Gudauri tour for the new year. Freeride and ski tour in Gudauri. New Year in Georgia. Discounts and additional conditions

Route thread

Tbilisi - Gudauri - Tbilisi
Vladikavkaz - Gudauri - Vladikavkaz

The tour price includes

6 days of skiing with guides
Transfers to outbound routes on ski days with guides
Accommodation in a comfortable 2-room apartment on the mountain (8 nights)
Avalanche transceiver rental
Breakfast at the hotel

The tour price does not include

Transfer Tbilisi - Gudauri - Tbilisi (121 km) (about $60 per car one way)
Transfer Vladikavkaz - Gudauri - Vladikavkaz (78 km) (from $70 per car one way)
Ski pass in the Gudauri ski resort (6 GEL - 1 lift, 40 GEL - one day, 190 GEL - 5 days out of 7)
Snack on the mountain and dinners
Optional excursions
Extreme sports insurance ($45)
New Year's Eve ($110)

Required documents

International passport, insurance (freeride, skiing, snowboarding, ski tour)

Safety

There is an avalanche danger in the area. The guide of the group decides on the choice of the route, based on the weather conditions and the condition of the group. The guide monitors the safety of the participants. Participants fulfill the basic safety requirements and sign a tourist receipt that they understand all the risks associated with skiing and are responsible for their own health and life. The resort lifeguard is only responsible for skiing within the resort. In case of an injury on the mountain, call 112. If you go on the route on your own, then in case of emergency, call 112. Our partners cooperate with the resort, each group with guides on the route is registered with the rescue team. If you go to the guides' house on the mountain (at the top of the second stage of the chair lift), you can always find out the latest information about the state of the snow and available routes.

Additional Information

Gudauri is a modern ski resort, so almost everywhere you can pay with a bank card (buy a ski pass, dinner at a restaurant, supermarket, bowling, bars, etc.). Equipment rental and taxis are paid in local currency - lari (GEL). Rate on 23.09.2018 1 $ = 66.85 rub = 2.62 gel
For those who cross the border by car, here is the latest information on the state of the road and the border: https://gudauri.travel/news/krestovi-pereval-zakrit.html

Accommodation/Hotels

Accommodation at MagiStyle apart-hotel. Secure parking, lift, "ski in - ski out". When you exit the building, there is a highway right away, a supermarket is a 5-minute walk away. The building has a parking lot, a guarded entrance, a restaurant-bar and a ski depot (equipment lockers). Comfortable two-room apartment is located near the ski lifts. Everything in the apartment is thought out to the smallest detail. Two very spacious rooms with a balcony. The apartment has a bathroom with washing machine and shower. The kitchen is equipped, there is a TV and free Wi-Fi. You don't need to use a car, you can just ski right from the hotel. Bedding and towels are included in the price.

It is possible to arrange accommodation on request in another comfort level hotel. In this case, the price of the tour is recalculated.

Tour program

During the program, lectures on avalanche safety are planned. Check the schedule on the spot with the hotel administrator or group leader. On bad weather days, it is possible to organize excursions outside the resort, visit the Kazbegi Rooms hotel. There you can have a delicious dinner (at your own expense) with a view of Kazbek (5033 m).

For the duration of the program it is possible to rent snowshoes (30 GEL/day), telescopic poles (15 GEL/day), a freeride backpack with mounts for carrying skis or a snowboard (15 GEL/day), a ski tour kit or a splitboard (50 GEL/day) . Please let us know in advance if you need to rent equipment. Equipment is provided by the team leader. Alpine skis (snowboard) and boots are rented at a separate rental point (about 50 GEL / day).

Insurance

Obligatory registration of insurance for extreme sports. For an additional fee, you can get insurance in AlpIndustria (freeride, ski tour) Liberty SC (program D). The amount of coverage is 50,000 USD. The cost is $45 for 9 days of the program. Includes search and rescue and helicopter evacuation for 5000 USD.

