Winter in Georgia is a time for enjoying the fruits (and jams and wines!) of the harvest, celebrating the New Year and Christmas with family and friends, and taking advantage of the incredible winter mountain resorts Georgia has to offer. There are ski resorts throughout Georgia- east, south, west and north of the capital and of varying infrastructure and style. Bakuriani is more family-oriented, Gudauri is for extremists and Mestia and Goderdzi, the ‘new kids,’ are just discovering their niche. This issue of Study in Georgia, we focus on Gudauri.

At 2000m above sea level, and 120km north of the capital, the resort town of Gudauri is Georgia’s most popular ski destination. Highly rated even among the international skiing community, the season gets underway at the tail-end of December lasting until the end of April, with the best snow falling in January and February. There are 70km of pistes of all difficulty levels (black, red, blue, and green), between an altitude of 2000m to 3285m, connected by five chairlifts and a gondola line.

Go: 

Traditional skiing and snowboarding aside, Gudauri also offers visitors the chance to go freeriding along the trails near the ski lifts and in the surrounding area of the western and eastern slopes of Mount Chrdili and Bidara, and the northern slopes of Mount Sadzele. Adrenaline junkies can also have a go at heli-skiing/heli-boarding with Franco-Georgian company Heliksir, paragliding, and speedriding (an extreme combination of paragliding and skiing).

After-ski activities include hostel/hotel-organized music events, parties, barbeques, bowling and billiards.

Daily minibuses from Didube station in Tbilisi depart for Gudauri every hour from 08:00-18:00 for 7 GEL, with the arrangement in place for the return journey. You might struggle to find free seats back to Tbilisi, so try to leave at non-peak hours. 

Stay:

Happy Yeti Hostel

Yeti offers double rooms, and 6 or 4-bed dorms.

TEL (+995) 57 126 88 00

http://www.happyyetihostel.com/index.php

Prices: EUR 15 - 40

Snow House

Snow offers discounts for groups and can cook you two meals a day

TEL (+995) 599 17 01 04; 599 15 35 77

http://www.snowhouse.ge/#about

Prices: $30-40

Eat & Drink:

Restaurant Truso

    Tel: +995 599 55 78 75

Mtvrali Alubali - Drunk Cherry

    Tel: +995 599 99 00 91

Vitamin Cafe

    Tel: +995 599 17 44 22

Buy:

You can find ski rental services in Lower Gudauri and near the gondola station in Upper Gudauri

The price of ski passes for the 2017-2018 season will be (EUR):

    Day pass: 15€.

    5 Days: Adults 68€.

    Night Skiing: Adults 4€.

    7 Days: Adult 90€.

    Season ticket: Adult 180€.