Construction of ski resorts in Russia. How to open a ski resort The origins of the Elbrus ski resort
Recent political processes have forced us to look for opportunities to create new types of business related to the use of internal reserves. To a large extent this also applies to the development domestic tourism.For example, the growing interest in skiing has traditionally sought applications in foreign resorts. However, in our country there are so many places suitable for the development of this sport that it is worth carefully considering the business idea of creating ski resort.
Of course, the creation of such a large enterprise is an expensive matter, but the general needs of society in the development of domestic tourism allow us to count on the interest of local authorities and obtaining loans for the implementation of such business projects.
The main condition for creating a ski resort is the availability of suitable terrain and highways.
In fact, these conditions meet many beautiful territories that are eagerly visited by tourists, but do not have any, even basic, infrastructure. To implement a business idea for a ski resort, it is necessary to consistently go through a number of necessary stages and create conditions for the development of several areas of activity. First of all, it is necessary to rent and legally formalize the right to use the territory. Since the investment in ski resort infrastructure is quite large, measures must be taken to protect this investment.
When choosing a territory, it is necessary to proceed from pragmatic considerations, considering the development of roads and electricity in the area.
The existence of ready-made access roads greatly facilitates the creation of infrastructure and reduces the overall cost of the project. The same applies to the availability of power lines of sufficient power, since resort facilities will require significant resources in terms of energy supply.
The second step in the implementation of this business project should be the creation of the appropriate infrastructure.
To do this, it is necessary to design and build ski slopes, ski lifts, and build real estate. When planning a ski resort, it makes no sense to focus only on seasonal visits by tourists. A major investment in this project must have a year-round return and, therefore, it is necessary to initially plan for the use of the area throughout the year. Therefore, the basis of the future business should be the creation of comfortable accommodation facilities for guests, campsites, hotels, as well as related service facilities.
If similar facilities are already located on the territory of the future resort, then it is necessary to plan their reconstruction and modernization to improve the quality of service.
Another part of creating a ski resort infrastructure should be the development of a technical base.
Since the climate in most regions does not allow skiing all year round, then it is necessary to plan the development of other sports and tourism, or create artificial trails to continue mountain sports. It is clear that both imply planning of facilities and the creation of appropriate technical support.
Quite realistic in summer season offer complex types of services, for example, organize a track with artificial snow cover, and give the rest of the territory for use for other sports: cycling, tennis, golf, bowling, roller skating, running.
A combination of elements of a ski resort and a water park can be effective, allowing the area to be used during all seasons of the year.
The mountainous terrain also allows for the development and extreme species sports that many tourists, including wealthy people, enjoy. In any case, you need to build 2-3 ski lifts, at least 3-4 ski slopes, including for beginners, control systems, and also purchase specialized snow-compacting equipment.
The third step in the implementation of this business project should be the creation of appropriate travel companies who will be involved in attracting and organizing holidays for clients.
Providing transportation and accommodation for arriving tourists should be handled by the tour operator, who, in turn, has entered into agreements for the sale of tours with travel companies. Such a variety of activities when creating a ski resort requires a high level of planning and elaboration of all the details of the future project. Here, like in any other type of business, you cannot do without a good business plan.
The total investment in the creation of a ski resort can be estimated from 250 thousand to several million dollars. Such investments can be made if there is a real possibility of attracting about 1,000 to 5,000 tourists per day, which allows the investment to recoup within three to four years. Ski resorts usually demonstrate fairly high profitability, from 40 to 70 percent, and only the need for high initial investments becomes a brake on the development of such business projects.
Such a wide variety of landscapes as in Russia is rarely found in the world, and this feature is an excellent opportunity for the development of ski tourism, for the creation of trails of all types within one country. This is not to say that this opportunity is not being used. In Russia now there are more than 300 equipped ski resorts and centers.