Guides and instructors

Natalia (Tasya) Alekhina is a member of the Association of Mountain Guides of Russia since 2014, a participant in FWQ 2011-2014 freeride competitions, a pro rider of Oakley Ukraine since 2011. Skiing geography: Carpathians, Caucasus (Elbrus, Cheget), Georgia (Gudauri), Siberia (Sheregesh, Luzhba, Mamai), India (Gulmarg), USA (Colorado), Europe (Slovakia, France), Kamchatka, Chile. Guide in Gudauri since 2012. Diploma of the Canadian School of Avalanche Safety (CAA Avalanche Operation Level 1).
Rustam Ibragimov - freerider and mountain guide for ski touring and heli-skiing, skiing experience since 1997, snowboard instructor in the FGSSR since 2001, founder of the freeride and backcountry school in Gudauri, expert on the Gudauri and Zailiysky Alatau regions in Kazakhstan, participant project Ride The Planet Kazakhstan.
Sebastian Chernyavsky is a snowboard instructor with many years of experience, professional guide, experience in Georgia, Kazakhstan and the Alps, 22 years of snowboarding experience, founder of the Polish sports club and snowboard society Ronin Snowboards.
Oleksandr Kaplun - instructor of category C in alpine skiing, 2 seasons of instruction and skiing in Bukovel (Carpathians), 2 seasons of skiing on Dragobrat (Carpathians), season of instructors in Azerbaijan (Caucasus), season of instructors in Gudauri (Caucasus). 4 years guide in the Carpathians, trekking. 2017 summer in the Caucasus, climbing and trekking. 2018 summer assistant guide in the Alps, climbing/mountaineering. American Lifeguard Association Certificate, First Aid.

February 2nd, 2014 01:29 pm

When you already have some little experience of traveling around different countries, you begin to feel the fullness and joy of traveling in the most contrasting moments. If the rest takes place exactly on the same emotional level, you do not perceive all the events fully and richly, only where there is a place for difficulties and at another moment of joy and pleasure, you can get the real pleasure from the trip. In our case with Cyril, it works like this, maybe for someone else everything happens differently.

DAY 5 GUDAURI

​After spending the night in a cold Tbilisi apartment, in the morning we quickly packed up and left this place with the hope that our next couchsurf would be more successful. By metro, we quickly got to the bus station Dedube. In fact, the name “Bazaar Station” would be more suitable for this place in Tbilisi. Because from the metro station to the bus station, trade in a wide variety of goods is widely spread. A million stalls and tents with food, fruits, nuts, households. goods, etc. are located here. Thank you very much to the friendly elderly Georgian, who kindly agreed to take us out of this shopping labyrinth to the platforms of the bus station. The bus station itself is interspersed with retail outlets, minibuses are parked on the road along which people walk, because the entire sidewalk is occupied by stalls and kiosks, at the same time cars drive there, sellers walk with huge carts. After some time, we still managed to find a bus to Gudauri. Of course, Georgian buses and minibuses are a different story. In a small minibus, there are always several side seats that appear in the aisle when all stationary seats are occupied. One gets the impression that the safety of passengers is not much taken care of here, the main principle is that everyone would get there. But why not put large, more comfortable buses on popular routes ...? The answer to this question is unknown.

We got to Gudauri after about 2.5 hours. Here in the mountains, as expected, there was very little snow and the weather was sunny. We were accommodated in a beautiful cozy hotel Gagieti. The main reason why we still came to Gudauri was that we had an advance payment for housing in the amount of 60 dollars. In order not to lose this money, we still decided to come here and immediately celebrate the new year.


Hotel Gagieti pleased with European warm and clean rooms and good service. Upon arrival, we were fed, which was not included in the cost of our first day, and it was very helpful. After lunch we decided to go to the ski lifts. We were told that they were launched so that people could climb the mountain and at least admire the views, because there is very little snow for skiing and because of the positive temperature, everything is concealed. We hitched a ride and five minutes later we were at the ski lift. The picture was sad. People dressed in all equipment tried to ride literally out of the blue. No one gave out equipment at the box office, so they successfully ruined their own. By the time we got to the lift, it was stopped. As it turned out, the attraction for suffering tourists stops working at 15:00. We were informed that we would have the opportunity to go up on the lift tomorrow from 12:00 to 15:00. After wandering around for a bit, we decided to head back. There, on the spot, we agreed with the guys from Russia that they would drop us off at the hotel. Already in the car, we started a friendly conversation with them and we advised them, if they did not have a hotel paid for, that they should go straight to Hatsvali with their equipment tomorrow, where we had been a few days ago. There is snow and people skiing.

The rest of the day was spent at the hotel. I finally started reading the book “Love with Open Eyes”, presented by Polina. Cyril fell asleep. In the evening we had dinner and watched a movie together. In general, we were lazy and planned a cultural program for tomorrow.

