A bright and snowy morning to you all.

In this post, we discuss the in’s and out’s of travelling for a ski trip to Georgia.  This is also a big one as it’s our first blog, so hope you are as excited as I am.

Here we go.

Have you ever travelled somewhere and have done a little research on the place?  Well, this time that was Georgia for us.  The only thing I looked for was a place to stay in Gudauri, and our wonderful Air B&B host organised our transport for us.  This was awesome and going to definitely keep my researching to a minimum because you land up seeing things and being blown away without having a clue of what you were really looking for.

I honestly didn’t know what to expect to see in Georgia.  I knew it had a war with Russia not so long ago and that it’s pretty tiny and a lot of the community love their wine.  But small things come in big packages right?  When we first arrived and drove towards Tbilisi, we felt like we were somewhere we had never experienced, and the crazy roads just felt completely different which made it feel like a harsh place, somewhat poor, but with so much life, it was wonderful and raw.

TBILISI

As we got closer to Tbilisi, it became so pretty with the Mt’k’vari  River running through the town.    We were only driving through but from what I saw it was stunning.  It had an old European style and you could just feel the welcoming culture.  Loads of street markets selling old stuff, lush parks, maze-like streets and statues everywhere.   I would have liked to have explored this part a little more but we wanted to go skiing.

DRIVING TO GUDARI

Driving straight to Gudari to the airport should only take just over 2 hours, but because we drove through Tbilisi, stopped for some lunch, and took some photos it took us about 4 hours.  Our driver was so delightful and easygoing, and he could speak a bit of English, explaining some history and showed us a few things on the way.  He even bought us the traditional bread called Chakapuli that was so delicious, cheesy and rich!

The trip cost 200 lari, and you can bargain and try to get it cheaper or catch the bus which is much cheaper if you are on a budget.  But I like driving with people from the country because they give you an inside look into the country.  We also found out that the buses don’t leave from the airport so you have to make your way to the bus station in Tbilisi and then find your way onto the right bus though that would be a little daunting as no one spoke much English.  So we opted to pay a little extra and get our own driver.

On a side note, unless you are a pro driver I wouldn’t recommend hiring a car here especially in Tbilisi, firstly because the road signs are in Georgiana, so it would be a little difficult knowing where to go .The normal standard rules of the road don’t seem to work here, as everyone is on their own mission and cars are coming from all sides.  So rather be safe and use public transport or hire a driver.

Ski season is from December to April, and we went in February and the snow was perfect, but I did notice when booking a place, they were filling up fast.  We used Air BnB (add link) to find our cosy little apartment called the Wooden Room in New Gudari.  New Gudari is a new development that is still under construction so can be a little noisy, but not to me as it was the perfect location.  Just a few slippery steps and you are at the lift.  The room was all we really needed.  A small balcony to watch the snow falling in the morning or to catch a glimpse of the sun setting over the mountains in the evening.  It’s a studio apartment with a small kitchen which we didn’t use except for the fridge that we stocked up with Georgian beer and the kettle for morning coffees.  It also had a ski depot on the bottom floor to leave all of our equipment.

FOOD

Ahhhh the Georgian food.  I would say this is a cuisine that was excellent and delicious.  The food came in such a huge variety.  However, if you are a vegan, you might have a hard time, it’s a very meaty and cheezy cuisine and it’s perfect to pack on the calories if you are skiing all day.  The price of food is pretty cheap and ranges from 15 Lari to about 60 Lari.  If you don’t want to eat out, there are a few small shops within walking distance that you can buy your own groceries.  Our favourite restaurant was Drunk Cherry (not the best name), but the food was great and they had some board games.  It gets pretty busy and unless you reserve a table they would move you around or not even be able to sit.   But we still landed up going almost every night there.  Cafes and bars are also on top of the slopes if you want to grab a lunch or afternoon beer.

SKIING

LEARNING TO SKI AND HIRING EQUIPMENT.

Now for my favourite part, the part our whole trip was based around.  It was my first time in the snow and even better, my first time trying out skiing.  Honestly, I was a little nervous as all I saw were people skiing so fast and looked so professional and even the four-year-olds looked as if they knew what they were doing.  We first went to hire some gear.  There are loads of shops all over and we found gear for 40 Lari a day which included the helmet, skis and boots.  We had brought our own ski mask and ski gloves.  The place we hired our gear from also put me in contact with a ski instructor.  A personal ski instructor comes at 50 Lari per hour, so we hired him for the first 3 days, 2 hours at a time.  I think you could get away with a shorter period of time but I felt more comfortable with him.  In the first hour, I learnt how to move on skis, brake and change direction.  The rest of the time was just working on going faster and trying new routes.

MORE ABOUT GUDARI.

Gudari offers a great ski experience for all types, from beginners to advanced.   You can ski downhill from 4000m and has great powder says JB after a snowy evening.  The trails are well located and offer 4 runs.  The ski lifts open at 9 am and closed at 4 pm They were in great condition and didn’t really struggle with major queues.  However, you do notice on the weekends it does get busier.  Our ski pass for nine days cost us $312 each for 6days.

INSURANCE

If there is one thing I always make sure of is that I have travel insurance just in case.  I never used it but it makes travelling a little less stressful.  I use World Nomads (make a link) for adventure holidays like skiing, surfing, hiking, scuba diving etc, and if it’s just a normal travel holiday I use AXA travel insurance.

THINGS TO DO WHEN YOU ARE NOT SKIING.

1.        KAZBEGI

An hour and a half away is a small town called Kazbegi with a beautiful church called Gergeti Trinity Church on top.  However, you need a clear day and phone ahead because when its snowing the road to the church is closed.  You can hike the 6km to the top to view the church if you are that adventurous type.  Also, recommend finding a driver that speaks your language so you can explain what your plans are.

2.       PARAGLIDING

There are loads of people asking if you would be3 keen to go paragliding, and there are many people who go and try.  I can imagine the view must be so beautiful from up there.

3.       PHOTOGRAPHY

On my day off from skiing, I went up the lifts to take some photos of JB skiing as well as going up to the highest point whre I couldn’t ski from and take in the scenery.

4.        MAKE A SNOWMAN

I have never made a snowman, so I took this challenge up. It’s way harder than it looks

5.        GO TO THE SPA

To relax and warm up the aching muscles, I highly recommend a good sauna, New Guadari has a lovely relaxing spot with a sauna, Jacuzzi and pool.  60 Lari for a day pass.

To sum it up I highly recommend a ski holiday in Georgia, you get to experience a new culture, skiing in beautiful snow, try Georgian food and create your first snowman.  9 days might have been a little too long but it was so relaxing and we had a great time.