- Gudauri, 120 km from Tbilisi up the Georgian Military Road, is Georgia's largest ski area. Lifts climb from 1,989 m to 3,276 m on Sadzele. The official count is 37 km of marked runs, with far more open terrain between them.
- The lifts belong to the state Mountain Trails Agency (MTA). All passes go on one reusable Multicard, and lifts are free below age 6. One 7- or 10-day MultiSki pass is good for Bakuriani, Goderdzi and Mestia too. The 2026/27 tariff was not out on 19 October 2026.
- Lifts usually turn from the second half of December to mid-April (27 December 2025 to 19 April 2026 last winter). They run from 10:00 to 17:00, with floodlit skiing on Friday and Saturday evenings.
- A chain of gondolas crosses the ridge to Kobi on the north side, where snow lasts longest into spring. It is the only link between the slopes and the Kazbegi side when the Jvari Pass road is shut.
- Gudauri suits intermediates, guided freeride and heli-skiing best. Sleep in New Gudauri to walk to the lifts, and make sure your compulsory travel insurance covers skiing.
Skiing in Gudauri means wide, treeless slopes high on the southern flank of the Greater Caucasus, only two to two and a half hours by road from Tbilisi. It is the biggest resort in Georgia, with lifts between 1,989 m and 3,276 m and a gondola chain over the ridge to Kobi. The resort is at its best for intermediates, freeriders and anyone wanting a sunny ski week that costs far less than the Alps. This Gudauri ski guide is about the snow itself. Our Gudauri place page covers the village.
First come the key figures and the three sectors of the mountain. Then we cover the Gudauri ski pass, lift hours and the best weeks, and the winter drive from Tbilisi. After that come the Kobi gondola, freeride and heli-skiing, schools and hire, where to sleep, packages and rest days, with an FAQ at the end. We took the figures from the lift operator MTA, Georgia's national tourism administration and the Roads Department, and checked them on 19 October 2026. MTA had not yet released 2026/27 dates or prices. So we show last winter's pattern and point to where the new figures will appear.
Gudauri ski area in numbers: heights, runs, lifts and dates
Gudauri lies in Kazbegi municipality, just south of the Jvari Pass, the high point of the old road from Tbilisi over the Caucasus. Its first runs were cut in the late 1970s, and large-scale building started in the early 1980s. The operator dates the resort as a full ski destination to 1988. A second wave of hotel building followed in the 2010s. The lifts now belong to the state-owned Mountain Trails Agency (MTA), which also operates Bakuriani, Goderdzi and the two Mestia areas.
| Item | Gudauri |
|---|---|
| Village altitude | ~2,200 m in New Gudauri |
| Lift altitudes | 1,989 m (lowest station) to 3,276 m (Sadzele), ~1,290 m of vertical |
| Marked runs | 37 km by the tourism administration's count; other counts run from ~35 to 76 km (see below) |
| Lifts | About 17 or 18: learner drags, chairs of three to six seats and a chain of ten-seat gondolas |
| Run grades | Green, blue, red and black, as in the Alps |
| Season 2025/26 | 27 December 2025 to 19 April 2026 |
| Lift hours 2025/26 | 10:00 to 17:00 daily; floodlit runs Friday and Saturday, 20:00 to 22:00 |
| From Tbilisi | 120 km, 2 to 2.5 hours on the Georgian Military Road |
| Best for | Intermediates, guided freeride, heli-skiing, spring snow |
| Less good for | Small children on windy days; no trees to ski in a whiteout |
Why the piste totals disagree
Ask five sources how much skiing Gudauri has and you get five answers. On its Gudauri page, Georgia's tourism administration counts 37 km of marked runs. Its round-up of resorts says 70 km. An independent survey of the pistes measured ~35 km, more than half of it intermediate. Older counts list 52 km on 26 runs, and Wikipedia now says 76 km. The big totals take in the open slopes between the pistes, which you can ski once the snow is deep. The small ones count prepared runs only. The altitude puzzle is simpler: the 3,006 m printed on some sites is the top of Kudebi, not of the highest lift. MTA publishes no total, so we use the official 37 km and expect plenty of open ground beside it.