DAY 6 GUDAURI. MOUNTAIN KAZBEK. NEW YEAR

In the morning, Kirill and I started a quest in our hotel called "Find a company for the day." We really wanted to get out of the hotel and visit local sights and climb to the Holy Trinity Church at the highest mountain in Georgia, Kazbek. In our hotel, an attempt to get people on a tour was a failure. Since family companies with children were not very determined to do anything active before the new year. Then the owner of our hotel promised to help us in this matter. And yet the Georgians promised - the Georgians did. Literally half an hour later, he found us a group of guys who went along the same route that we had outlined for ourselves. So we ended up in a group of Russians in love with the mountains.



The next stop was already in the village of Stepantsminda, where we left, the guys distributed the products into backpacks, gathered their thoughts and set off to conquer the mountains of the Caucasus, or rather, they began to climb to the place where the unique Trinity Church, built in the 14th century, is located at an altitude of 2170 meters above sea level. century. We climbed vigorous steps up for about an hour, maybe a little more. A local dog, which we later called Naida, helped us find our way. She knew the area very well and showed us very clearly where to go. Kirill and I were among the very first to climb. A lazy day on the eve made itself felt. Here, at the foot of Mount Kazbek, an incredibly beautiful view of the mountains and the Trinity Church opens up. Here the eyes rest looking at the natural harmonious natural relief, and the soul rejoices. The mountains were covered with snow in places, and in some places they were simply covered with dried grass. The sight was amazing. We entered the Temple. Inside there are several icons, a wood-burning stove and souvenirs. Since Kirill and I are not great connoisseurs of such structures, we quickly went outside again and sat down to admire the mountain scenery.

After waiting for the rest of the group and conferring, we decided that some of the guys were going to have a picnic, while Kirill and I and a few other people would go up a little higher. The ascent was quite steep and we quickly ran out of steam. The guys and I stayed to rest, and Kirill climbed even higher, where he made a video for our friends with a view of Mount Kazbek.




We went down another path less snowy, but very extreme. The slope angle was large, so we had to walk carefully so as not to slip on small crumbly pebbles with which the path was littered. The descent took a total of about 45 minutes, maybe an hour. Joyful, contented and full of pride in ourselves, we got into the minibus that had been waiting for us all this time downstairs and set off for Gudauri. We were at the hotel at half past six. On the way we picked up 2 guys: Dima and Vera. While driving to Gudauri, we started talking and it turned out that the guys live in a rented apartment and they have no one to celebrate the New Year with. We invited them to celebrate the New Year with us in our hotel, since our company was also “not a fountain” in our hotel.

The New Year was celebrated with barbecue, Georgian songs and dances, traditional toasts. Kirill and I recorded another video greeting to our friends in Ukraine, namely Dima, Polina and Sasha, and sent it right before the new year began for them. Kirill also volunteered to sing the Ukrainian song “You pidmanula me” and dragged me into this adventure, invited musicians played along with us. Then the owners of the hotel took out the horn from which they drink wine, and then the relay race began in a circle, the purpose of which was to drain the horn - fill it again - and pass it on to the next one. Gaga, the son of the owner of the hotel, gave us very good advice: “No one drinks the horn completely with us, we just drink as much as we can, and then top up and pass. Anyway, no one sees whether you drank everything or not!” These are the Georgian traditions. The chiming clock was accompanied by fireworks, happy exclamations and the clink of champagne glasses. We went to bed early, somewhere at the beginning of the third, as the entertainment program was weak, and the company was not the same. At that moment, we missed our friends and decided that we would celebrate the next New Year somewhere outside of Ukraine, but with our own company!

DAY 7 BORJOMI

Very symbolically, we decided to spend January 1 in the city of Borjomi, which is famous for its healing springs. In the morning we had breakfast, quickly checked out of the hotel and got into the already beloved Georgian minibus to Tbilisi, and already in Tbilisi we transferred to the minibus to Borjomi. In the minibus, we met a girl, Vika, who is a Ukrainian living in Spain. She, like many others, came to Gudauri to ski, but when she saw that there was no snow and the weather forecast did not promise it in the near future, she decided that there was nothing to catch and decided to go somewhere just not to sit in a room alone . And so it happened that she came with us to Borjomi.

In Borjomi, we also had accommodation agreed in advance. The boy George from couchsurfing offered us his help in organizing accommodation and agreed to walk around the city with us on the first day. We lived with his aunt and uncle, who run a guest house. Their apartment is a real museum. There is a stove in the kitchen and they heat with wood.

