, which also operate on the Laura slope. There are ski passes from midday and evening to multi-day ones.
Map of trails and stations of the Alpika slope
Attention! Lifts and trails (one or the other, or all) they may be closed due to weather conditions, we recommend that you check the information before riding on the official website in real time (you can download the application). The site is listed at the end of this article.
Alpika walking tickets (without skating)
You can visit the Alpika slope, as well as the Laura slope, all year round without skiing on walking tickets, which are called "Sightseeing tours".
A walking ticket to Alpika gives the opportunity for the 1st ascent and the 1st descent within one day on all cable cars (K1-K5) of the slope.
During the ascent, you can get off at any station, admire (under suitable weather conditions) panoramic views, use the services that are present at a particular station and go back down in the same way. A mandatory transfer will be at the Yunost station, since one cable car ends there and the transition to another is carried out.
Above 2 thousand meters above sea level, the alpine zone begins. Here you can see alpine meadows and plants of the tertiary, so-called pre-glacial period. Its most famous species is the rhododendron, the most beautiful mountain flower. Inhabitants of the Caucasian forests: bison, red deer, chamois, roe deer, gazelles, tours, bears, wolves, lynxes, leopards. And in the sky soar golden eagles, hawks, kites, white-headed barn owl, Alpine jackdaws.
In winter and summer, you can buy sightseeing tours (walking tickets) on the Alpika cable cars (K1-K5), Laura (A/A1, A2 and A3) or Laura + Alpika.
Walking tickets and ski passes to the Gazprom Alpika and Laura ski resorts can be purchased at the ticket offices or terminals of the lower stations, as well as online in advance on the website. !!! In the terminals, walking tickets and ski passes were cheaper than when purchased at the box office or online (for 2021).
Lifts, stations and services of the Alpika slope
The ascent to the slope "Alpika", which is on walking tickets, which is on ski passes, begins from the lower station "Alpika", located at an altitude of 550 meters above sea level (next to the railway station" Rosa Khutor"), at the address: Olympic records street, 34, Esto-Sadok.
At the lower station of the Alpika slope cable cars there are: parking, ticket offices and terminals for the sale of ski passes and walking tickets, an information center, an interactive map, luggage storage, rental of ski equipment and sports equipment, an instructor service, shops, cafes and restaurants, a pharmacy, an emergency room, an ATM, toilets and places for recreation, there is free Wi-Fi.
On the third floor of the station there is a trampoline center "Art of Flight", on the territory of which: 7 professional and 6 training trampolines, a walltramp zone, an inflatable gymnastics track, slackline and balance boards. Individual and group classes are held for children and adults in the trampoline center. Learn more about the Lower station of the Alpika cable cars…
The A3 cable car (type 3S), which is the longest lift in the world in its category according to Doppelmayer, also starts from the lower station "Alpika".
This cable car is a large comfortable gondola cabins (closed), with a capacity of up to 30 people and connects the lower station "Alpika" with the station "Mountain shelter "Pikhtovy", which is the highest point of the slope "Laura" and is located at an altitude of 1660 meters above sea level. Learn more about the A3 cable car…
From the lower station "Alpika" to the top of Mount Aibga, the cable car K1-K5 runs with gondola (closed) and chair booths.
A segment of the cable car numbered "K1" connects the lower station "Alpika" with the station located at an altitude of 780 meters above sea level.
Near the station there is a luge center "Sanki" -a luge and bobsleigh track built for the 2014 Winter Olympic Games in Sochi. The extreme attraction "Fanbob" is available in the center; you can also visit the bobsleigh complex without riding on the attraction. The visit and the attraction are paid, by appointment. Winter beans and tourist vucki are open from about mid-November to mid-April. But they can organize a descent on summer shells (on wheels). The exact launch dates and cost are determined depending on the seasons. All information and registration for the visit and attraction can be found by phone number +7-928-44-88-903 (WhatsApp or Telegram) and e-mail info@funsochi.ru.
Photo of the ascent on the section of the cable car "K1"
Photo of the sledding center "Sledge"
A segment of the cable car numbered "K2" leads to the station "Mountain shelter "Sunny", located at an altitude of 1100 meters above sea level.
At the station there are: an instructor service, equipment rental, storage rooms, a restaurant, a children's club "Morozka", a trauma center, toilets and viewing platforms.