But those available to Russian amateurs skiing The bases are quite different from each other. The variety depends on the number and length of the slopes, their steepness and surface condition, the number and type of lifts, technical equipment and service infrastructure, on which the quality of the slopes themselves directly depends. The infrastructure includes evening lighting, artificial snowmaking, snow leveling and compaction systems. The presence of equipment repair points, medical care, food, and entertainment increases the overall quality level of the ski center.
And here a large number of pistes are not always a sign of high class. Sometimes a couple of natural, well-snow-covered slopes, not equipped with any lifting mechanisms, evoke more positive emotions among skiers than hills riddled with many “bald”, bumpy or icy slopes. That is why in Russia there are still a fairly large number of “semi-wild” slopes that have only a single snowcat as equipment or are not equipped at all. These can be bases of an almost flat nature, popular with local residents (in the European part of the country) or located in the steep mountains of the Urals or Altai, for experienced extreme skiers and lovers of long journeys for thrills. general description ski resorts of various quality levels are given in Table 1.
Table 1
Classification of Russian ski resorts according to quality and price criteria
The assessment of the price category of a particular base depends on the staffing of the base with equipment and personnel, which is reflected in the final prices for the use of lifts. Prices, in turn, depend on the type of lift (chairlift, rope tow, etc.), as well as the steepness and length of the descent. But often prices are simply set at the local average market level, regardless of whether the base matches the chosen price level. The organizers focus on the occupancy of the slopes, and therefore skiing on weekdays is usually cheaper than on weekends and holidays. More “advanced” bases offer various options for combining payment depending on the family composition and duration of skiing.
As for service options, mid-level ski resorts always offer basic equipment rental, instructor services, a first-aid post, an insulated locker room, parking, and food stations. Higher-class bases offer almost exactly the same range of services, only their declaration adds the main thing - responsibility: that is, security actually guards cars in the parking lot, staff on the track advises skiers and helps in using the lifts, and also monitors their uninterrupted operation. If the base is located far from settlements, there are options for direct accommodation on its territory in small hotels or chalets.
The most common negative feedback about the work of Russian ski resorts is the discrepancy between prices and the service provided. Almost all economy-class ski resorts, as well as many mid-level centers, are often characterized by overestimation of their real capabilities - the quality of the infrastructure, the number of operating slopes and lifts do not correspond to the declared ones, the ski track may be shorter and of poorer quality, equipment breaks down, and interruptions may occur. power supply, which causes difficulties with reading trips on ski pass cards and much more. At the same time, the staff is most often not prepared to solve the problems that have arisen.
But it seems that patience Russian holidaymakers limitless. Despite the unsatisfactory conditions, most ski resorts (especially on weekends) are packed to capacity with skiers, which creates meter-long queues at the lifts and contributes to the number of dissatisfied visitors. Not everyone, having confidently mastered skiing or snowboarding, can go “freeride” in the expanses of the Altai mountains or go skiing abroad, to French and Swiss resorts. However, the number of ski centers gradually continues to grow, and those slopes whose potential is underutilized will be expanded or reconstruction is planned.
Thus, by the 2012 season, the first stage of reconstruction of the Orekhov Kamen base, which is located near the city of Bratsk, in the Irkutsk region, should be completed: it is planned to put a cable car into operation there. The second stage of reconstruction involves the construction of three ski slopes, a biathlon track, an ice skating rink, starting houses and an overpass.
Also known ski center"Mount Sobolinaya" near Baikalsk ( Irkutsk region) is undergoing reconstruction. Now the maximum attendance of the center is 3 thousand people per day, but this is achieved only on some weekends during the winter season. Organizers see the reason for the low occupancy as insufficient infrastructure. Therefore, it is planned to build new expanded ski slopes, an observation deck, picnic areas, children's center, cottage village, hotel complex (in total, with 160 beds). In 2012, it is planned to create the third stage of the artificial snowmaking system, for which 3 to 6 snow cannons will be purchased, as well as to begin construction entertainment center. It is expected that from 2017, during the winter seasons, more than 1.3 billion rubles will be invested in the updated resort, in the construction of which more than 1.3 billion rubles will be invested. in two stages, 5 thousand tourists will arrive daily.
The Olympic Park base in Ufa is also being developed. In 2013, Ufa will host the International Winter Games. In particular, the Olympic Park will host alpine skiing competitions, in particular the alpine big slalom and cross-country skiing on a special track. Construction has already begun on a new building for a children's and youth sports school for alpine skiing with an area of about 3 thousand square meters. One of the main goals of reconstruction is to equip new ski slopes and expansion of existing ones. In addition, a new ski slope will appear in the area of the unfinished 120-meter jump.
Until 2016, a program for the development of the Sheregesh complex was developed ( Kemerovo region). As part of this program, new ski lifts will be built, hotels and catering facilities will open. In addition, it is planned to build new entertainment facilities on the territory of the ski resort.
Improved tourist area"Turquoise Katun", located in Altai. The project involves the construction entertainment complex broad focus, which includes the construction ski resort with ski lifts, ski and toboggan slopes, observation decks and cafes, as well as ski schools. The total cost of the Turquoise Katun project is more than 15 billion rubles. It was planned that the center would receive its first tourists by 2012, and in the future the tourist complex would be able to be visited by up to 95 thousand people.
As for new construction, the most large-scale projects are planned in the Caucasus regions. Grandiose plans for the construction of a number of international-class ski resorts in the southern republics of Kabardino-Balkaria, Adygea, Dagestan, Karachay-Cherkessia, North Ossetia, Ingushetia and Chechnya are widely discussed in the press. All these new centers will be included in the tourism cluster, the development of which is managed by a specially created company OJSC Resorts North Caucasus"(KSK). The cost of creating the first five resorts is estimated at 451.44 billion rubles. (about 15 billion dollars), of which 60 billion rubles. allocates the Russian Federation budget for the creation of infrastructure and utility networks. The construction will be carried out by the Rizzani de Eccher holding from Italy.
True, the initiators of the construction faced opposition from Russian environmentalists, who are calling on the UNESCO World Heritage Committee to remind the Russian authorities that the areas selected for the construction of ski resorts belong to the category of specially protected natural areas. In particular, activists claim that if Russia does not abandon plans to build a ski resort on the Lagonaki plateau, then in 2013 the Committee World Heritage will send a special commission to Russia to check. In turn, representatives of the North Caucasus Resorts say that construction is proceeding with the approval of all authorized organizations.
table 2
List of ski complexes and resorts under construction and design in Russia, by region
Source. ABARUS Market Research monitoring.
To date, KSK has signed agreements with investors totaling more than $18 billion: among large investors, in particular, the French bank Caisse des Depots et Consignations and Nafta Moscow, but there is a queue of investors wanting to participate in this large-scale project , continues to grow. Thus, in June 2012, the Chinese conglomerates China Oceanwide Holdings Group and Dalian Wanda Group confirmed their plans to invest about $3 billion in the development of North Caucasian resorts.
There are also less pompous projects in Russia. The construction of new ski resorts is planned in the most different parts countries. Information about the most famous projects is given in Table 2.
After the Winter Olympics in Sochi, the pilgrimage of skiers and snowboarders to the slopes of Krasnaya Polyana does not stop. This is not surprising - everyone wants to join sports history. Moreover, getting to Sochi is easy and inexpensive. But the ski spots of Russia are not limited to Krasnaya Polyana. You can come to all the resorts that we will talk about without knowing how to ride: equipment for rent and the opportunity to take riding lessons from first-class instructors are available at each one.
Ski club Leonid Tyagachev, Moscow region
Ski club located in the north of the Moscow region in the vicinity of Dmitrov, which is only 70 kilometers from Moscow. Therefore, sports holidays can be diversified with cultural walks around ancient Dmitrov and the Mother See.