After settling in, George and I went to bathe in a hot sulfur spring, which is located in the forest. This was truly very extreme and exciting. The four of us walked first through the park, everything was calm. Beginning to get dark. The park ended and began

I am a snowy forest. Only one path led the way. So we walked through the forest, probably for about an hour. My heart was pounding like crazy. Silence around, only the sound of creaking snow underfoot. We were surrounded by huge fir trees in the snow, and bright stars sparkled in the sky. We also passed several difficult sections, for example, a bridge over a seething river, which was built from two logs and wire as a railing. When we got there, we were able to catch our breath a little. In the middle of the forest, we saw a small pool from which steam was coming out and several gazebos (in the photo this sulfur spring is only a photo taken from the Internet, since we could not photograph at night). Someone left a smoldering fire near the pool. We were able to fire it up. Georgy kept the fire going while Kirill, Vika, and I quickly changed into swimsuits in the cold. At first it was scary to jump into dark water, but when it's cold and the skin stings from frost, you don't have to think for a long time. The water in the pool was warm, 30-35 degrees. We swam and admired the starry sky above our heads. For the sake of such moments in life, it is sometimes worth getting out of your socially acceptable shell and doing crazy things.

We dressed very quickly, because the fingers froze instantly. Wrapped up, we warmed ourselves a little by the fire and set off on the way back. We walked very fast, making our way through the darkness. Only the light of flashlights from the phone gave us the opportunity not to lose the path that led us out of the forest.

On the way home, we collected more water from the spring. In the evening we had dinner (food was included in the price of our stay), talked a little and went to bed.

DAY 8 BORJOMI

We decided to spend the last day in Georgia also in Borjomi. In the morning Vika went to snowboard in Baturiani, and Kirill and I went for a walk in the Borjomi National Park. There was not a single soul in the park. The weather was warm. We followed the signs along one of the circular mountain paths of the park. Very calmly and slowly, we walked through the park, drank tea at the top, which we prepared with us in our miracle thermo mugs, admired the beauty of the nature around us. The whole trip through the park took us about two hours.




Going downstairs, we took a taxi to get to the bazaar, where we planned to buy souvenirs and sweets for relatives and friends, but it turned out that on January 2, Borjomi was not yet ready to resume trade, the bazaar was closed. Therefore, the taxi driver took us to the center, where we could at least buy a couple of magnets in souvenir stalls near the park, and wine in the supermarket. While we were walking on the street, two Poles Dzhegosh and Anya, who had just arrived in Borjomi, approached us, asking if we knew where we could cheaply stay for the night. This fully fit into the concept of our altruism, which was traced throughout our trip .. Of course, we agreed with the owners of the guest house in which we lived, so that they would host more guests.
Together we came home, where everything was already prepared for us to prepare the signature Georgian dish - khinkali. Since the evening of the previous day, we agreed with the owner of the house that they would teach us how to sculpt khinkali. We paid for all the food expenses, and the owners of the house gave us a master class. Dzhegosh and Anya joined us. In fact, it’s not such a simple thing to sculpt khinkali. The first batch was very difficult for us. The thin dough did something that was torn and the filling jumped out. By the end of the second batch of khinkali, our technique had improved a bit and they already looked much better and more presentable. This is how we spent the last day in wonderful Georgia. In the evening, we gathered with our entire international company for dinner, tasted our khinkali, played a rallying game for acquaintance “Two truths one lie”.

On the morning of January 3, George's friend Leo took us to Kutaisi airport. Then there was a flight to Donetsk. From Donetsk bus to Dnepropetrovsk. And now we are at home. And the memories of this wonderful trip will now remain in the photographs and in this article of mine in LiveJournal. Now, after some time, I will be able to re-read these notes and mentally live all those events again ...

Duration

7 days

57 km

Complexity

1 /5

Band size

15 people

Description

Ski trip to Georgia to the ski resort in the New Year! We will go to an amazing and very snowy place in the Caucasus Mountains. Let's enjoy the Georgian culture and its flavor, incredible views of the mountains and the resort of European standards - Gudauri.

We will live in a cozy hotel with its own wine cellar, sauna and small pool.

Whether you're a hardcore snowboarder or skier, whether you're a fan of serene skiing or a total off-piste adventure, there are slopes and opportunities for all levels and skiing styles.

The program includes: accommodation in a hotel overlooking the mountains, full 2 ​​meals a day, excursions and a master class on rest days, visiting a sauna, tasting Georgian wines and, of course, the famous Georgian cuisine. Many new friends, new emotions, acquaintances. Local hospitality will not leave anyone indifferent. Mountains, slopes, snow, weather conditions - will please everyone. You will want to come here and come again! We know for ourselves ;)

Let's celebrate the holiday as intensely as possible and have a great ride!

