Typical operating window
January–MarchTien Shan snowfall normally establishes the winter base from December, with large differences by range and elevation.Verified planning context
Snow, weather and avalanche context
Historical patterns help you compare trips. They do not predict your week or replace the operator's daily decisions.
Strongest comparable snow evidence
227 mm SWE median · 198–258 mm interquartile rangeBishkek ERA5-Land grid cellTier C · modelled estimate · low confidenceSnow character
continentalCold powder can persist in shade. Wind slabs and persistent weak layers are important continental concerns.Public avalanche information
KyrgyzHydromet weather and hazard informationNo verified public regional avalanche bulletin was identified for all listed terrain.Weather and flight context
Dry continental air is interrupted by terrain-enhanced winter precipitation.
- Valley inversion
- Sparse alpine observations
- Cold and ridge wind
Meteorological reference area
Bishkek-linked Kyrgyz mountain regions
- Includes
- Published programs accessed from Bishkek, using named subregions.
- Excludes
- Karakol destination 23 and Kazakhstan profiles.
- Elevation
- No verified operator-terrain elevation band is public. Each evidence value retains its site elevation.
Evidence pack
Measurements, claims and gaps stay separate.
Tier CModelled snowfall water equivalent227 mm SWE median · 198–258 mm interquartile range
- Site
- Bishkek ERA5-Land grid cell · 42.9000, 74.6000 · 3.7 km from Bishkek reference point
- Period
- Calendar years 1991–2020
- Completeness
- 360 monthly means; all 30 calendar years contain 12 values.
- Method
- ERA5-Land monthly mean daily snowfall accumulation was multiplied by calendar days and 1,000, then summed by calendar year.
- Limitation
- This reference area supports evidence discovery and comparison. It is not an operating-area or tenure boundary. The sampled gateway cell can differ substantially from ski elevations. This unadjusted 0.1° reanalysis grid cell is not an observation, snow depth, or terrain-wide total. Grid elevation and wind redistribution can cause substantial local bias.
- ERA5-Land monthly averaged data from 1950 to presentCopernicus Climate Change Service · accessed 2026-08-26
Monthly evidence
Each cell keeps its measurement type and unit. Reanalysis water equivalent is not snow depth. Text-only cells preserve a representative data gap.
| Jan | Feb | Mar | Apr | May | Jun | Jul | Aug | Sep | Oct | Nov | Dec |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 48.3 mm SWE | 56 mm SWE | 39.4 mm SWE | 4.7 mm SWE | 0.5 mm SWE | 0.1 mm SWE | 0 mm SWE | 0 mm SWE | 0.4 mm SWE | 6.1 mm SWE | 24.1 mm SWE | 43.7 mm SWE |
Commercial operator assessment
Operator assessment process not independently verifiedThe operator must assess current snow, avalanche terrain, weather, aircraft limits, and rescue options. No private operational plan is inferred.
Sources and evidence notes
- WMO Climatological NormalsWorld Meteorological Organization · accessed 2026-08-25
- ERA5-Land hourly data from 1950 to presentCopernicus Climate Change Service · accessed 2026-08-25
- Weather and hazard informationKyrgyzHydromet · accessed 2026-08-25
- Published operator and trip inventoryHeliski International editorial team · accessed 2026-08-25
- ERA5-Land monthly averaged data from 1950 to presentCopernicus Climate Change Service · accessed 2026-08-26