The tour is for those who love freeride, off-roads, ski tours or maybe just want to ride on the tracks, but at the same time for the sake of new places and new experiences do not afraid to shake for some time in the car!
So, a brief overview of the ski regions in Georgia! These are 4 regions, we will probably start with the largest and most popular of them, Gudauri! The resort is located at an altitude of about 2100 m, the highest point of the lift is at an altitude of about 3300 m. Snow often lies there from November to May. In season it is often difficult to find free places in hotels, but it’s not a big problem. You can live in nearby settlements, which are also full of guest houses. The lifts are inexpensive, but food and drinks near them are often even more expensive than European ones, so a thermos with a hot drink and a couple of sandwiches for lunch in a backpack will be quite a good idea. Hotels are also relatively inexpensive. Of course there are different options – to your choice: studios with kitchens, private sector with meals included, etc.
Map of skiing trails and ski lifts in Gudauri ski resort
Further in popularity probably is Bakuriani! These are two regions – Mounts Kokhta and Didveli! They are not so high and often there are winds on the tracks, which blow the snow off the tracks and leave them standing bare. Local workers are too lazy to make protection from the wind as well as to shoot more snow. Nevertheless, prices do not bite, on the contrary – everything is very cheap. There are enough tracks and lifts working if there is no wind. Enough for a couple of days!
Next popular ski resort is in the town of Mestia, the region of Svaneti. Two different places, one called Hatsvali is located right in Mestia itself and the second – Tetnuldi – about 20 km from the town. In Hatsvali the height is not very big, but there is enough snow and the tracks are well-groomed. Tetnuldi is a paradise for freeriders. There are few lifts and tracks, but the height is big. The third stage of the elevator is about 3200 m, where the highest station is and you can ski wherever you want, the puffer never ends, the mountain is wide. But one must be extremely careful because of danger of avalanches, it would be safer to have an ABC backpack with you, since there are no avalanche obstacles on the mountain!
And the last resort is Goderdzi. It is located 100 km from Batumi. It is not high (2500m) and quite sloping, but all its charm is that it is always full of snow. Snow cover sometimes reaches 2.5 meters. There are 2 gondola lifts there, but it is full of off-piste skiing and there is no danger of avalanches. There are riding sidewalks for children and training tracks.
Program
1 day
Meeting at the airport. Depending on the weather and the airport location we adjust the sequence of visits to resorts. As an example I give one of the options. We will meet at the Kutaisi airport and select the resort of Goderdzi as the first point for visiting. We will go with an off-road minivan as roads are sometimes covered with snow in winter and local authorities are usually not in a hurry to clean them, therefore it is preferable to drive off-road vehicles. We will spend about 3-4 hours on the road, depending on the condition of the road surface and the number of stops for refueling with wine and barbecue. After lunch, we arrive at the boarding house, have dinner, and prepare for tomorrow’s ride.
2-3 days
Riding in Goderdzi the first full day and half of the second day. After lunch of second day we pack our bags and set off for Mestia. In the evening we arrive in Mestia. Since the road is mountainous and often poorly cleaned, it can take about 5-7 hours to travel. We have a stop for dinner at the restaurant along the way.
4 day
In the morning after the breakfast we leave to the resort of Tetnuldi. We ride all day, have a dinner in a cafe on the mountain. The prices in this cafe are small, the food is tasty and satiated. In the evening we return to Mestia and go to inspect the town, visit the museum of Mikhail Khergiani, the famous Svan mountain climber, the some routes of whom have not been repeated by anyone until now.
5 day
We ride for half a day in the resort of Hatsvali in Mestia itself and in the afternoon prepare for departure. As I already wrote, Khatsvali is a small 2-lift 4-5 tracks ski resort and it makes no sense to spend all day on it. Again we have a long trip to the central part of Sakartvelo, to the resort of Bakuriani. The road again may take 5-7 hours. We arrive in the evening in Bakuriani, stay in a family hostel, have dinner and relax from the road.
6-7 days
Riding in Bakuriani. The resort also offers various other entertainments: horseback riding and snowmobiling, bars, restaurants, etc. So if anyone is tired of skiing then … At the end of the 7-th day we go to the last and largest resort of Gudauri. Moving there is not so long, plus almost halfway goes along the autobahn, so in Gudauri we will be able to skate for a full 2 days.
8-9 days
Skating in Gudauri. Those who wish and ride well can try off-road or freeride with a guide or on their own. New lifts can transport you over the pass so that from above you can admire views of Mounts Kazbek and Chaukhi. In the evenings you can visit bars, night clubs. Guesthouses usually have TV, Internet. In the evening of the 9th day, we pack things and in a couple of hours find ourselves in Tbilisi, where we will have an excursion around the evening capital of Georgia. You can even visit the sulfur baths, where you can get rid of tension in the muscles and joints with the help of massage therapists and healing sulfuric water.
10 day
Early in the morning we take a scheduled bus to the airport of Kutaisi. Or if you flew to Tbilisi, then to Tbilisi airport.
This is one of the options. A 7-day tour is also possible in which case one of the resorts is excluded. You can also exclude 2 resorts or even stop at one. You can combine a visit to a ski resort with a sightseeing tour in Georgia. In general, everything is at the request of the client. The cost depends on your wishes and the number of people in the group and starts from 200 EUR per package. The minimum cost includes transfer and payment of a guesthouse. All other rates can be discussed through e-mail.
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