Ski complex "Safed-Dara" has a 40-year history of development.
The plateau, as well as the ski base itself called Safedorak, began to function in 1976.
Shortly before this, Soviet geologists were given the task of finding a place in the mountains, then still the Tajik SSR, where the population could actively spend time in the winter season, and athletes could go in for winter sports.
The place was found in 1975 in the village of Takob, Varzob district, about 70 km from Dushanbe. In the same year, the construction of a tow ropeway began.
First of all, the second thousandth cable car was installed and a little later the first thousandth appeared. Then a panel four-story building appeared for those who decided to come to the base and stay overnight. Over time, “wagons” appeared here, where you could not only spend the night, but also have a bite to eat and drink hot tea.
Various events were traditionally held on the Safedorak plateau: championships, training of the USSR national team, carnivals and New Year holidays, the first ski school of the Olympic reserve in Tajikistan was opened here, where both children of local residents and from all over Tajikistan were trained.
After the collapse of the USSR, the ski base was practically destroyed. The constructed four-story building was not heated, communications fell into disrepair, there were constant interruptions in electricity and water, the base worked only on weekends and with constant interruptions.
Considerable investments were needed not only for the restoration of the ski base, but also for its modernization and development.
In 2010, the government of Tajikistan for the first time announced the need to attract foreign investment in Safedorak. Investors from Russia, Iran and Qatar were interested in the project, however, the project was financially intensive, and its payback reached 20 years, which did not attract foreign investors very much.
The tender for the restoration of the ski base was announced twice and each time ended unsuccessfully.
In 2015, the next tender for the sale of this facility was announced by the State Committee for Investments and State Property of the Republic of Tajikistan, and the Tajik company Faroz CJSC became the winner of this tender. Already in the summer of 2015, Safed-Dara LLC was created and the company began restoration work.
The task was set before December 2015 to complete the work on the restoration of the ski base, the restoration of two power plants and power lines in the village of Takob, the restoration of water supply and sewerage lines, as well as the alignment and expansion of 17 km of the road leading to the ski complex. A lot of work has been done on the reconstruction of the main building and the construction of a restaurant, ski school, equipment rental building and other facilities.
The main building in a short time turned into a comfortable hotel with a capacity of 150 people.
The investor purchased all the necessary equipment, spare parts for the rope tow mechanism, ski equipment, sleds, snowtubes, snowmobiles and other equipment.
The opening of the renovated "Safed-Dara", as planned, took place in December 2015, and the official opening took place on January 7, 2016 with the participation of the Prime Minister of Tajikistan, Kokhir Rasulzoda.
The modernization of the ski complex continued in 2016. After the end of the winter season 2015-2016. In May 2016, the construction of one of the modern cable cars in the CIS began in Safed-Dar. The task was to complete the construction of a new gondola-type cable car with a length of over 2 km in a short time (in December 2016). The Austrian company with a worldwide reputation, Doppelmayr, became the contractor for the construction of this large facility.
The task was completed and the cable car was ready on time. The official opening of the cable car took place on December 28, 2016 with the participation of the President of Tajikistan Emomali Rahmon.
The upper plateau of the cable car is located at an altitude of 2600 meters. The initial capacity of the cable car is up to 1000 people per hour in each direction, and the final capacity is 2000 people per hour. Travel time from point A to point B is 7 minutes.
Among the works performed by the Austrian company are cable cars in the Olympic Sochi. They also built a cable car in the Chimbulak Ski Resort in Kazakhstan.
Since the privatization of the former Safedorak ski base in 2015, Safed-Dara LLC has invested more than 80 million somoni in its development.
However, a large-scale reconstruction and modernization of the ski complex has not been completed. Safed-Dara LLC plans to turn this place into a complex that will operate not only in winter, but also in summer. In addition, in 2017 it is planned to build a new hotel, a cottage town and repair the road.
In terms of jobs, Safed-Dara has introduced an inclusive business model and attracts labor mainly from among the residents of the Takob village, and also purchases part of the agricultural products from local residents involved in agriculture and gardening.
This enables the residents of the village to sell their goods without spending a lot of money on its transportation to the regional center of Varzob or to Dushanbe.
In general, in the Safed-Dara ski resort, in the 2016-2017 ski season, many other objects were commissioned, one of which is a skating rink with parameters of 20/40 meters, built by the Russian company Techno Frost.
In addition to these large facilities, Safed-Dar has a stage with all the necessary equipment, an indoor swimming pool, a gym, a spa, a football/basketball/volleyball court, a children's entertainment area, Santa Claus's house, a restaurant and a canteen, a small cinema hall, as well as small and large conference rooms for seminars, conferences and trainings, shops and the so-called fair zone "Afsonai Safed-Dara", where fast food cafes and small shops are presented.