New Year in Gudauri

It so happened that I decided to spend this New Year in Gudauri. Gudauri is a village and ski resort about 120 kilometers north of Tbilisi, on the way to the Russian border along the Georgian Military Highway. It’s probably the most popular ski resort in Georgia, though not the only one — there’s also Bakuriani, Hatsvali, Goderdzi, and Tetnuldi. The drive from Tbilisi takes roughly two to three hours by car.

Day 1

On the way from Tbilisi to Gudauri, there are a few places where you can stop and enjoy the Georgian scenery — for example, the Zhinvali Reservoir or the confluence of the White and Black Aragvi rivers. These two rivers flow through different gorges, which is why the water in one is light and in the other dark. After they meet, the two differently colored streams continue flowing side by side for a while without mixing.

Leaving at around one in the afternoon, I arrived in Gudauri closer to 4 PM and checked straight into Gudauri Lodge. The hotel is located closer to what’s known as Lower Gudauri, not far from the Pirveli chairlift. On the ground floor there’s the reception area and a bar; the guest rooms are on the floors above; one level down is the restaurant; and at the very bottom there’s the spa and fitness area with a 16-meter pool, a gym, a sauna, and a large outdoor hot tub overlooking the mountains.

The restaurant, where breakfast is also served in the mornings, has a terrace where the more cold-resistant guests can sit down for lunch. For a bit more comfort, some of the tables have infrared heaters installed above them. There was also a dog that often came out onto the terrace with her two puppies.

Since I barely caught any daylight on the day I arrived, I didn’t get much of a chance to walk around and take in the views.

Day 2

Usually by late December or early January, Gudauri already has plenty of snow and the season is in full swing. But this year turned out to be snowless, so on December 30 there was no snow on the slopes, and the season hadn’t even opened yet. There was only a thin layer of snow on the peaks. Part of the main slope had artificial snowmaking, but it wasn’t fully finished, so people were skiing mostly only at the very bottom and simply hiking up the slope on foot. A few lifts were running, but people with skis and snowboards weren’t allowed on them — only pedestrians could go up.

That morning I headed for one of those lifts, the Goodaura gondola. One ride up cost 14 lari; the ride down was free.

After wandering around up there for a bit and taking some photos, I went back down and set off on a hike along the ridge toward Mount Chardili. This peak sits slightly off to the side of the main slopes, and no lift goes up there.

I never made it all the way to the summit, so there won’t be any photos from the top.

All of this was happening on December 31, which meant it was time to get ready for New Year’s Eve. Luckily, the hotel had put together a holiday program that included a festive dinner and a performance by the popular Georgian singer Salio.

Day 3

From the point where the Goodaura lift takes you, you can go even higher on another gondola — up to the Kobi Pass. That’s exactly where I headed on January 1.

Since going downhill is much easier than climbing up, I decided to walk back instead, especially since there was a wide road leading down.

Day 4

By the fourth day, there was still one lift in Gudauri I hadn’t ridden yet — the Soliko chairlift. It generally goes to the same summit as the Goodaura gondola, just from a slightly different side, and since I hadn’t been in that part yet, Soliko was the obvious choice.

After studying the map of Gudauri a bit, I noticed a marker for an old postal station. The Georgian Military Highway is a very old road — it has connected Georgia with the Russian Empire for many years — and in the past this postal station was an important stop before crossing the Jvari Pass. And since I happened to need to change horses, that’s where I headed.

Unfortunately, I was late. By the looks of it, about 30 or 40 years late.

On that same map I also spotted a beer restaurant with craft beer. The guidebook said they served five varieties of locally brewed beer. I was late for that one too, though only by about three years.

Moral of the story: don’t trust maps and guidebooks in Gudauri. If some place existed three years ago, that doesn’t mean it still exists today.

Day 5

Before heading back to Tbilisi, I decided to stop in Stepantsminda to look at Mount Kazbek, but I already wrote about that here earlier.

On the way back, I made only one short stop near the Friendship Monument on the Georgian Military Highway.