Skiing in Gudauri: the slopes sector by sector
The mountain falls into three parts joined by lifts. These are the lower slopes above the two villages, the high bowl under Kudebi and Sadzele, and the Kobi side beyond the ridge. All of it lies above the treeline. That means huge views on a clear day and very little to steer by when cloud comes down.
The lower slopes: Pirveli, Soliko, Shino and the Goodaura gondola
If you sleep in Old Gudauri, along the main road, your day starts on Pirveli, a six-seat chair whose bottom station stands at ~1,990 m. From there you continue up the long Soliko chair. From New Gudauri the ten-seat Goodaura gondola (MTA's spelling; many maps write Gudaura) needs about ten minutes to reach the mid-mountain hub. Cafes, the snow park and the upper chairs meet there. The Shino chair works the ground in between. This lower area holds the learner drags, the ski-school meeting points and the gentlest greens and blues. That makes it the busiest corner of the resort from late morning.
The high bowl: Kudebi, Sadzele and the snow park
Above the hub, chairs climb to the Kudebi ridge at ~3,007 m. The four-seat Sadzele lift reaches the resort's highest point at 3,276 m. Up there the main Caucasus ridge fills the skyline. Long reds and the handful of black runs start up here, and the best lift-served off-piste lies on either side of them. The snow park is laid out between 2,720 m and 2,845 m. The catch is wind: Sadzele is usually the first lift to stop in a gale, so keep a lower-mountain plan for stormy days.
The Kobi side and the gondola chain
North of the hub, a chain of Poma gondolas finished in December 2018 crosses the ridge and drops into the Tergi valley. MTA calls its sections Kobi, Firni and Truso. Together they run ~7.5 km. The full journey from New Gudauri to Kobi village, Goodaura included, takes 30 minutes to an hour depending on wind. The top station, ~2,900 m up beside the Jvari Pass, looks straight across the valley to Kazbek. The north-facing runs below it are long, cold and quiet, and they keep good snow later into spring than the sunny Gudauri side. The lowest section, down to the road at Kobi, serves mainly as transport.
| Sector | Main lifts | Height | What you ski | Watch for |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Lower slopes | Pirveli, Soliko, Shino, Goodaura gondola, learner drags | From ~1,990 m | Greens, easy blues, ski schools | Crowds from late morning |
| High bowl | Kudebi, Kudebi II, Sadzele, Snow Park chair | Up to 3,276 m | Reds, blacks, the snow park, lift-served off-piste | First lifts to stop in strong wind |
| Kobi side | Kobi, Firni and Truso gondolas | ~2,900 m down to the Tergi valley | Long north-facing runs, freeride | Gondolas pause in high wind |
Which runs suit you
- Beginners: start on the greens near the bottom of Pirveli and around the New Gudauri base. Once you can stop and turn both ways, move up to the wide blues below the hub.
- Intermediates: almost the whole mountain is yours, above all the reds off Kudebi and the long descents on the Kobi side.
- Experts: the blacks under Sadzele, the snow park and, with a guide, the open faces between the lifts.
- Spectators: the Goodaura race course staged the FIS Ski Cross World Cup on 28 February and 1 March 2025. FIS-sanctioned races are a regular fixture.
Gudauri ski pass: Multicard, prices and where to buy
Every MTA lift pass is loaded onto a plastic Multicard. You pay for the card once, top it up with the pass you need, and keep it. It works again in later winters and at the other state resorts. At the turnstile you must show the card itself, because the gates accept neither a QR code nor an e-ticket on your phone.
- Prices: the 2026/27 tariff had not been published on 19 October 2026. MTA posts it on its lift-status and price-list site, status.mta.ski/en, usually in December just before opening. For the day-pass prices reported last winter, see the cost table in our winter adventures guide.
- Ages: no charge below 6; children aged 6 to 12 and juniors aged 13 to 18 pay reduced rates.
- Evenings: a day pass ends when the lifts stop in the afternoon. The Friday and Saturday night sessions are sold as a separate night ticket. A season pass is the only one that covers day and night.