Photo of the ascent on the segment of the K2 cable car
Photo of the station Gorny priyut Solnechny
Photos of panoramic views, including visible The mountain Olympic village of the neighboring ski resort "Rosa Khutor" and the Psekhako ridge, on which the "Laura" slope of the Gazprom MTZ is located.
The segment of the cable car numbered "K3" it leads to the station "Mountain shelter "Yunost"", located at an altitude of 1500 meters above sea level.
There is a cafe at the station, there are observation points. You can go to routes 5, 4 or climb higher with the help of a transfer.
Photo of the ascent on the segment of the cable car "K3"
Photo of the Mountain Shelter Yunost station
A section of the cable car numbered " K4 " leads to the station, located at an altitude of 1918 meters above sea level.
You can go to routes 11, 12 or climb higher.
A section of the cable car numbered " K5 "leads to the upper station of the Alpika slope - "Shelter of the Winds", which is the highest point of the slope and is located at an altitude of 2256 meters above sea level.
You can go to routes 12, 10.
At the station "Shelter of the Winds" there are: a two-level restaurant "Reach for the sky" with tables on the outdoor terrace, toilets and a high-altitude bath with panoramic windows- #Neoban, which is officially registered in the Russian Book of Records. The steam room has large panoramic windows that do not fog up during vaping.
Paragliding and paratrake flights are also possible at the Shelter of the Winds.
Paragliding flights are made depending on weather conditions.
From the observation platforms and observation points of the Shelter of the Winds station, in good weather, beautiful panoramic views can be seen: on the one hand, the peaks of Aishkho, Chugush, Assara, Dzhemarku, Vorobyov Mountain and the Dzitaku ridge are visible; and on the other, the Gagrin Ridge, beyond which Abkhazia is located. In clear weather, the Black Sea is visible from.
During our ascents to the upper station "Alpika", the weather did not "smile" and, as a result, we could not admire the gorgeous views. Learn more about the station "Shelter Vetrov"…
Practical information
The best time to visit the slopes of the Gazprom GTC as a ski resort is from December to March. Sometimes the season starts in November and ends at the end of April. But there are also rains at the height of the season, then the snow lies only on the upper marks of the slopes.
The dates of the opening and closing of the ski season are determined by the administration of the GTC of PJSC Gazprom, depending on weather conditions and snow cover. The administration can also determine the dates and deadlines for routine maintenance. Information about determining the start and end dates of the Ski season is posted on the official website of the resort.
Also on the official website you can find all the necessary information about the resort, including variations and the cost of ski passes and walking tickets, working lifts, trails and entertainment, conditions for buying and using tickets.
The website of the Gazprom mining and tourist Center: polyanaski.
More information about how to get to all the ski resorts of Krasnaya Polyana (Esto-Sadok), including the slopes "Alpika" and "Laura", can be found here →
Where to stay near the Alpika slope
- holiday home Usadba Razdolye with garden views, free Wi-Fi and free private parking;
- 3-star Gala Plaza Hotel with 2 saunas, billiards, bar, free parking and free Wi-Fi;
- 3-star Fort Eureka Hotel with family rooms, a craft brewery, a restaurant, a 24-hour front desk and free Wi-Fi;
- 2-star Alpika Mini-hotel with a 24-hour front desk and free Wi-Fi.
Gazprom, on the slope of "Laura", has two accommodation facilities:
- 5-star complex "Grand Hotel Polyana", located near the lower station of the cable car of the slope "Laura".
The complexhas rooms, wooden villas, bars and restaurants with seasonal cuisine, 9 conference halls, children's clubs, 2 indoor and 2 outdoor pools, tennis courts, sports grounds, halls and a fight club.
Link to the villa Grand Polyana
Link to the Grand Hotel Polyana Villas
Link to the rooms of the "Grand Hotel Polyana"
- 4-star hotel and spa "Polyana 1389", located at an altitude of 1389 meters above sea level, near the Psekhako cable car station.
The hotel consistsof cozy rooms, apartments and cottages in the style of Alpine chalets.
A buffet breakfast is included in the price of all accommodation facilities of the hotel.
The hotel offers free access to the A/A1 cable cars and a shuttle service connecting the Psekhako Mountain Shelter station with the lower Laura cable car station. Link to the hotel
All accommodation facilities in Estosadok (Krasnaya Polyana), including near the slopes of the Gazprom ski resort and more remotely from them, can be viewed and booked here
