Gudauri Ski Resort
Gudauri is the largest ski 'resort' in Georgia. Located near Europe's highest peaks in the Greater Caucasus mountains, Gudauri provides superb backcountry skiing in serious mountains.
Georgian culture and food add to what is already a fascinating ski destination. Whilst accurate information about Gudauri can be surprisingly hard to come by, we checked it all out in February 2023 and sorted the truth from the embellishments & lies! What we discovered was a ski area that promises alot but delivers only marginally.
Pros & Cons for Gudauri Ski Resort
Pros
- High elevation ski area with generally cold temperatures.
- Relatively modern lift infrastructure.
- Long skiable vertical (over 1,300m+)(if every lift is running).
- Lifted access to sensational backcountry freeride powder lines.
- Affordable ski lift tickets.
- Fantastic backcountry terrain and ski-touring opportunities.
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- Fabulous food & wine.
- Culturally, Georgia is an intriguing country to visit - more than just skiing.
Cons
- Only a few days’ worth of interest for anyone stuck on the groomed piste trails.
- Lift opening times may be more of a guide than set in stone which is incredibly frustrating!
- The important upper mountain Sadzele chairlift rarely operates.
- Piste grooming often not up to standard.
- All terrain is above the treeline so storm skiing can (and is) challenging.
- Off-piste powder is increasingly sought by skiers from Western Europe and can get plundered quickly within the 'resort area'.
- Unregulated non-ski activities like snowmobiling are a real (& concerning) hazard on the slopes.
- Most of the accommodation is very high-priced compared to the Georgian cost of living.
- Suffers from issues common to all Georgian ski areas: non-integrated resort infrastructure, poor sanitation, lack of up-to-date information, non-existent ski buses, rude & disinterested lift staff.
Pro or Con (depending on your perspective!)
- The ski lift/trail map is a work of fiction!
- Ski-in ski-out accommodation available.
- Like most places in Georgia, not easy to get on public transport.
- Highly variable ski/snowboard instructor standards & lesson quality.
- It is possible to eat far too much here.
- Georgia is a fascinating country with some incredible people, but things can & do go wrong. Come here with your eyes wide-open!
- Avalanche danger in the backcountry (or even inbounds) can be high - take care.
Skiing & Snowboarding, Lifts & Terrain
Gudauri has a modern lift system and reasonably priced lift passes. Four modern gondolas, & four 6-seater chairs do most of the heavy lifting. A serious lift malfunction in season 2017/18 on the Sadzele chair resulting in injuries to skiers should ensure that the safety of future patrons is paramount to the resort! The skiable vertical in the resort is well over the landmark 1,000m. The general high elevation provides quality snow conditions. The most recently installed gondolas in the upper alpine zone provide good access to backcountry freeride powder. With some boot packing & skinning, the terrain is even more vast.
Trail maps of Gudauri were notoriously out of date for a few years, but they seem to have settled on one since the last lot of lift updates. See below for the most recent version of the ski trail map for the resort. It is still highly inaccurate and fails to show the 1,000m of vertical on the backside gondola, plus the placement of trails on the map is highly questionable. Says alot about the place!
The best way to explore Gudauri and its amazing backcountry ski touring is via one of our hosted tours (see listings at the bottom of the page) or hook up with a local guide once you are there.
[AdListings Filter="Gudauri Guiding"]
Where is Gudauri Georgia?
The Gudauri ski resort is around 120km north of the capital Tbilisi. For the country’s largest ski area, it is surprising difficult for the uninitiated to get too. The closest major international airport is Tbilisi (TBS), 140km or 2½hr drive to the ski resort. We do not recommend using Kutaisi (KUT), further to the west, to access Gudauri. Use our flight search engine to book flights from major & secondary European airports.
We recommend arranging a private transfer as the best and means of travel from the Tbilisi airport to Gudauri. Your tour operator or hotel will generally assist with such arrangements, otherwise use the reliable & affordable services from the listing below.
[AdListings Filter="Gudauri Transfers"]
Anyone travelling ‘under their own steam’ & on the cheap can still organise a local taxi to make the journey, but make you agree on price before doing so. Public transport options from the airport to Gudauri are near non-existent. A train & buses connect the airport to the Tbilisi city centre from where it is possible to take a minibus (known locally as a marshrutka) to Gudauri. The marshrutka leave from a hectic bus station in Didube, which is near the subway train station of the same name. Signs on the buses tend to be in Georgian, so you will have to ask! Enjoy!
For more information about getting around the country, see our Travel to Georgia page.
Gudauri Accommodation
Gudauri has no shortage of choice & availability when it comes to accommodation. A recent building boom (some would say 'seemingly unregulated over-development'!) has seen a host of new boutique hotels & low rise, ski-in apartment complexes added to the ski area; many of which are available for rent (but do vary greatly in quality!). Further down the hill in the original part of the ski resort, more hotels dot the landscape. Many of these newer hotels do come at a higher cost, albeit for less than in western European resorts. Note that the location of accommodation is a very important factor in one’s enjoyment of the ski area. Noise, distance to the ski lifts/shops can make or break a ski holiday here. Regardless of where you stay, if you need to organise a safe, cost-effective airport transfer use the listing above.
Of the newer stock, try the Gudauri Inn, the sublime boutique offering at Ati Ambavi Hotel, the excellent Gudauri Lodge with its huge outdoor jacuzzi, or the good value, slopeside & ski-in/ski-out Gudauri Hotel Loft. Otherwise, for a prime location near the base of the lifts stay at the consistently good Marco Polo Gudauri Hotel. Further up the road is the intriguing Quadrum Hotel, but its location on the highway marks it with an asterisk for noise & accessibility to the slopes.
Older hotels & apartments plus traditional guesthouses are throughout the resort & tend to be as cheap as chips (i.e. good value).
Search & book all Gudauri ski accommodation.
[AdListings Filter="Gudauri Packages"]
Review
The Powderhounds were intending to review Gudauri in 2020, but things change & so did our plans. We did a comprehensive journey through Georgia in February & March 2023! Whilst we loved elements of skiing in Georgia, we were constantly bemused (to put it mildly) at the lack of professionalism in the ski 'resorts'. The notion that the 'emplacement of ski lifts does not a good ski resort make' are very apt in Gudauri. More information will come after some of the bitterness dissipates.... Stay tuned for our photos & insights.
See how European ski resorts compare on the Europe ski resort ratings page.
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