Gudauri ( ka, გუდაური) is a

ski resort A ski resort is a resort developed for skiing, snowboarding, and other winter sports. In Europe, most ski resorts are towns or villages in or adjacent to a ski area – a mountainous area with pistes (ski trails) and a ski lift system. In Nort ...

located on the south-facing plateau of The Greater Caucasus Mountain Range in

Georgia Georgia most commonly refers to: * Georgia (country), a country in the Caucasus region of Eurasia * Georgia (U.S. state), a state in the Southeast United States Georgia may also refer to: Places Historical states and entities * Related to the ...

. The resort is situated in the Stepantsminda District, along the

Georgian Military Highway The Georgian Military Road or Georgian Military Highway (, 'sakartvelos samkhedro gza'' , os, Арвыкомы фæндаг 'Arvykomy fændag'' is the historic name for a major route through the Caucasus from Georgia (country), Georgia ...

near the

Jvari Pass The Georgian Military Road or Georgian Military Highway (, 'sakartvelos samkhedro gza'' , os, Арвыкомы фæндаг 'Arvykomy fændag'' is the historic name for a major route through the Caucasus from Georgia to Russia. Alternative r ...

, at an elevation of 2,200 meters (7,200 ft.) above

sea level Mean sea level (MSL, often shortened to sea level) is an average surface level of one or more among Earth's coastal bodies of water from which heights such as elevation may be measured. The global MSL is a type of vertical datuma standardise ...

. Gudauri lies to the north of the Georgian capital

Tbilisi Tbilisi ( ; ka, თბილისი ), in some languages still known by its pre-1936 name Tiflis ( ), is the capital and the largest city of Georgia, lying on the banks of the Kura River with a population of approximately 1.5 million p ...

. The resort offers high quality

skiing Skiing is the use of skis to glide on snow. Variations of purpose include basic transport, a recreational activity, or a competitive winter sport. Many types of competitive skiing events are recognized by the International Olympic Committee ( ...

opportunities. The slopes of Gudauri are above the

tree line The tree line is the edge of the habitat at which trees are capable of growing. It is found at high elevations and high latitudes. Beyond the tree line, trees cannot tolerate the environmental conditions (usually cold temperatures, extreme snow ...

and considered to be

avalanche An avalanche is a rapid flow of snow down a slope, such as a hill or mountain. Avalanches can be set off spontaneously, by such factors as increased precipitation or snowpack weakening, or by external means such as humans, animals, and eart ...

-safe. The ski season lasts from December to April.

Heliskiing Heli-skiing is off-trail, downhill skiing or snowboarding where the skier reaches the top of the mountain by helicopter, instead of a ski lift. History In the late 1950s, helicopters were used in Alaska and Europe to access remote terrain. The ...

is available throughout the season.

Heliski

provides skiers with almost unrestricted access to local mountains. Skiers can experience runs at altitudes between 1,500 and 4,200 meters above

Ski touring

The Gudauri Resort area and

Mount Kazbek Mount Kazbek or Mount Kazbegi is a dormant stratovolcano and one of the major mountains of the Caucasus, located on the Russian-Georgian border - in Russia's North Ossetia region and Georgia's Kazbegi District. At 5,034 m (16,515 ft) high, i ...

massif provide options for

ski touring Ski touring is skiing in the backcountry on unmarked or unpatrolled areas. Touring is typically done off-piste and outside of ski resorts, and may extend over a period of more than one day. It is similar to backcountry skiing but excludes the ...

- is a great way to access nature as it was intended to be seen. The lifts provide easy access to the mountain wilderness that make this region special. With the necessary equipment and a bit of hard work, riders will be able to escape the crowds on the slopes and find some great skiing.

Speed riding and paragliding

Gudauri is Georgia's most renowned site for speedriding and paragliding. Experienced instructors are employed to accompany customers in the said activities.

Routes and lifts

Gudauri has more than 64km of ski runs and 15 lifts. The bottom station of first ski lift called pirveli is at 1,990 m above sea level and the top station of the last ski lift is at 3,279 m, called Sadzele. The lifts are made by the

Austria Austria, , bar, Östareich officially the Republic of Austria, is a country in the southern part of Central Europe, lying in the Eastern Alps. It is a federation of nine states, one of which is the capital, Vienna, the most populous ...

n- Swiss manufacturer Doppelmayr. The first lift (Pirveli) is 1,010 m long (three chairs), the second (Soliko) is 2,310 m long (four chairs) and the third (Snow Park) is 1,060 m long (three chairs). There are in overall already 15 Ski Lifts including Gondola types ("Gudaura" and "Kobi-Gudauri"): 1. PIRVELI (3 persons); 2. SOLIKO (3 persons); 3. KUDEBI (3 persons); 4. SNOW PARK (3 persons); 5. KUDEBI II (6 persons); 6. SADZELE (4 persons); 7. ZUMA (1 person); 8. GUDAURA (10 persons); 9. SHINO (6 persons); 10. ALPINA (1 person); 11. BOMBORA (1 person); 12. BABY (1 person); 13. KOBI - GUDAURI I (10 persons); 14. KOBI - GUDAURI II (10 persons) 15. KOBI - GUDAURI III (10 persons). The most recent construction Is Kobi-Gudauri 1, 2 and 3 with 7.5 km, 111 Gondola Lifts, 6 Stations and the capacity of serving 2800 passengers in an hour. The lifts work from 10:00 to 16:00, and from 9:00 to 17:00 in the later season when the day light is longer.

Accidents

On 16 March 2018, due to operator's mistake one of the chairlifts started moving backwards at twice the normal speed, creating a

rollback In political science, rollback is the strategy of forcing a change in the major policies of a state, usually by replacing its ruling regime. It contrasts with containment, which means preventing the expansion of that state; and with détente, w ...

and leaving 11 individuals with injuries. On 29 July 2022, a police

Mi-8 helicopter The Mil Mi-8 (russian: Ми-8, NATO reporting name: Hip) is a medium twin-turbine helicopter, originally designed by the Soviet Union in the 1960s and introduced into the Soviet Air Force in 1968. It is now produced by Russia. In addition to ...

crashed "Crashed" is the third U.S. rock Single (music), single, (the fifth overall), from the band Daughtry (band), Daughtry's debut album. It was released only to U.S. rock stations on September 5, 2007. Upon its release the song got adds at those stat ...

while trying to rescue two paragliders in a gorge near Gudauri, killing all eight people on board. One of the two paragliders was also found dead.

References

External links

{{Commons category-inline
Mtskheta-Mtianeti Administration
Ski areas and resorts in Georgia (country) Tourist attractions in the Soviet Union