- More than one resort: a 7-day or 10-day MultiSki pass can be used at Gudauri, Bakuriani, Goderdzi and Mestia. Use it on whichever days suit you before the season closes.
- Where to buy: the ticket offices at the lift bases and the Marco Polo hotel in Gudauri. Smart supermarkets in Gudauri, Zhinvali, Borjomi and on Aghmashenebeli Alley in Tbilisi sell them too. Online, try TKT.GE, Biletebi.ge, Super App or the SKIPASS.GE app. Desks stop selling 30 minutes before the lifts close.
- Rules: no refunds and no lending a personal pass. A lost pass is replaced only when the loss is reported at a ticket office within 24 hours. Student season passes are for Georgian citizens.
- Card offers: last winter, paying online with a TBC Concept Visa card took 30% off season and multi-day passes, and later off 1- to 6-day passes. The limit was two passes per card. Watch for a repeat.
- Non-skiers: a return ride ticket for the gondola chain to the Kobi side is sold at the bottom stations. A Multicard loaded with a lift pass covers the same ride.
When to ski in Gudauri: season dates, lift hours and crowds
Opening day usually falls in the second half of December, and the lifts keep turning until mid-April. MTA names the opening day only a few days ahead. On 17 December 2025 it announced 27 December, and on 18 December 2024 it gave the 21st. As of 19 October 2026 it had said nothing about 2026/27. One travel blog reports 20 December 2026. Treat it as unconfirmed until MTA posts it. The tourism administration speaks of early December, yet in recent winters the lifts have not turned that soon.
| Season | Lifts opened | Lifts closed | Notes |
|---|---|---|---|
| 2023/24 | 20 Dec 2023 (official opening day) | No closing notice found | Opening day for two new cable cars and three runs |
| 2024/25 | 21 Dec 2024 | 17 Apr 2025 | Gudauri and Kobi lifts daily, 10:00 to 17:00 |
| 2025/26 | 27 Dec 2025 | 19 Apr 2026 | Six lifts on day one, Pirveli, Soliko and the Kobi gondolas among them |
| 2026/27 | Not announced (19 Oct 2026) | Not announced | Watch mta.ski and MTA's Gudauri Facebook page from late November |
Last winter the day lifts turned from 10:00 to 17:00 daily. On Fridays and Saturdays a night session ran from 20:00 to 22:00. Snow is surest from mid-January to mid-March, and the north-facing Kobi side holds it longest. Monthly temperatures, snowfall and daylight hours are in our Gudauri weather guide.
What is new for 2026/27
On 5 August 2026 the Prime Minister announced works meant to be ready by December. They include snowmaking along 7.5 km of slopes and two new button lifts in the snow park, with 1.4 km of cable between them. A 200 m covered conveyor for children is planned too, plus two new runs adding 6 km, one of them lit for night skiing. If they open on time, early-season cover and the learner area should both improve. MTA had not confirmed any of it by mid-October, and we will update this section when it does.
Crowds and prices
The rush starts in the last days of December and holds until about mid-January. That covers New Year, Georgian Christmas (7 January) and, a week after it, the Old New Year. Weekends bring cars up from Tbilisi all season. For quiet pistes, come midweek from late January to early March. Late March and April are cheaper still, with firm mornings and soft afternoons. If you want New Year on the snow, book at least two months ahead, with free cancellation in case the lifts open late.
Getting to Gudauri from Tbilisi in winter
Gudauri is 120 km from Tbilisi along the Georgian Military Road, signed as the E117. The drive takes 2 to 2.5 hours. Leaving the city you bypass Mtskheta and follow the Aragvi past the Zhinvali reservoir and the fortress at Ananuri. Then you run through Pasanauri and Kvesheti and finish on a long ladder of hairpin bends up to the resort. The lower road is wide and ploughed. On the hairpins, fresh snow and slow lorries hold everyone up.