Besides nine ski slopes of different lengths, with different altitude differences and all types of difficulty- from green to black - on the club’s territory there are trails for tubing, cheesecake, cross-country skiing and an ice skating rink. The local black piste is unlikely to compare with a piste of the same category in the mountains, but it is quite suitable as preparation for steeper descents. The slopes are open until the middle of the night and are beautifully lit. And after skiing you don’t have to go far - there is a hotel, residential cottages and a cafe on the club’s territory. When planning a trip, take the time to study the calendar of exhibitions in local museums - there are plenty of options to please your inner connoisseur of beauty. And while you are wondering what kind of vacation will bring you joy, we have taken care of your comfort and selected several sets for skiing.
Skiing
Snowboard
Ski resort "Elbrus", Kabardino-Balkaria
The dazzling peaks of Elbrus, steep slopes for skiers and snowboarders from beginner to pro level - this is what the Elbrus ski resort with two ski areas - Elbrus-Azau and Cheget - is famous for.
Elbrus-Azau is seven trails of varying difficulty levels. But more often this zone is chosen by beginners and those who have only a couple of seasons behind them. Cheget is suitable only for the most advanced - it has some of the most difficult trails not only in Russia, but throughout Europe. Only the cable cars remind you that you are at a ski resort, and not in the wild mountains. But it is precisely the smooth surface of untouched snow and pine forests attract freeride and backcountry lovers here.
On the territory of the Elbrus region and nearby great amount hotels, each of which has a cafe or restaurant, you won’t go hungry. Think about what ski area is for you, because we have already thought about equipment.
Skiing
Snowboard
Ski resort "Tsey", North Ossetia
The republic with a rich culture is incredibly hospitable and is famous not only for its amazingly delicious pies, but also for its ski resorts. "Tsey" is one of them.
Skating on seven ski slopes of varying degrees of difficulty(black, red and blue) can be diluted by climbing Kazbek, ice skating and cheesecake. On the territory of the ski resort there are several hotels of different price ranges, and Vladikavkaz is only a hundred kilometers away, so ski holiday easy to break up with city walks.
You can leave your snowboard at home on this trip (there are no problems with rentals), but you will have to find a place in your luggage for sportswear.
Skiing
Snowboard
Ski resort "Mount Sobolinaya", Irkutsk region
The Sobolinaya Mountain resort near the city of Baikalsk offers skiers twelve tracks of all categories- from green to black, and many of them offer excellent views of the city. In addition to the ski slopes, the resort has a year-round rope park, one of the largest in Eastern Siberia. Take the time to combine your trip with a visit to Irkutsk and Ulan-Ude - each of them is just a few hours away by car or train. There are hotels both within the resort and in the city. All that's left is to warm up.
Skiing
Snowboard
Ski resort "Mountain Air", Sakhalin
When going to Sakhalin and planning a ski holiday here, remember that the slopes are periodically closed due to weather conditions. And air traffic to the island can also be cut off at any moment. But the impressions that Sakhalin will give are definitely worth it to get to the island.
Fourteen tracks of red, green and black categories Suitable for both beginners and experienced riders and skiers. Unlike all previous resorts, there is little entertainment here, so “Mountain Air” is for those who are primarily interested in the skiing itself. A bonus is several cafes on the resort grounds. Although what other bonuses do those who have climbed so far need, if not snow and slopes? And there is plenty of that here.
Skiing
Snowboard
Aimed at the development of the republics of the North Caucasus. The history of its creation reflects the basic principles of organizing the construction and operation of the latest tourist facilities: planning at all stages and using only latest technologies, including in the field of engineering protection.
Introduction
Natural conditions
In terms of its climatic characteristics, Arkhyz is superior to most foreign and domestic mountain resorts: there is no sweltering heat or bitter frost here - the average annual temperature is +5° C, average temperature July - +15 ° C, January - + 5.5 ° C. For comparison: in the Krasnaya Polyana resort the average annual air temperature is twice as high due to hotter summers, up to + 35 ° C, although in winter frosts down to - 10 ° C are not uncommon Winter in the valleys of Arkhyz lasts about four months, starting, as in most famous alpine resorts, in the second half of November and ending in March. Autumn and spring are short, colorful, for the most part dry, with short periods of rain in early May and November. Summer is long and very sunny.
