Gudauri

Gudauri (Georgian: გუდაური) is a ski resort in the Kartli region of Georgia.

Understand
Gudauri is the youngest and most promising ski resort in the Caucasus. Cheap lift passes and great food make it a good alternative to Alpine ski resorts. Unique natural terrain provides great opportunities for the backcountry skiing. Here are only a few lifts (see below) but many options for skiing. Main pistes are prepared with ratracks, but in parallel with the pistes, there are wide wild fields, that make the local slopes a paradise for freeriders.

The town is divided between two parts: New Gudauri, the newly built apartment blocks close to the gondola lift (officially called GoodAura), and Gudauri per se, a town along the highway where the upscale hotels are located. There is a chair lift between the two parts.

Get in
The Georgian Military Highway links the town to Tbilisi (120 km, ~2 h) in the south. Heading north the road runs to Kazbegi, the Russian border and then Vladikavkaz in Russia's North Ossetia. Mashrutkas start from Didube, Tbilisi every hour and cost around 10 lari.

Get around
Be prepared to haggle with taxi drivers, take the uncomfortable walk on the road or try to hitchhike.

Do
Skiing / snowboarding. Lift pass costs as little as 50 GEL a day (less if bought for multiple days; as of 2022). Piste map can be found on |the website. There are 8 well-maintained lifts (excluding short ones used for training), although not all of them can be operating at a given time. They work from 10 a.m. to 5 p.m. during the season. Most tracks are "blue", so may be less interesting for experienced skiers, although freeride opportunities are vast.

Eat
There are supermarkets with ATMs both in New Gudauri and at the main road, but restaurants are affordable and serve delicious food. Best ones are clustered in New Gudauri near the bottom station of the gondola lift (and in the end of multiple pistes), which is handy for lunch, but is also appropriate for dinner / apres-ski.



Sleep
There are various hotels that the guy from the ski rental refers to as "VIP", which charge well above US$50/night.

Cope
There is a small accident & emergency clinic in Low Gudauri, near police station and petrol station, 5 minute walk from the lowest terminal of Pirveli lift. They have an X-ray machine, so don't hesitate to go if you suspect an injury. They don't charge much (in 2022, took US$15 for a scan and a splint).

There are multiple venues to take a coronavirus PCR test that issue a travel certificate. In Low Gudauri, the clinic above performs tests for 90 GEL (as of 2022). Providers in New Gudauri are well signposted but most charge 100 GEL. A branch of Megalab charges 70 GEL (as of 2022) and returns the results within 24 hours. They are located in Loft 2, separate entry from the side closest to Gondola lift, phone no. +995 32205 1111.

Go next

 * Kazbegi, 30km, for spectacular views on Mt. Kazbegi and Trinity Church
 * Tbilisi, 2h
 * Mtskheta, 1,5h