The program will vary depending on your level of skiing, preferences and weather conditions (!)

Discounts and extras conditions

Discounts and additional conditions

The cost of a ski trip is calculated in dollars and is 650$. To confirm your participation and reserve a place in the group, you must make an advance payment of $ 150 or 10,000 rubles

Hiking video

Hiking video

Ticket Information

Ticket Information

Hike plan

Hike plan

Day 1

Meeting the group at the airport of Tbilisi, on the way we pick up part of the group from the city itself: in the parking lot near the Avlabari metro station. We are waiting for a three-hour drive to our hotel, which is located on the banks of the Aragvi River. We arrive around lunchtime, at the hotel you can have lunch or eat a prepared snack. Acquaintance, communication, games. In the evening - a briefing on the future day, getting ready for a busy tomorrow.

Day 2

We ride all day, look at the slopes, the level of skiing. And in the evening, of course, we are preparing for the celebration of the New Year. Remember that in Georgia the New Year comes an hour earlier. For the most persistent - this day will end in the morning! If you order a buffet from the hotel, then these are national dances, and unlimited Georgian food, and wine all night long (the buffet is paid separately).




Day 3

The day will start a little later than usual. According to the decision of the group, we go for a ride or have a rest. In the evening, a hot sauna awaits us to get in order and cheerfully ride the next day.





Day 4

We ride all day! We open more and more new slopes. We will climb both peaks of the resort, weather permitting. On a clear day you can see the city of Kazbek. Don't forget to enjoy soft pouffes, cozy cafes and hot spiced tea on the slopes. In the evening we will have a tasting of Georgian wines in the hotel's private cellar.





Day 5

Day of rest. We go on a tour until the evening. On the way we stop at the Ananuri fortress. Then we will be taken to Mtskheta, where we will have a walking tour, after which we will definitely take the bus up the hill to the famous Jvari Monastery. And in conclusion, we will have a walking tour with a tour of Old Tbilisi. It is important that lunch on this day will be in the city, we will run into a cafe to have a bite. We will return to the hotel for dinner.





Day 6

Full of strength and new impressions, we are going to the mountain. We ski there more actively, because the days of skiing are coming to an end. And in the evening we will learn how to sculpt khinkali, according to all the rules and canons. After that, we will taste them at dinner, so you have to try!





Day 7

Departure day. We pack all our goods in cases, we collect backpacks. We wallow in snowdrifts on the path and go to Tbilisi. On the way, we will be able to drop off those who wish in the city itself, and we will take the rest to the airport. These New Year holidays are very rich, colorful and sincere. We will remember this journey for a long time, these incredibly snowy slopes, views and people who were nearby.





Trails and lifts can be viewed on the map

In total, the resort has 8 slopes of different difficulty levels (from blue for beginners to black for "advanced users") and 7 lifts (three-seat and four-seat, gondola). The total length of the tracks is 57 km. But the representation of the resort thinks not only about specially equipped tracks, but also about fans of extreme skiing. Freeride, speedride, backcountry and skitour, paragliding, heli-skiing, heliboarding are well developed here.

In a backpack

In a backpack

When buying plane tickets, keep in mind that the price should include sports equipment (a bag with a set of snowboard or skis, where you can also add some personal items). Very often, with airlines, the transportation of sports equipment is already included in the baggage allowance, all information is written on the website of a particular airline (!), check all the information so that the surcharge for a bag with equipment at the airport is not a surprise for you.

Equipment

Assault backpack (30-35 liters)

Purpose:

An assault backpack is used both for climbing Elbrus and for a radial day trip. Should fit: a snack, sunblock, a camera, a minimal first aid kit and a thermos (for Elbrus). Volume: 30-35 liters.

Important Features:

Light weight, minimal volume when folded, drawstring on chest or waist. Individual first aid kit

Purpose:

This first-aid kit should contain specific and "favorite" medicines for individual chronic diseases and, in addition, adhesive plasters and bandages. You can also take an elastic bandage and nail scissors / nippers. The main pharmacy, which will definitely be in group equipment, contains everything you need for a standard set of diseases.

Important Features:

Minimum weight and volume. Ski mask/goggles

Purpose:

To protect your eyes from the sun and snow while climbing or on a ski trip: it is absolutely impossible to ski without them!

Important Features:

UV protection, mask ventilation, snug fit to the face. Alpine ski/snowboard set Everything must fit in a bag - this is a prerequisite for carrying sports equipment on the plane, in extreme cases, boots can be placed in your luggage. Protection kit At a minimum, a helmet must be available. Beginners are also advised to take protection on their knees, elbows, wrists and coccyx.