Arkhyz - mountainous region Karachay-Cherkess Republic with total area about 40 thousand hectares, belongs to the northern slopes of the Main Caucasus Range. The Arkhyz Valley is located at an altitude between 1440 m and 3790 m above sea level. Highest points- mountains Pshish and Sofia. In the valley there are 60 glaciers, more than 70 mountain lakes and 12 waterfalls. The main water artery is the Bolshoi Zelenchuk River, about 170 km long.
Thanks to these climatic features, as well as the significant length of daylight hours (from 6 am to 7 pm) and the unique nature, Arkhyz was recognized as an attractive investment site for creating an international class resort for comfortable family vacation. The positioning of the future resort as a family resort, that is, intended for skiers of any level of professionalism and for training beginners, became decisive when choosing a future construction site: these are wide, with soft slopes and smooth elevation changes, valleys of the mountain rivers Arkhyz and Phiya (Zelenchuksky district). Note that there are three resorts for beginner skiers in Russia - Elbrus region, Solnechnaya Dolina on Southern Urals and “Rosa Khutor” in Krasnaya Polyana.
Ski cluster
In 2010, after the creation of the state corporation “Resorts of the North Caucasus” (KSK), the territory of the Arkhyz Gorge was included in the North Caucasus tourism cluster, and after an assessment of the work carried out on the basis of the principles of public-private partnership (the construction of the Romantic village began in 2009), became its pilot site. According to the project, by 2025, seven special economic zones will be created in the region and seven new world-class ski resorts will be built: Lagonaki ( Krasnodar region and the Republic of Adygea), Arkhyz (Karachay-Cherkessia), Elbrus-Bezengi (Kabardino-Balkaria), Mamison (North Ossetia, Alania), Matlas (Dagestan), Tsori and Armkhi (Ingushetia), as well as beach resorts on the coast of the Caspian Sea (Dagestan).
The Caucasus is still popular tourist destination- the slopes of Elbrus and Dombay have enjoyed well-deserved love for decades. However new project will radically change the scale and quality of recreation at Russian ski resorts: ski lovers, whose number is estimated at 5–10 million people a year, will be able to choose a vacation spot from thousands of kilometers of well-equipped slopes with 250 lifts and use the services of a hotel cluster with 167 thousand beds. For comparison: annually more than 400 ski resorts located in the French Alps (6 thousand km of equipped slopes and over 4 thousand funiculars and lifts) welcome about 15 million people, of which about 50 thousand are Russians.
The first stage of creating the Arkhyz resort required solving a significant number of problems associated with the undeveloped territory. In 2008, the Sinara group, the investor and operator of the project, signed an agreement on the distribution of investments with the government of the Karachay-Cherkess Republic, according to which the government assumed obligations for the construction of the main supply infrastructure - laying roads, connecting electricity, gas and water supplies, construction of treatment facilities. As part of the project, Sinara Group carried out the construction of the actual recreational infrastructure. The tender for the development of a master plan for the integrated development of a ski resort with a service system was won by the French consortium Gorimpex Sarl, Dianeige, BDO MG Hotels & Tourisme (they also own the implemented project of the Krasnaya Polyana resort near Sochi).
To enlarge, click on the image Resort project
In accordance with the general plan, a modern all-season tourist and recreation center (VTRC), which allows combining winter and summer types of tourism with a comfortable stay, will include four tourist villages with 30 thousand accommodation places. Three villages will be located in the valley of the Arkhyz River - this is the already functioning “Romantic” Moon Valley" and Dukkah; another village - Phiya - will appear in the valley of the river of the same name.
Tourist villages are planned to be connected with each other by a single system of ski slopes and cable cars, which will allow vacationers to move freely between settlements and sports themed spaces - tracks, skating rinks, jumps, a ski stadium, areas for snowboarding, freestyle and freeride, and rafting tracks. The design of villages is based on the principle of ski in - ski out (“skating from the door”), providing the most comfortable leisure: It will be possible to access most tourist infrastructure facilities on skis.
