Kazakhstan has a continental climate. The winter is long, cold and mainly dry, lasting from November to April. Temperatures in Astana, the nation's capital, average around minus 5 °C (23 °F) in November, falling to minus 15 °C (3°F) in Jan, before rising to a balmy 5 °C (41 °F) in April. Almaty, the nation’s largest city, to the far south situated at the foothills of the Tien Shan Mountains averages 3 °C ( 37 °F ) in November, falling to minus 15 °C in Jan (5°F), before rising 10 °C (50 °F ) in April.This is the best time to visit the nearby ski resort of Shymbulak, simultaneously one of the world’s more exclusive and little known skiing resorts, with mountains over 4,000 meters high, it offers some of the finest untouched peaks in the world, though some can only be reached through private heli-skiing, a once-in-a lifetime experience.