Snowboarding in Gudauri, Georgia | The Journey Tester

When is the Ski Season in Gudauri?

The ski season in Georgia sometimes runs from December to April, with peak situations normally occurring between January and March.

I went to ski Gudauri in February (hosted by Traverse Occasions and the vacationer board of Georgia), so that they couldn’t have picked a greater time!

Highlights of a Ski Journey in Georgia

One of the crucial charming facets of snowboarding in Gudauri to me was the beautiful surroundings that surrounds you at each flip.

Nicely, off target that is determined by the visibility after all! The primary day we arrived, I couldn’t see two steps in entrance of me, however fortunately the climate cleared within the subsequent days, so I used to be in a position to shoot some spectacular pictures (see under).

One other spotlight, that I undoubtedly didn’t count on, was that the slopes have been stuffed with… canine! There have been many (nicely looked-after) road canine in Tbilisi, however I didn’t count on them to additionally roam the snowy slopes in Gudauri.

They have been completely innocent and have been simply mendacity round within the snow, accepting all leftover meals, pets on the again and cuddles they obtained from the unusual people sliding round on picket boards and sticks, haha.

Map of Gudauri

Gudauri is a really compact ski resort (with round 75km of slopes and 14 lifts), and I used the Georgian MTA path map of Gudauri that yow will discover under.

I did discover that among the trails weren’t very nicely signposted once I was snowboarding round and one ski carry was not really on the map, so I did take just a few mistaken turns and needed to ask folks for the way in which on the piste. Fortunately everybody was tremendous useful!

What I additionally discovered is that the map doesn’t make it clear that on the Kobi aspect of the mountain (principally on the ‘again’ of the mountain you see on this map) is a unbelievable blue/purple, 7km steady run that’s good for intermediate skiers.

I wasn’t certain if I might do it however once I heard the expertise from the others returning, it appeared it might have been advantageous. The truth is, all of them mentioned it was among the best runs they’d ever executed, so I used to be a bit bummed about lacking that chance as a result of the map simply wasn’t clear concerning the stage of that run.

One thing else that shocked me concerning the slopes of Gudauri is that there have been no timber in any respect, which meant that the slopes have been tremendous large, nevertheless it was additionally fairly simple to go off-piste. That didn’t occur to me, however as a result of the slopes are fairly quick for blue runs, it’s good to remain alert.

I might say that if you happen to’re an absolute newbie, there aren’t many areas to apply (simply the Pirveli inexperienced path), however for intermediate skiers, you’ll have loads of routes to select from.

Ski lifts in Gudauri run between 10:00 and 16:30 on common. The altitude within the Gudauri ski resort ranges from 1990m (6529 ft) to greater than 3300m (10.827 ft).

How is the Après-Ski in Gudauri?

I’ve to say that I used to be fairly impressed with the choices when it got here to the après-ski within the pretty new Gudauri ski resort.

Certain, it isn’t the identical vibe as in Austria (there are such a lot of much less crowds right here to start with, which is nice on the piste as we by no means needed to queue, however it’s important to be those beginning the celebration, haha), however there have been an honest quantity of bars on the backside of the slopes, in addition to some on or half-way on the slopes which might be nice to go to.

We liked Escape, which was on the high of the primary carry (they even allow us to use the DJ set!). And we additionally visited Drunk Cherry (nice for indoor seating) and OlD MONKEY (I feel this was the identify, it was simply across the nook of the Drunk Cherry on the backside of the slopes, and so they had a DJ exterior) within the New Gudauri space just a few occasions, leading to many good laughs and even a correct snowball battle!

On one of many final nights, we joined the locals on the Black Canine Bar, which was a small, however atmospheric pub-like venue the place we had an excellent evening!

We additionally spend one evening bowling on the Marco Polo resort and had some drinks within the resort bar as nicely. In order that’s additionally a great possibility if you happen to don’t need to ski again or stroll residence after just a few drinks.

The place to have Georgian meals in Gudauri?

One of many issues that make snowboarding in Georgia so distinctive, is that you just get to pattern conventional Georgian delicacies, for instance their scrumptious khachapuri (cheese-filled bread) and khinkali (meat dumplings, after some snowboarding.

We discovered an excellent place for lunch on the slopes that we saved returning to for the week: Café Vitamin. You may get right here by carry, so even if you happen to’re not snowboarding, then you possibly can nonetheless absorb a little bit of piste-life. Right here additionally they served wonderful pizza and the employees was tremendous pleasant, so I extremely suggest it.

On common, we spend about $20 for lunch/drinks and beneath $25 for dinner every day. Whereas tipping is just not necessary, it’s undoubtedly appreciated, so we left about 5-10% tip.

What are the Gudauri lodging choices?

Gudauri provides a variety of lodging choices, from budget-friendly resorts to luxurious ski resorts. It’s advisable to e book your lodging prematurely, particularly in the course of the peak ski season.

To ski Georgia Gudauri, I stayed (hosted by the vacationer board) at Gudauri Loft Resort, which was a fundamental ski-in-ski-out resort with a restaurant, spa and swimming pool. Different folks from the journey stayed on the Marco Polo Resort Gudauri (with spa, pool, sauna and far more) and the Gudauri Lodge (with a large outside tub).

How a lot is ski rental in Gudauri Resort?

Should you don’t have your personal ski or snowboard gear, there are many rental retailers in Gudauri the place yow will discover all the pieces you want at cheap costs.

For 4 days Gudauri ski rental, I paid 205 GEL for ski’s, poles, and ski boots, in order that involves about $19/€18/£15 per day. I introduced my very own helmet and goggles, however you possibly can lease these as nicely. You possibly can lease from most resorts or instantly subsequent to them, there are a number of choices.

Should you’re in search of classes, you have got a number of personal or group choices. Ask your resort or the gear rental store.

The Gudauri ski move for the lifts, which we received lined by the vacationer board, prices 300GEL for five days, which involves round $112/€104/£90 (they are often cheaper if you happen to e book for an extended interval). You should buy them from the ticket places of work that yow will discover throughout the resort, for instance on the backside of the Pirveli carry in Outdated Gudauri, or close to the Goodaura gondola in New Gudauri.

Learn how to get to Georgia?

I used to be one of many fortunate ones on my journey who received a direct flight from Amsterdam to Tbilisi. Most cities, resembling London, should make a stop-over first.

For instance, by way of Istanbul with Pegasus Airways or Turkish Airways. On the way in which again, I flew by way of Paris to Amsterdam.

PLAN YOUR TRIP TO GEORGIA