The resort is expected to create 264 ski slopes of varying difficulty with 69 lifts and a total capacity of 140 thousand people per hour
The total length of the projected slopes of the Arkhyz resort will be about 1,100 km, which is more than twice the length of the slopes of the French “Three Valleys” (the famous ski resorts of Courchevel, Valtarens and Meribel). It is expected that after the resort reaches its design capacity, the tourist flow to Arkhyz will exceed 500 thousand people per year - this is approximately twice as many as the number of guests who visited the Krasnaya Polyana resorts this Olympic year.
The first stage of the Arkhyz VTRC, the Romantic village, has been welcoming vacationers since 2013. The resort is located on a plot of 20 hectares in a valley between mountain ranges Abishira-Ahuba and Gabulu, on the left bank of the Arkhyz River. The resort village project was developed from an environmental perspective, and this made it possible to preserve the natural landscapes and unique nature of the gorge as much as possible during the creation of infrastructure and the construction of a complex of buildings in the same style - an administrative center, a restaurant and hotels (hotels "Romantic-1" 4* and "Romantic-1" 2" 3*, total housing stock - 105 rooms).
The resort has four ski slopes with a total length of 7.3 km with the necessary technical and service base: two of the simplest level of difficulty (“green”), one simple (“blue”) and one slope of medium difficulty (“red”), which received a In 2013, a certificate from the International Ski Federation (FIS), which allows it to hold international alpine skiing competitions.
In the winter of 2013/14, Arkhyz-1650 was visited by 35 thousand tourists, 98 thousand ski passes were sold. For comparison: the largest domestic ski resort, Rosa Khutor, with nine lifts and 72 km of slopes, welcomed more than 100 thousand guests during the 2013/14 Olympic winter, and 73 thousand a year earlier.
After the completion of the 2013/14 winter season, a program began to operate at the Arkhyz resort summer holiday- Arkhyz Park. In addition to the hotels, a tent camp with 200 beds equipped for comfortable living was opened, horseback riding and jeep riding were organized, hiking accompanied by experienced guides, bus excursions to local natural and cultural attractions - ancient Alanian temples. For tourists, a mountain rope park was created, several swimming pools under open air, summer cinema, as well as paintball and volleyball clubs. Both cable cars operated in excursion mode, delivering tourists to the panoramic observation deck at an altitude of 2200 meters. In total, the resort received more than 40 thousand guests during the summer season.
The infrastructure of the first stage of the all-season recreational center "Arkhyz" is expanding every year: this winter, tubing trails will appear, a new chairlift will be operational; In the summer, construction of slopes and lifts began on the northern, snowier slope of the valley, which will increase the ski area to 14.5 km. And in the near future, six more hotels, a SPA center, and a restaurant complex will be added to the facilities listed above.
Natural risks and engineering solutions
The territory of Karachay-Cherkessia is exposed to a wide range of hazardous natural phenomena, which have a cyclical nature: these are floods and storms, mudflows and landslides.
The area of the Arkhyz resort is no exception - in the upper reaches of the Arkhyz River, mudflows are predicted annually, in the spring there are often powerful floods, and for the southern slope of the Abishir-Akhuba ridge and the slopes of the valleys of all tributaries of the Ptysh River, where the construction of new tourist villages of the Arkhyz resort is planned , characterized by high avalanche activity
Another problem is the complex, water-saturated clay soils of the Arkhyz River valley. Such soils are mobile, moreover, they greatly and unevenly change their volumes during freezing/thawing, which can lead to uneven settlement of the foundations of buildings and structures and their destruction.
The described risks, as well as the need to minimize anthropogenic impact on natural landscapes, required the use of a wide range of engineering protection solutions. At the stage of construction of the supply main infrastructure, traditional technologies were used - strengthening soft soils with a sand-gravel mixture when laying the Arkhyz-Dukka road leading to the resort and using especially strong grades of asphalt to cover it, as well as constructing a 2-kilometer protective dam when laying the Zelenchuk-Dukka gas pipeline. Arkhyz-Dukka, as well as more modern engineering solutions.
