Skiing in Gudauri, Georgia | The Travel Tester

When is the Ski Season in Gudauri?

The ski season in Georgia typically runs from December to April, with peak conditions usually occurring between January and March.

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

Highlights of a Ski Trip in Georgia

One of the most captivating aspects of skiing in Gudauri to me was the stunning scenery that surrounds you at every turn.

Well, off course that depends on the visibility of course! The first day we arrived, I couldn’t see two steps in front of me, but luckily the weather cleared in the next days, so I was able to shoot some impressive shots (see below).

Another highlight, that I definitely didn’t expect, was that the slopes were filled with… dogs! There were many (well looked-after) street dogs in Tbilisi, but I didn’t expect them to also roam the snowy slopes in Gudauri.

They were absolutely harmless and were just lying around in the snow, accepting all leftover food, pets on the back and cuddles they received from the strange humans sliding around on wooden boards and sticks, haha.

Map of Gudauri

Gudauri is a very compact ski resort (with around 75km of slopes and 14 lifts), and I used the Georgian MTA trail map of Gudauri that you can find below.

I did find that some of the trails weren’t very well signposted when I was skiing around and one ski lift was not actually on the map, so I did take a few wrong turns and had to ask people for the way on the piste. Luckily everyone was super helpful!

What I also found is that the map doesn’t make it clear that on the Kobi side of the mountain (basically on the ‘back’ of the mountain you see on this map) is a fantastic blue/red, 7km continuous run that is perfect for intermediate skiers.

I wasn’t sure if I could do it but when I heard the experience from the others returning, it seemed it would have been fine. In fact, they all said it was one of the best runs they’d ever done, so I was a bit bummed about missing that opportunity because the map just wasn’t clear about the level of that run.

Something else that surprised me about the slopes of Gudauri is that there were no trees at all, which meant that the slopes were super wide, but it was also quite easy to go off-piste. That didn’t happen to me, but because the slopes are quite fast for blue runs, it is good to stay alert.

I would say that if you’re an absolute beginner, there aren’t many areas to practice (just the Pirveli green trail), but for intermediate skiers, you’ll have plenty of routes to choose from.

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

How is the Après-Ski in Gudauri?

I have to say that I was quite impressed with the options when it came to the après-ski in the fairly new Gudauri ski resort.

Sure, it isn’t the same vibe as in Austria (there are so many less crowds here to begin with, which is great on the piste as we never had to queue, but you have to be the ones starting the party, haha), but there were a decent amount of bars at the bottom of the slopes, as well as some on or half-way on the slopes that are great to visit.

We loved Escape, which was at the top of the first lift (they even let us use the DJ set!). And we also visited Drunk Cherry (great for indoor seating) and OlD MONKEY (I think this was the name, it was just around the corner of the Drunk Cherry at the bottom of the slopes, and they had a DJ outside) in the New Gudauri area a few times, resulting in many good laughs and even a proper snowball fight!

On one of the last nights, we joined the locals at the Black Dog Bar, which was a small, but atmospheric pub-like venue where we had a great night!

We also spend one night bowling at the Marco Polo hotel and had some drinks in the hotel bar as well. So that’s also a good option if you don’t want to ski back or walk home after a few drinks.

Where to have Georgian food in Gudauri?

One of the things that make skiing in Georgia so unique, is that you get to sample traditional Georgian cuisine, for example their delicious khachapuri (cheese-filled bread) and khinkali (meat dumplings, after some skiing.

We found a great place for lunch on the slopes that we kept returning to for the week: Café Vitamin. You can get here by lift, so even if you’re not skiing, then you can still soak up a bit of piste-life. Here they also served amazing pizza and the staff was super friendly, so I highly recommend it.

On average, we spend about $20 for lunch/drinks and under $25 for dinner each day. While tipping is not mandatory, it’s definitely appreciated, so we left about 5-10% tip.

What are the Gudauri accommodation options?

Gudauri offers a range of accommodation options, from budget-friendly hotels to luxurious ski resorts. It’s advisable to book your accommodation in advance, especially during the peak ski season.

To ski Georgia Gudauri, I stayed (hosted by the tourist board) at Gudauri Loft Hotel, which was a basic ski-in-ski-out resort with a restaurant, spa and swimming pool. Other people from the trip stayed at the Marco Polo Hotel Gudauri (with spa, pool, sauna and much more) and the Gudauri Lodge (with a massive outdoor tub).

How much is ski rental in Gudauri Resort?

If you don’t have your own ski or snowboard gear, there are plenty of rental shops in Gudauri where you can find everything you need at reasonable prices.

For four days Gudauri ski rental, I paid 205 GEL for ski’s, poles, and ski boots, so that comes to about $19/€18/£15 per day. I brought my own helmet and goggles, but you can rent these as well. You can rent from most hotels or directly next to them, there are several options.

If you’re looking for lessons, you have several private or group options. Ask your hotel or the gear rental shop.

The Gudauri ski pass for the lifts, which we got covered by the tourist board, costs 300GEL for 5 days, which comes to around $112/€104/£90 (they can be cheaper if you book for a longer period). You can buy them from the ticket offices that you can find all around the resort, for example at the bottom of the Pirveli lift in Old Gudauri, or near the Goodaura gondola in New Gudauri.

How to get to Georgia?

I was one of the lucky ones on my trip who got a direct flight from Amsterdam to Tbilisi. Most cities, such as London, have to make a stop-over first.

For example, via Istanbul with Pegasus Airlines or Turkish Airlines. On the way back, I flew via Paris to Amsterdam.

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