Our trip starts in Tbilisi.
Let’s get out. Our car is on the parking near our house…
A little ride through the city…
…and we’re out! There is beautiful Mtskheta on our way…
Lots of mountains around us!
Ananuri castle.
Beautiful hydroelectric station.
Gudauri is located on Georgian Military Road (the only way connecting Georgia and Russia). Cross pass is often covered by snow in winter. So lots of trucks are waiting for snow to be removed from the road. Sometimes it takes several days…
You should take care and find out if the Cross Pass is open (particularly after rain in Tbilisi).
That’s a first snow on our way!
Couple sharp turns and we’re there!
Gudauri has lots of pistes. Black, blue, red, green…
The view from the top is magnificent!
Moutains… Lovely mountains…
Do you like Heli-Ski? It is the place for you! There are a lot of interesting deals for extreme riders. Off-piste skiing; helicopter jumping; paraplane, snow-cat or snowmobile delivery! The prices are variable and affordable. You will get all necessary equipment and local guide. The best time for such kind of adventure is in Febrary-April.
It is a good place for free-ride lovers. All mountains around Gudauri have some tracks 🙂
We were living in Tbilisi and used our own car to get to Gudauri. But if you’re going to go for skiing every day, it would be better to find a hotel near Gudauri Ski Resort. It will be much cheaper.
There are various lifts: t-bars, chairs and cabins.
If you’re beginner, it is better to start from an “old” base (that is located near “Smart” shop on highway). It starts with chair lift and goes towards to the best cafe – “Time Out”. It delivers you to the slope that is very good for beginners.
“New” base starts with cabins and the slope it leads to is for more advanced skiers. And it is harder to get to delicious food 🙂
There are two several ski rentals (some are located in the town, some are located on bases). Full equipment (ski+boots or snowboard+boots) costs 30 Lari (15$).
Do you like mushroom soup? And even if you don’t, you shouldn’t miss the most delicious mushroom cream soup in the world! It can be found in “Time Out” cafe. There is also delicious “Time Out” cocktail there!
We didn’t like cafe located near cabins. Don’t go there 🙂
You can also find some food in a small bakery inside “Smart” supermarket (on your way to home after skiing):
Some more information about the resort.
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Gudauri
- Season: from December to April.
- Snow: natural (depth up to 1.5 m).
- Elevation difference: 1990-3307 метров.
- Pistes: 4 green, more then 10 blue, 3 red, 3 black.
- Off-piste skiing: a lot of opportunities.
- Facilities: hotels, cafes, supermarket, parking, ski rental, coaches.
- Ski pass price: 1 day – 30 lari (15 $), season – 500 lari (250 $).
Buy tickets to Tbilisi and come here! There is a lot of snow this year!
Some photos from last year (2014).
Water reservoir under the snow:
The tracks are not prepared after heavy snow:
Snow-cats:
The day ended with a heavy fog. Sometimes it was hard to find not only the way down but also each other 🙂
Hoarfrost on hair 🙂
We couldn’t avoid visiting of the legendary Cross Pass!
It is very beautiful…
There is monument nearby. The monument of Friendship Between Nations:
It is a very interesting viewpoint:
You should visit Gudauri even if you are not skiing. The mountain views are fantastic!
As you can see, trucks are still here… Even though the snow is already removed.
And the last picture with scenic mountain view for today:
Flights to Tbilisi:
Hotel prices in Gudauri:
