Gudauri ( ka, გუდაური) is a

ski resort A ski resort is a resort developed for skiing, snowboarding, and other winter sports. In Europe, most ski resorts are towns or villages in or adjacent to a ski area–a mountainous area with pistes (ski trails) and a ski lift system. In North Am ...

located on the south-facing plateau of The Greater Caucasus Mountain Range in

Georgia Georgia most commonly refers to: * Georgia (country), a country in the South Caucasus * Georgia (U.S. state), a state in the southeastern United States Georgia may also refer to: People and fictional characters * Georgia (name), a list of pe ...

. The resort is situated in the

Kazbegi Municipality Kazbegi ( ka, ყაზბეგის მუნიციპალიტეტი) is a district of Georgia, in the region of Mtskheta-Mtianeti in east-north Georgia. The main settlement is Stepantsminda, accounting for about half of the tota ...

, along the Georgian Military Highway near the Jvari Pass, at an elevation of 2,200 meters (7,200 ft.) above

sea level Mean sea level (MSL, often shortened to sea level) is an mean, average surface level of one or more among Earth's coastal Body of water, bodies of water from which heights such as elevation may be measured. The global MSL is a type of vertical ...

. Gudauri lies to the north of the Georgian capital

Tbilisi Tbilisi ( ; ka, თბილისი, ), in some languages still known by its pre-1936 name Tiflis ( ), ( ka, ტფილისი, tr ) is the Capital city, capital and List of cities and towns in Georgia (country), largest city of Georgia ( ...

. Gudauri is 4.1 km away from the nearest border with the unrecognized

South Ossetia South Ossetia, officially the Republic of South Ossetia or the State of Alania, is a landlocked country in the South Caucasus with International recognition of Abkhazia and South Ossetia, partial diplomatic recognition. It has an offici ...

. The slopes of Gudauri are above the

tree line The tree line is the edge of a habitat at which trees are capable of growing and beyond which they are not. It is found at high elevations and high latitudes. Beyond the tree line, trees cannot tolerate the environmental conditions (usually low ...

and considered to be

avalanche An avalanche is a rapid flow of snow down a Grade (slope), slope, such as a hill or mountain. Avalanches can be triggered spontaneously, by factors such as increased precipitation or snowpack weakening, or by external means such as humans, othe ...

-safe. The ski season lasts from December to April.

Heliskiing Heli-skiing is off-trail, downhill skiing or snowboarding where the skier reaches the top of the mountain by helicopter, instead of a ski lift. History In the late 1950s, helicopters were used in Alaska and Europe to access remote terrain. The ...

is available throughout the season.

Heliski

provides skiers with almost unrestricted access to local mountains. Skiers can experience runs at altitudes between 1,500 and 4,200 meters above

Ski touring

The Gudauri Resort area and

Mount Kazbek Mount Kazbek or Mount Kazbegi, , romanized: ''q'azbegi''; ; ; ; is a dormant stratovolcano and one of the major mountains of the Caucasus Mountains, Caucasus, located in Georgia (country), Georgia, just south of the border with Russia. Lying ...

massif provide options for

ski touring Ski touring is skiing in the backcountry on unmarked or unpatrolled areas. Touring is typically done off-piste and outside of ski resorts, and may extend over a period of more than one day. It is similar to backcountry skiing but excludes the ...

Speed riding and paragliding

Gudauri is a well known site in the country for speedriding and

paragliding Paragliding is the recreational and competitive adventure sport of flying paragliders: lightweight, free-flying, foot-launched glider aircraft with no rigid primary structure. The pilot sits in a harness or in a cocoon-like 'pod' suspended be ...

. Experienced instructors are employed to accompany customers in the said activities.

Routes and lifts

Gudauri has more than 76km of ski runs and 18 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

Austria Austria, formally the Republic of Austria, is a landlocked country in Central Europe, lying in the Eastern Alps. It is a federation of nine Federal states of Austria, states, of which the capital Vienna is the List of largest cities in Aust ...

Swiss Swiss most commonly refers to: * the adjectival form of Switzerland * Swiss people Swiss may also refer to: Places * Swiss, Missouri * Swiss, North Carolina * Swiss, West Virginia * Swiss, Wisconsin Other uses * Swiss Café, an old café located ...

manufacturer Doppelmayr. The first lift (Pirveli) is 1,010 m long (three-seater chairlift), the second (Soliko) is 2,310 m long (four-seater chairlift) and the third (Snow Park) is 1,060 m long (three-seater chairlift). There are in overall already 15 Ski Lifts including Gondola types ("Gudaura" and "Kobi-Gudauri"): * 1. PIRVELI (3 persons); * 2. SOLIKO (3 persons); * 3. KUDEBI (3 persons); * 4. SNOW PARK (3 persons); * 5. KUDEBI II (6 persons); * 6. SADZELE (4 persons); * 7. ZUMA (1 person); * 8. GUDAURA (10 persons); * 9. SHINO (6 persons); * 10. ALPINA (1 person); * 11. BOMBORA (1 person); * 12. BABY (1 person); * 13. KOBI - GUDAURI I (10 persons); * 14. KOBI - GUDAURI II (10 persons) * 15. KOBI - GUDAURI III (10 persons). 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. New 6km 3 lifts added as of December 2023: New Gudaura, Kikilo 1, Kikilo 2. 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.

Accidents

Chairlift

On 16 March 2018, due to the operator's mistake and design failures, one of the chairlifts started moving backwards at twice the normal speed, creating a

rollback In political science, rollback is the strategy of forcing a change in the major policies of a state, usually by replacing its ruling regime. It contrasts with containment, which means preventing the expansion of that state; and with détente, ...

and leaving 11 individuals with injuries.

Helicopter

On 29 July 2022, a police Mi-8 helicopter crashed while trying to rescue two paragliders in a gorge near Gudauri, killing all eight people on board. One of the two paragliders was also found dead.

Restaurant

On 14 December 2024, 12 people died in an Indian restaurant in Gudauri. They were employees of the restaurant: 11 Indian nationals and one Georgian citizen. Initial investigations revealed that an electric power generator had been placed in an enclosed indoor space near the bedrooms and had been switched on following a

power outage A power outage, also called a blackout, a power failure, a power blackout, a power loss, a power cut, or a power out is the complete loss of the electrical power network supply to an end user. There are many causes of power failures in an el ...

in the area. Investigators suggested that fumes from the generator likely caused

carbon monoxide poisoning Carbon monoxide poisoning typically occurs from breathing in carbon monoxide (CO) at excessive levels. Symptoms are often described as " flu-like" and commonly include headache, dizziness, weakness, vomiting, chest pain, and confusion. Large ...

, although forensic examinations were conducted to confirm the exact cause of death.

References

External links

{{Commons category-inline
Mtskheta-Mtianeti Administration
Ski areas and resorts in Georgia (country) Tourist attractions in the Soviet Union