| Option | Time | Good for | Watch out for |
|---|---|---|---|
| Private transfer | About 2.5 h from Tbilisi airport | Ski bags, families, late flights | Book New Year weeks early |
| Rental car | 2 to 2.5 h | Moving between New and Old Gudauri, Kazbegi rest days | Winter tyres, chains, full car parks at weekends |
| Minibus (marshrutka) | About 2.5 to 3 h | Low budgets | Leaves Didube for Stepantsminda; ask for Gudauri; skis go on the roof |
| Gondola from Kobi | 30 to 60 min ride | Guests sleeping in Stepantsminda | Stops in high wind |
Road status, winter tyres and the Jvari Pass
When we checked the Roads Department list on 19 October 2026, nothing affected cars. The latest notice had barred trailers from a bridge in the Muguda gorge for one night, and that ban ended on 18 October. Driving up from Tbilisi you never reach the Jvari Pass, which sits on the 14 km past Gudauri towards Kobi. Over the past five winters that stretch was closed to everyone on between 10 and 17 days per season. Most closures lasted a few hours. Occasionally the road stayed shut for one to three days.
A law in force since January 2024 requires snowflake-marked winter tyres each winter from 1 December until 1 March. It applies on mountain roads named in a government decree. Police may also insist on chains, and breaking the rule costs 100 GEL. Keep chains in the boot whether or not your route is listed. On the morning you drive, check the Gudauri entry on our road and pass status page, built from Roads Department notices.
From Kutaisi, Batumi or Bakuriani
From Kutaisi allow about 5 hours for ~320 km, and from Batumi about 7 hours for ~450 km. Both routes join the Military Road near Mtskheta. Bakuriani is ~270 km away, a drive of 4 to 4.5 hours, so the two resorts pair well in one trip. We drive all of these routes as private transfers in winter-ready vehicles.
Skiing from Stepantsminda: the Kobi gondola and a closed Jvari Pass
The gondola chain gives you a second door onto the slopes. Stepantsminda, the town under Kazbek, is ~18 km beyond Kobi, about half an hour by car. MTA lists a free car park for around 50 cars beside the Truso lift at the Kobi base. Sleeping there swaps ski-in mornings for guesthouse cooking, Gergeti on your doorstep and very quiet evenings.
The same chain matters when the Jvari Pass road closes. The 14 km between Gudauri and Kobi is the part that shuts for blizzards and avalanche danger. Then the gondolas are the only link between the resort and the Kazbegi side. They stop in strong wind as well, though, and in the worst storms road and lifts close together. Some travellers report being carried free while the road was shut. Ask at the ticket office rather than count on it.
A lasting fix is under construction: a 23 km road from Kvesheti to Kobi with five tunnels. The longest is a 9 km bore that is already dug. The route also includes an arch bridge 166 m above the gorge. Its two halves were due to meet at the end of October 2026. No opening date had been set by 19 October 2026, so plan this winter around the old road.
Freeride, heli-skiing and ski touring in Gudauri
Gudauri's reputation rests on what lies between the pistes: broad, treeless slopes where fresh snow can stay untracked for days after a storm. Nobody controls or patrols that ground once you leave the marked runs. Treat every off-piste day as a trip into the mountains, not an extension of the resort.
Lift-served freeride
Most freeride days begin at the top of Sadzele or Kudebi. Short boot-packs reach faces above the Kobi side, and long open bowls lead back to a lift. Bigger outings drop into the Khada valley south of the resort and finish far below it, where a car meets the group. A local guide knows which slopes load up in which wind. On a guided day the guide brings or hires you a transceiver, probe and shovel.
Heli-skiing
Helicopter operators have flown from Gudauri for years, landing small groups and a guide on ridges far above the lifts. A day usually brings three to six long descents. Most flying is in February and March, when the snowpack has settled and the days are longer. Low cloud keeps the aircraft on the ground, so leave two or three spare days. You should be at ease in powder, crust and wind-packed snow. Ask any operator for its licence, its guides' qualifications and its 2026/27 dates. Prices are normally quoted in euros, per run or per day.
Ski touring
On skins, the ridges around Kudebi and Sadzele are within an hour of the top lifts. Beyond the pass, the Kazbek massif and the Juta valley give full touring days from Stepantsminda in late winter and spring. Touring skis and splitboards are hard to hire, so bring your own or reserve them early.
Avalanche safety
- Read the forecast: from December, avalanche.ge rates the danger around Gudauri on the five-level European scale.
- Hire a qualified guide. Georgia's mountain-guide school is based in Gudauri and certifies guides to IFMGA standards, so a good guide will happily show the paperwork.
- Carry a transceiver, probe and shovel, practise with them, and cross steep slopes one at a time.
- Ski patrols and a rescue team have worked the marked runs since 2016, and there is a medical point in the resort. In an emergency call 112.
Ski schools, lessons and ski rental in Gudauri
Gudauri has more ski and snowboard schools than any other Georgian resort. Most of them are based around the lower lifts in New Gudauri, with private and group lessons for adults and children. Instructors who teach in English or Russian are plentiful. For other languages, ask well ahead. From about 28 December to mid-January the good instructors are fully booked, so reserve lessons when you book your room.
- Shop hire: the tourism administration puts a set of skis, boots and poles at about 50 GEL (about $18) a day in 2026, and a snowboard with boots at about 70 GEL (about $26). A week costs less per day.
- Hire through us: ski or snowboard sets from about $16 (about 43 GEL) a day on longer rentals. A clothing set of jacket, trousers, helmet and goggles costs from about $10 a day. Everything is sized before you arrive and waiting in Gudauri.
- Helmets: the tourism administration lists wearing one among the resort's safety rules. Shops rent them, and every child should have one.
- Avalanche kit: freeride shops in the resort hire transceivers, probes and shovels, and on our guided days the guide supplies them.
Gudauri with children
Children who already ski, or who are keen to learn, do well here. Under-6s ride free and schools run children's classes. The covered conveyor promised for the snow park should make first days easier from 2026/27. The open, high slopes are harder on small children than a forest resort, though, because a cold wind at ~2,500 m bites. For a very first family ski week, Bakuriani is gentler, as our guide to skiing in Bakuriani explains. We plan our private trips around children of every age.
Where to stay in Gudauri for skiing
Pick your bed by its lift. The resort stretches for several kilometres along the road, and walking far in ski boots on icy pavements is miserable.
| Area | Best for | Trade-off |
|---|---|---|
| New Gudauri | The Goodaura gondola, most schools and hire shops, apartments, bars | Busiest base, highest prices |
| Old Gudauri, along the main road | Pirveli chair access from some hotels, including the Marco Polo; quieter evenings; lower prices | A shuttle or car to New Gudauri |
| Kvesheti and Pasanauri, below the hairpins | The cheapest rooms, village food | ~20 to 40 minutes up the bends every morning |
| Stepantsminda, via Kobi | Kazbek views, guesthouses, rest-day sights | ~30 minutes to the Kobi gondola, which can stop in wind |
MTA lists free car parks by the Pirveli, Shino and Truso lifts, and a big one with about 500 spaces by the Carpe Diem hotel. Smaller ones sit near the Atrium and Neo aparthotels and just past the tunnel. Paid covered parking is in the Redco buildings. On weekend mornings they fill early.
Most restaurants and shops open only for the ski season. Eating out costs more than in Tbilisi, a little less in Old Gudauri. There are supermarkets, cash machines and a pharmacy. Buy a Georgian SIM card before you come up: foreign roaming is patchy at this height.
Gudauri ski packages: what to book together
A Gudauri ski package usually bundles a room, lift passes, equipment hire and transfers, sometimes with lessons or a guide. It saves effort over New Year and in February, when rooms, instructors and drivers all sell out. But compare what each offer really contains:
- Pass: a multi-day pass for Gudauri alone, or a 7- or 10-day MultiSki that also covers Bakuriani?
- Room: ski-in, beside a lift, or a shuttle ride away?
- Transfers: from which airport, in a winter-ready vehicle, with a driver who knows the hairpins?
- Lessons or guiding: how many hours, group or private, and in which language?
- What is left out: your own travel insurance (compulsory), heli-ski days, night tickets and gondola rides for non-skiers.
