Winter Traveling ! Gudauri ( Georgia )

    Gudauri is the best ski resort in Georgia with well-developed infrastructure, the greatest difference in altitude, and unlimited possibilities for freeride and back country (ski touring). The resort is the highest settlement on the Georgian Military Road (the old name "Heavenly Gorge") at the altitude of 2000 m. The season in Gudauri begins in late December and lasts till the end of April. From Tbilisi Gudauri can be reached in approximately 2 hours. Ski rental are located in several places: in the village of Lower Gudauri, and in the Upper Gudauri, near the station. 5 chair lifts (Doppelmayr, Austria) and one line of gondolas (POMA, France) makes available skiing and snowboarding along the southern slopes (57 km certified trails of various difficulty levels) at the altitude from 3250 m to 2000 m, with altitude difference of 1275 meters. Freeride is possible both along the trails near the ski lifts and in the neighboring area along the western and eastern slopes of the mountains Chrdili, Bidara and the northern slopes of Mt. Sadzele (Kobi Gorge). Adrenaline seekers also have the chance to try paragliding, speedriding (an extreme mix of skiing and paragliding) and heli-skiing. In Gudauri you can stay in cottages and hotels of different categories. Besides skiing and snowboarding enjoy spa treatment, take a steam bath, play billiard and bowling, try a wide range of Georgian wines. For travelers with children there are children's corners, playgrounds, ski school. Also there are nannies and instructors services available on spot. How to get there: take one of the minibuses that depart from Didube Metro Station towards Gudauri and Kazbegi (the first one departs at 9:00, the last one around 17:00). Another option is to bargain a deal with a driver (don't pay more than 90-100 lari for the whole car, one-way trip), to rent a car or talk to your hotel/hostel in Gudauri and ask for a transfer.Important numbers: 11 ski lifts and 3 moving carpets, around 70 km tracks of different levels (Beginner, Intermediate, Advanced, and Expert) with 15% of artificial snow.Ski pass: Price of a daily pass is 40 lari (approximately 17$), whole season multipass – 500 lari (200$). They are valid also for the other Georgian resorts (Bakuriani, Tetnuldi, Hatsvali and Goderdzi). Things to do: Apres-ski activities were available for different categories of travelers: both hostels and higher class hotels organized musical evenings, parties, barbeques with DJs; some hotels have swimming pools, yoga classes, billiard and bowling.  Accommodation: guesthouses and hotels can be found at www.places.georgia.travel as well at international websites such as Booking.com and AirBnb.com Useful links:

Ski schools for adults and kids: http://www.freeride.ge, http://skigudauri.ge

Heli Ski: http://heliski.travel

Speedride school: http://www.speedride-school.com

Freeride schools: http://wildguru.com/tour/freeride_school and http://snow-lab.com/

Skitour school: http://wildguru.com/tour/skitour_school

Paragliding: http://www.flycaucasus.com, https://www.facebook.com/GeorgianParaglidingFederation/

Snow bikes, snowmobile tours: http://west-east-travel.com/en