Cloth

Sleepwear

Purpose:

The clothes you will sleep in. These things are untouchable while walking. They should be packed in waterproof bags and are needed in order for the body to rest from running clothes and for you to feel comfortable in an insufficiently warm sleeping bag. A good option is thermal underwear and a hat.

Important Features:

Suitable comfort temperature, relative cleanliness throughout the route, light weight. Underwear

Purpose:

Preferably cotton. 3 sets per route is enough. You can wash along the way.

Important Features:

A light weight. Swimming suit (swimsuit, swimming trunks)

Purpose:

Not necessary. You can also swim in underwear.

Important Features:

A light weight. thermal underwear

Purpose:

Removes moisture, dries quickly, retains heat, in combination with other pants allows you to achieve a comfortable temperature for the body. The ideal option is winter thermal underwear made of Polartec material.

Important Features:

Light weight, maximum warmth, moisture-wicking properties

Purpose:

Protect from wind and moisture.

Important Features:

A light weight. Socks or thermal socks

Purpose:

Three pairs of socks are enough. A good option for thermal socks of the appropriate temperature. Moisture wicking socks for summer. Technologies: coolmax, silver thread.

Important Features:

Light weight, moisture wicking away from the foot.

Thermal socks warm

Purpose:

Important Features:

Light weight, moisture wicking properties, maximum comfort temperature.

T-shirt

Purpose:

Ordinary T-shirt, better sports (synthetics). Don't take more than two. It is better to take another shirt with long sleeves and a thermal T-shirt.

Important Features:

A light weight.

Warm fleece jacket with a neck (thick wool sweater)

Purpose:

The second layer of clothing after thermal underwear for cold weather. Options: warm wool sweater, polartec fleece or similar.

Important Features:

Light weight, maximum warmth, moisture wicking.

Mittens or gloves warm and waterproof (ski, Gore-Tex)

Purpose:

Used when climbing, in winter hiking. Mittens are preferable, they are warmer. Option: downy mittens - tops

Important Features:

Light weight, waterproof, windproof, maximum warmth. Warm hat

Purpose:

Needed for winter hiking or climbing Elbrus.

Important Features:

Light weight, closed ears, maximum warmth, windproof. Winter shoes Keep warm during winter outings. Don't miss the snow at your feet.

Important Features:

Light weight, maximum warmth, waterproof, high ankle. Slippers

To keep your home clean and comfortable.

Comfortable pants For example, sports

Personal items

Insurance

Purpose:

Accident life insurance. All documents must be in sealed packaging.

Important Features:

Should not be forgotten. Money

Purpose:

For buying souvenirs and for additional expenses on the route. All documents must be in sealed packaging.

Important Features:

Quantity:) Sunscreen and hygienic lipstick

Purpose:

Protects from ultraviolet radiation, burns, chapping of the lips.

Important Features:

The higher you are in the mountains, the higher the degree of protection from the sun should be, on climbs at least 50 Personal hygiene items

Purpose:

Toothbrush and paste, shampoo, sunscreen, lip balm, wet wipes. Hygiene is important, and cosmetics should be safely abandoned.

Important Features:

A light weight. Telephone

Purpose:

There will be telephone communication on some sections of the route. In a sealed bag.

Important Features:

Maximum light weight. Foreign passport Foreign passport of a citizen of the Russian Federation. Validity: for Turkey (at least 4 months from the date of entry). Validity: for the Greek side of Cyprus (at least 6 months from the time of entry, if we are traveling on a PRO-VISA)

Important Features:

A light weight. All shampoos and shower gels can be poured into smaller containers, soap cut to the desired size.

Balaklava

Purpose:

It is used to protect against wind, cold and sun in winter hiking and climbing. Balaclava - a headdress that covers the head and neck, leaving a small slit for the eyes.

Important Features:

A light weight.

Slippers (sandals)

Purpose:

Needed for train rides, swimming, resting legs during the day and in the evenings. Options: flip-flops, sandals.

Important Features:

Comfort, waterproof

Thermos (0.5l.-1l.)

Purpose:

It is used for climbing Elbrus and in winter trips for storing hot tea.

Important Features:

Maximum heat retention time, light weight.

Camera

Purpose:

For shooting views. Not required for all participants. Do not forget replacement batteries or batteries. Batteries drain much faster in cold weather. There will be nowhere to recharge equipment on a hike. Therefore, either save batteries or take spare ones. There will be no time to use photo tripods, so you don’t need to take them.