In particular, an interesting engineering solution was used when laying the Zelenchukskaya-Lunnaya Polyana high-voltage power line in the area of the village of Nizhnyaya Ermolovka: the wires were mounted on guy wires attached to different sides gorges.
As a result, the protected forest was preserved, and the cables cut to a depth of one and a half meters reliably strengthened the slopes
The specifics of the ski resort also led to special attention to certain types of risks.
Firstly, there are risks that arise when using lifts. To ensure safety, pile foundations were used for all supports and structures to compensate for the mobility of water-saturated soils. And to install the lower station of the gondola-type cable car, specialists from the Gorimpex group developed a new technology that made it possible to prepare a piled concrete foundation of the structure and install a fully assembled 70-ton structure on it during daylight hours. Pouring concrete foundation top station due to difficulties with laying roads on the above-mentioned soils, it was carried out from a helicopter.
Secondly, these are the risks that arise while riding. Safety depends, in particular, on the height of the snow cover, which must be at least 1.5 meters. However, due to climate warming, the height of the snow cover in the Arkhyz valley is much less - 5–26 cm. Therefore, last season, as part of test operation, four mobile artificial snowmaking systems were used, which provided the necessary amount of snow to the “blue” track and the foot of the slope at the ski lift . And this summer, the installation of 93 stationary snow-making structures from Demaclenko began. Their work will allow the slopes to begin operating even at relatively high daytime temperatures and will extend the 2014/15 winter season by at least a month.
At the current stage of development of the resort, great importance is attached. According to Yu. B. Starkov, general director Arkhyz-1650 LLC, stable snow cover in the village of Arkhyz (1500 m) is formed by mid-December and disappears by mid-March. On the mountain slopes of the resort, this period stretches from October to May, depending on the exposure and altitude. Average height Snow cover during the winter season increases with elevation: from 70–80 cm for 1500–2000 m and up to 200 cm for altitudes of 2500–3000 meters. Although these data vary greatly depending on the type of winter in terms of snow content, the territory of the complex located above 2200 m is exposed to the greatest avalanche danger.
Since by now the construction of the resort's cable cars has reached this height, special attention has been paid to the creation of maps of natural risks of the complex territory. This work is carried out by experienced European experts, participants in avalanche protection projects for ski resorts in Olympic Sochi. Based on their conclusions, the main directions for protecting the developed territories will be determined. Currently, to protect the artificial snowmaking and trail lighting systems on the southern slope of the Abishira-Ahuba ridge, snow retention structures are being installed at altitudes of 2250–2490 m above sea level.
Prospects
Construction of all-season mountain resort Arkhyz is still far from completion, but now we can say with confidence that its implementation is progressing successfully. The experience gained during the preparation for the Olympics in Sochi, affecting all stages of creating a modern ski resort - from the competent placement of investments and design to the use of the latest technologies for laying communications, erecting buildings and recreational infrastructure structures in conditions of natural risks - allows participants of the Arkhyz project to act dynamic and efficient. Thanks to this, the current Arkhyz-1650 is an attractive vacation spot and at the same time a unique construction site of a new type.
Both of these circumstances have a beneficial effect on the investment climate and labor market of Karachay-Cherkessia - construction and maintenance work is carried out by contractors registered in the republic, and at the resort itself they work exclusively local residents. Currently, in order to increase the flow of tourists to the ski resort, projects are being considered to create an airport in the village of Zelenchukskaya and to build a modern Cherkessk-Adler highway. Each of these projects can have a significant stimulating impact on the economy of the Karachay-Cherkess Republic as a whole. From this point of view, we can say that the initial goal of the project “All-season tourist and recreational center “Arkhyz”, namely the transformation of a subsidized region of Russia into a self-sufficient and sustainable development, is quite achievable, and the resort will reach full capacity important milestone on the way to improving the economic situation both in Karachay-Cherkessia and throughout the North Caucasus.