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Skiing & Snowsports in Gudauri
Georgia's biggest ski area, entirely above the tree line on the Military Highway, with a freeride reputation and lift passes under 25 euros.
Why here
Gudauri is Georgia's largest and highest ski area: pistes run from 1,993 to 3,276 meters, a 1,283-meter vertical over about thirty-five kilometers of marked runs and seventeen lifts including modern gondolas, all of it above the tree line on the Georgian Military Highway two hours from Tbilisi. The open alpine bowls built its real reputation, freeride, cat-skiing, and heliski terrain that draws powder hunters priced out of the Alps, on day passes that typically cost under twenty-five euros. The first ski school in the resort teaches in fifteen languages with internationally certified instructors, co-founded by Georgia's 2014 Olympic alpine racer.
Best months
Late December to late April, with January to March the reliable core; the altitude keeps snow when lower resorts brown out. Storm days close the pass road, build in slack. Off-piste requires avalanche kit and local guides, the terrain is serious.
Getting there & around
Two hours north of Tbilisi on the Military Highway, weather permitting; shared vans run daily in season. Resort beds sit slope-side, book the New Year weeks early.
Skill levels: beginner, intermediate, advanced
Schools & guides (2)
Mountain Trails Agency
OrganizerMountain Trails Agency is the government-owned organization responsible for managing ski facilities at Georgia's resorts, running Gudauri alongside Bakuriani, Goderdzi, and the Mestia areas of Hatsvali and Tetnuldi. It handles planning and administration of the ski lifts and slopes, seventeen of them at Gudauri, maintains skiing infrastructure and safety standards, and organizes local and international ski events. Winter seasons at its resorts run from December into March or April.
Ski School Gudauri
SchoolSki Gudauri calls itself the first ski and snowboard school and rental shop in Gudauri, founded in 2013 by Alex Beniaidze, a ski racer from Gudauri, and Giovanni Lazzarini, an Italian race coach, both of whom represented the Georgian national team at the 2014 Sochi Winter Olympics. All instructors hold internationally recognised instructing qualifications, giving private ski and snowboard lessons for adults and children in eleven listed languages, from Georgian and English to Italian and Russian. It also runs the only kids ski school in Gudauri.
Also good for skiing & snowsports in January:
Torn between Gudauri and Pyeongchang for January?
A plan settles it for your skill and budget, same-day.