Important Features:

Light weight, the presence of replaceable batteries or batteries.

Down vest

Purpose:

warm, light, comfortable thing in any campaign. You can not take it if it is not there or there are many other warm things.

Important Features:

Lightness, warmth.

New Year in Gudauri.

Around the end of autumn, as usual, I begin to have bouts of snowy melancholy. Outside the window is a gray and dank city, but instead I really wanted a normal snowy winter, higher mountains and more snow. Of course, the question arose, where will we celebrate the New Year? Of course, in the mountains, but which ones? Initially, the usual option was considered with the Carpathians, more precisely with Bukovel, but if we compare the new prices of Bukovel with neighboring Europe, it turns out about the same and the question arises, why do we need Bukovel then. And the rest of the Carpathian places have long been ridden. But Europe fell away because of the risk of being left without snow, such a sad experience already existed. It was decided - we are going to Georgia, where at this time there is absolutely snow.

Getting from Ukraine is easy - 2 hours by plane Kyiv - Tbilisi. From Russia it is more difficult, you need to fly through Ukraine or Armenia - foreign policy has closed all easy ways. You can get a visa right at the border.

We make a semicircle over Tbilisi at night and come in for a landing. The time is about 11 pm, although we were supposed to arrive at 8, but the flight was delayed, which, by the way, happens quite often with Airzena. The large modern Tbilisi airport was built by a Turkish consortium, and accordingly, the management rights belong to a Turkish company. Therefore, you will not find pork in the terminal :).

On the way we stopped at a supermarket and bought juices, alcohol and other necessary little things (everything is much more expensive in Gudauri, and there are no normal stores there, but more on that below), and then we went directly to Gudauri. The resort is located right along the Georgian Military Road, a little before reaching the Cross Pass, not far from the border with Russia. 2 hours of the night road with cognac and tangerines passed quickly and unnoticed, and at about 4 in the morning we were in place.

We stopped at Ozone, a small cottage-type hotel. Accommodation in a 2-bed room cost us 80 euros / day. The water is hot without restrictions, the only thing is that sometimes you had to wait out the “rush hour” when all the residents return from the mountain and turn it on at the same time. Batteries do not just heat, but fry. Things on them dried out in minutes, and we slept with open windows in a frost of minus 20 in the yard. In the hall there is a fireplace, a bar and a TV with a million channels, a drying rack for equipment downstairs. Two meals a day are included in the payment: in the morning a buffet, in the evening a full dinner with the first, second and third. All food, due to the peculiarities of the national cuisine, is heavily peppered, even the Olivier salad was generously sprinkled with pepper. It takes some getting used to. Every day fresh dairy products and a lot of different greens (where in the middle of winter do they get such a quantity?). Water in a decanter from springs, tea, coffee, lemons, honey, everything.

Of the minuses, I would like to note the following. First, the distance from the ski lifts. In the mornings, for a nominal fee, we were taken to them, and you can ski / board (sled / walk) back down a special path directly to the hotel. On the first day, when everything was covered in fog, we did not find this path and almost fell off a 3-meter wall into a snowdrift, later it turned out that it was under our noses.

The second is no soundproofing. A large Russian company lived with us. Muscovites, in alliance with the Georgians, spent nights in festivals in the bar, drinking wine and chacha, and carrying boards during the day purely for entourage. But we, as weary wheelers, did not have the habit of staying up in the evening and went to bed early, and in order not to listen to concerts instead of dreams, we slept with cotton wool in our ears.




Gudauri today is a young, slowly developing resort, which has excellent equipment for servicing the slopes, but lacks infrastructure in the minus. A small shop, which we had a hard time finding, sells vodka, mineral water, and chips. When asked if there is a pharmacy, we were sent to the doctor at the sports hotel, and we had to hunt for a mobile account replenishment card for 2 days. Therefore, I recommend taking everything you need with you, if you don’t have a walkie-talkie, you can buy a local SIM card, better than the Geocell operator (it catches better in the mountains) and immediately replenish your account with 10 GEL, this will be enough for you for 10 days (provided that if you don’t call abroad). The exchange rate on that day was 1 lari = $0.65 = €0.45 = 18.6 rubles.

Queues, as a phenomenon, appear only on weekends due to the arrival of the local population. At the same time, we have never stood in this queue for more than 5 minutes. Subscriptions are a different story. You can buy a daily subscription for all queues (25 GEL) or a one-time subscription (4 GEL). It's official. Day is a colored piece of paper with a picture on which the date is written with a marker in the corner. Unofficially, a ski pass can be bought for 20 GEL, but most likely you will be given yesterday's one with a corrected or blurred date, or maybe even for children. All these tricks are known to cable car operators, but they can still stop and check.






