Gudauri


Gudauri is a ski resort located on the south-facing plateau of The Greater Caucasus Mountain Range in Georgia. The resort is situated in the Stepantsminda District, along the Georgian Military Highway near the Jvari Pass, at an elevation of 2,200 meters above sea level with skiable area enjoying maximum exposure to the sun. Gudauri lies to the north of the capital Tbilisi and two hours drive from the Tbilisi International Airport or even a short helicopter flight from the capital. The resort offers high quality skiing opportunities. The slopes of Gudauri are completely above the tree line and are best for free-riders and are generally considered to be avalanche-safe. The ski season lasts from December to April. Heliskiing is also available throughout the season.

Heliski

provides skiers with access to some of the finest powder-snow in the Caucasus. With helicopters granted almost unrestricted access to local mountains, skiers can experience some of the most sublime runs in Europe - at altitudes between 1,500 and 4,200 meters above sea level. The helicopters drop clients off on mountain tops, glaciers, fabulous ridges, and in the hands of highly experienced guides.

Ski touring

The Gudauri Resort area and Mount Kazbek massif are excellent for Ski touring - 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 64 km 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 Austrian-Swiss manufacturer Doppelmayr. The first lift is 1,010 m long, the second is 2,310 m long and the third is 1,060 m long. There are in overall already 15 Ski Lifts including Gondola types : 1. PIRVELI ; 2. SOLIKO ; 3. KUDEBI ; 4. SNOW PARK ; 5. KUDEBI II ; 6. SADZELE ; 7. ZUMA ; 8. GUDAURA ; 9. SHINO ; 10. ALPINA ; 11. BOMBORA ; 12. BABY ; 13. KOBI - GUDAURI I ; 14. KOBI - GUDAURI II 15. KOBI - GUDAURI III. 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.

Rollback accident

On 16 March 2018, due to operator's mistake one of the chairlifts started moving backwards at twice the normal speed, creating a rollback and leaving 11 individuals with injuries.