In Astana people go skiing along the river in winter. You can rent passable skis and boots at a little lodge by the river in the main city park. It is next to the place where local people cut a hole in the ice and go for a bracing swim on weekend mornings – a good way, perhaps, to cool down after your skiing exertions. If skiing seems like too much, though, you can simply walk across the river, avoiding the busy, traffic-strewn bridge above.