The view to the southeast from my 7th floor apartment near central Almaty.

The U-shaped, snow-covered saddle in the middle of the picture is the site of the largest (the only?) ski area in Kazakhstan. The top of the ski area is over 7,000 feet above Almaty, but one can drive from central Almaty, past the speed-skating stadium, to the bottom of the ski lift in about 20 minutes when the crooked and steep road is clear.