Our Ski Week in Gudauri runs privately: any start date, any group size. It has four ski days and a day off in Stepantsminda with a drive up to Gergeti. You get five nights in a hotel on or next to the lifts with a sauna or spa. A final afternoon in Tbilisi ends in a sulphur bath. Passes, hire and either lessons or a freeride guide are matched to each skier. A guide in your language can travel with you. The tour page spells out what is included.
The two big resorts also combine well. Gudauri and Bakuriani are ~270 km apart, and one MultiSki pass covers both. A mixed group can spend a few days among Bakuriani's trees before moving up to Gudauri's open runs.
Rest days around Gudauri: paragliding, Kazbegi and the Military Road
Tandem paragliders take off from a launch at 2,245 m above the village and fly for 20 to 25 minutes over the Aragvi valley. They fly in winter as in summer, but only when wind and visibility allow. Passengers between 30 and 220 kg can fly, and anyone under 18 needs written consent from a parent. Snowmobile rides, ice skating and long hotel-spa afternoons fill the other gaps.
The classic rest day goes over the pass. Stepantsminda is about 45 minutes from Gudauri, beyond the Friendship Monument and the Jvari Pass itself. The monument is a curved mosaic balcony above the Devil's Valley. A 4x4 climbs to Gergeti Trinity Church under Kazbek. At Sno, just south of town, six boulders carved into giant heads of Georgian writers and leaders stand by the road to Juta. Check the pass before you set off. On the way home to Tbilisi, stop at Ananuri, the 17th-century fortress on the reservoir, and at the cathedrals of Mtskheta. Our Kazbegi day trip covers the valley in one day from Tbilisi, on any date.
Skiing in Gudauri: FAQ
Is Gudauri good for beginners?
Yes, when the weather is kind. Learners have greens near the bottom of Pirveli and in New Gudauri, plenty of schools and wide blues to move on to. Children under 6 ride free. With no trees, though, wind and flat light are hard on first-timers, so families with small children often prefer Bakuriani.
What does a Gudauri ski pass cost?
No 2026/27 prices were out on 19 October 2026. MTA usually publishes the tariff on status.mta.ski/en in December, a few days before opening. On top of the pass you pay once for the reusable Multicard. Under-6s are free, and a 7- or 10-day MultiSki also works in Bakuriani, Goderdzi and Mestia.
When does the ski season in Gudauri start in 2026/27?
MTA had not announced it by 19 October 2026. In the last three winters the lifts opened on 27 December (2025), 21 December (2024) and 20 December (2023). Each date was named only days before. They closed on 19 April 2026 and 17 April 2025. Expect late December to mid-April again.
How many kilometres of pistes does Gudauri have?
The official figure, from Georgia's tourism administration, is 37 km of marked runs, and an independent survey found about 35 km. Totals of 52 to 76 km elsewhere include the open terrain between the pistes. The lifts span 1,989 to 3,276 m.
What is the best way from Tbilisi to Gudauri in winter?
Drive 120 km north on the Georgian Military Road, 2 to 2.5 hours, with winter tyres and chains. A private transfer is easiest with ski bags, or take a Stepantsminda minibus from Didube bus station and get off in Gudauri. The road from Tbilisi does not cross the Jvari Pass.
Can you ski from Gudauri to Kobi?
Yes. Gondolas run from the mid-mountain hub over the ridge and down towards Kobi. The runs on that north-facing side keep their snow well into spring. The whole ride from New Gudauri to Kobi takes 30 to 60 minutes, and the gondolas pause in strong wind.
Is there night skiing in Gudauri?
Yes. In 2025/26 the floodlights went on every Friday and Saturday evening between 20:00 and 22:00. This took a separate night ticket, though season passes included it. A new lit run was announced for 2026/27 but not yet confirmed by MTA in October.
Can you go heli-skiing in Gudauri?
Yes. Gudauri is Georgia's best-known heli-skiing base. Small guided groups fly mostly in February and March, usually making three to six descents a day. Strong off-piste skiing, a policy that covers heli-skiing and a couple of spare days for weather are essential.
