Has anyone skied in Georgia?

[LongStoryLong]

Hi all, looking for any experiences of skiing in the Caucasus mountains in Georgia. We’re all good skiers (me, DH, two tweens) and both DH and I have loads of experience in the region, so we’re cool with that aspect. But I don’t know how good the skiing set up is, and we are slightly nervous about the quality of the healthcare if anything should go wrong.

Can anyone help me decide whether Georgia is a good idea? We’ve been going to a place we love in Austria for the last few years, but it’s time to admit the snow isn’t really reliable enough, and rather than going for France or Switzerland we had the idea to chase an adventure…

Thanks!

None of the resorts appear to be anything but tiny - nothing like as large as the major Austrian or other Alpine resorts, and the largest - Gudauri - appears to be in (or very close to) one of the areas that is on the UK Government "Do Not Travel" list.

Perhaps ask your question on the Snowheads forum.

Have you been?

I didn’t know about Snowheads, thanks, I will do that.

I've not been, but have been researching places to go so Georgia came up as a possibility.

Snowheads.com is a large community of skiers and boarders - somebody on there will have been to Georgia.

I have a Georgian friend and asked her about the skiing there, I recall she said it wasn’t great, ok for a day trip or for kids to learn but it doesn’t sound like it would be a good place for a longer ski trip for experienced skiers.

I have no useful feedback on the skiing but can confirm that Georgian food and wine is excellent.

Ah that’s helpful, thank you. I’ll read the info I’m finding through that lens a bit more

Yes! I’d be lying if I said that wasn’t a draw!

Db went last year - lives in UAE so
it’s the closest resort to fly to. They had a good time but it’s a small resort so skiing is a bit limited (you can do heli-skiing though) but he said they could learn a lot from European resorts, especially in terms of safety: pistes not well-marked, rocks on pistes that weren’t cleared, and people riding snowmobiles with little regard for pedestrians/skiers. Lift passes and drinks were cheap; eating out and ski hire more expensive than he was expecting. If Europe was quicker to get to from UAE he would go there, no question.

That’s really interesting. I have read a bit about safety, and poor avalanche forecasting and rescue…

Db likened skiing in Georgia to skiing in the Wild West - compared to what he was used to in established organised EU resorts. Make of that what you will. Having said that, he and his family are going again this year - although proximity to UAE plays a big part in that decision.

Having had 2 accidents whilst skiing (not my fault, hit whilst stationary), I would check out their medical back up before the size of their pistes

If you’re a back country skier then it’s amazing. Cat skiing is a major thing and incredible off piste culture. Endless powder fields. Very little competition.

One of thr resort had a major lift malfunction a few years ago. I'd be heading elsewhere. Finland has a ski season til May and there are good deals.

At least eight hurt as ski lift hurtles out of control in Georgia | Georgia | The Guardian share.google/12hqxSvuYpwppyymV

This is my major concern really. I have experience of this level of healthcare, and I wouldn’t want to combine it with e.g. a head injury or even a serious break. Especially not for the children, obvs.

I’ve seen that clip a number of times but I didn’t realise where it was. Finland sounds like an excellent shout. We’ll look into it! 🙂

I have been to the ski area in summer. The resorts are small. One was being developed for the Russians (that might have changed).
I have an apartment in the Portes du Soleil and I know which I prefer.

OMG Skiing in Finland was amazing. Not the mega resorts of france etc but so beautiful

I thought the food was a bit stodgy, but certainly filling!
Tiblisi is a really nice place to visit, I don't know about the skiing.