Now about the tracks.
5 pre-Pelmeier armchairs, all chairs are in good condition, 3 of them (and the fashionable hotel Marco Polo) were built at one time by the Austrians in the hope of transporting tourists there in containers. The idea failed, the Austrians were blown away by the wind, but after the restoration of the economy and the political situation, the Georgians took it into circulation, and, I must say, quite well - 2 chair lifts were completed, and in terms of preparing routes and the number of snowcats on Mount Gudauri ahead of the whole Caucasus.

The track of the first stage is gentle, teapots ride on it and kids study. The second (“kopeck piece”) is long, without strong elevation changes, but riding here is much more interesting, and speeds can be more than decent. In addition, you can always go off the track, there are no restrictions on this.

Then - the third turn ("three rubles"), lifting to the top of Kudebi (3009 m). The track with a very large slope at the beginning, then roll out to a relatively flat descent, suitable for those who like to accelerate. In one place at the top, a constant crowd of ski-boarders, neatly sliding down from a dangerous area. You can freeride on the sides of the track, the main thing is that there is normal visibility. There is another option for descending from the "three-ruble note" - it traverses the mountain from the other side and goes to the fourth stage.
From the top of Kudebi, ski-tours are periodically made in unknown directions, and then they get out of the couloirs for half a day.




A little to the side there is a short fourth line (“four”), but with several rather interesting descents. In general, the designation of the slopes in Gudauri depends only on where the snowcat decides to go after a snowfall, there are no clearly marked trails.

The fifth stage of the lift was completed this year, it lifts Mount Sadzele (3270 m), beloved by freeriders. When there was no lift there, heliski tours were held on Sadzel, and especially stubborn people went there on foot. Unfortunately, it was not turned on in my presence for technical reasons, so I cannot objectively characterize the condition of the tracks and slopes. To the question - what kind of track is there? - all we heard in response was inarticulate sounds like “ooo!”, which, in truth, was not only intriguing, but also frustrating.




Meeting the New Year at the best ski resort in Georgia - Gudauri

New Year's programs in hotels, restaurants and bars in Gudauri?
Restaurants and hotels of the resort offer New Year's programs to the guests of the resort.
The article contains a list of programs with contacts for booking tables.

A new hotel with a high level of service, located in the Center of Gudauri near the Aragvi gorge with beautiful mountain views from the terrace and hotel rooms. To book tables, call +995 322 555 545. The cost of the program is $50 per person.

New Year in the best resort hotel. The program begins at 5 pm with a children's party and ends in the morning with a disco with famous Georgian DJs. To reserve a table, call +995 322 202 900 (Program only for guests of the Marco Polo Hotel). The cost of the program is $100 per person.

Teahouse N1 offers entertainment and many prizes on New Year's Eve, Mariam Mamismadishvil and a permanent resident of their club Dj will perform. To book a table, call +995 597 35 33 33, +995 598 19 55 48 The cost of the program is 200 lari ($80) per person.

Restaurant on the first floor of the apartment building Magistil, right on the first highway.
Diverse menu, freeride program draw, flairing show and DJ until the morning. Prices range from $40 to $100 ($40 for children, $60 without alcohol, $100 all inclusive).
Order by phone +995 599 567 065 or email: [email protected]


Exquisite feast by the big fireplace. The hotel is located in Upper Gudauri, with beautiful views of the entire resort.
To book a table, call +995 322 007 070. The cost of the program is $60 for an adult, $30 for a child.

One of the best hotels in the resort is located in Upper Gudauri near the beginning of the second line of cable cars.
Call to reserve tables+995 514 510 770 . The cost of the program is $100 per person.

Restaurant of Georgian cuisine in the apartment building Palace in New Gudauri.
Call to reserve tables+995 598443777 Ramazi or +995598443777 Mariam email: [email protected]
The cost of the program is $60 -70 per person.

Georgian cuisine restaurant in the center of Gudauri.
Call to reserve tables+995 551 98 84 84 Tamaz. The cost of the program is 80 GEL ($30) per person.

Restaurant in the first building of the apart-hotel New Gudauri - beautiful design, exquisite cuisine.
Music group Dzima Kobeshavidze & Big Mama, incendiary dances and unforgettable impressions!
You can book a table by phone: +995 591 216 141 The cost of the program is $100 per person.


Christmas in New Gudauri