Qaittym — I'm back

Qaittym ("I'm back") is an independent mountain safety app for Almaty, Kazakhstan. The developer does not represent the Kazakhstan Emergency Ministry, the Almaty Rescue Service or any other government body.

You head into the mountains. The app knows where you went and when you're due back. If you don't check in, your trusted contact automatically receives an SMS with your route, your last known location and clear instructions on what to do. The search starts right away instead of a day later.

HOW IT WORKS

1. Pick a route and your check-in deadline.
2. The app prepares a notice to the rescue service under Kazakhstan Emergency Ministry Order #363, addressed to the official Almaty Rescue Service mailboxes. Under a minute instead of calling 112.
3. Back safe? Tap "I'm OK" — straight from the lock screen notification if you like.
4. Missed it? Thirty minutes after your deadline your trusted contact gets an SMS.

THE TIMER RUNS ON A SERVER

Dead battery, broken screen, phone in the river — the alert still fires. The countdown lives on a server, not on your device, which is exactly why the app helps in the worst scenarios and not only in convenient ones.

A PAGE FOR THE PERSON WHO CARES

The SMS links to a page that is ready for action: route map, departure time, group size, last known location, a "Call 112" button and a script to read out to the dispatcher.

15 ROUTES IN THE ILE ALATAU

Kok-Zhailyau, Big Almaty Lake, Furmanov Peak, Butakovka waterfalls, Uchitel Peak, Mynzhylky, Talgar Pass, the Cosmostation, the Gorelnik, Bukreev and Panorama huts and more. Real tracks, honest distances and elevation gain, realistic timing. Plus a list of 86 peaks and valleys under the names rescuers actually use, so the dispatcher recognises the place at once.

YOUR OWN TRACK

Hiking your own line from Wikiloc, Strava or Garmin? Attach the GPX when you register — rescuers and your trusted contact see your actual route, not just the trailhead.

OFFLINE SHELTER MAP

19 rescue huts and posts on a topographic map that works with no signal. You see where you are, which shelter is nearest, how far it is and which way to walk. The map is cached in advance — no internet needed in the gorge.

WHAT TO PACK

Every route comes with a gear list matched to its difficulty: water, a warm layer, first aid, whistle, headlamp, emergency blanket. Most mountain incidents come from an unprepared start, not from bad luck.

FREE, NO TRACKING

No ads, no subscriptions, no accounts, no analytics. Your profile stays on the device. Route data goes to the server only so the alert can fire.

IMPORTANT

Qaittym is a notification and alerting tool. It does not guarantee rescue and does not replace calling 112, preparation, gear and common sense. In an emergency, if you have signal, always call 112.

OFFICIAL SOURCES

The duty to notify rescuers and the list of mountain locations are set by Order #363 of the Kazakhstan Emergency Ministry, 27 August 2025 (Ministry of Justice #36696). Primary source — the Adilet legal database: https://adilet.zan.kz/rus/docs/V2500036696
Emergency Ministry: https://www.gov.kz/memleket/entities/emer
Almaty Emergency Department: https://www.gov.kz/memleket/entities/emer-almaty

The app only helps compose the notice and send it to the public mailboxes of the Almaty Rescue Service. It is not a government service and does not replace the official channels — 112 and eQonaq.

Languages: Russian, Kazakh, English.