A step back in time is the best way I can describe Georgia (the country not the state). Smacked in the middle of a thin sliver of land between Russia, Turkey, Armenia and Azerbaijan is the beautiful country of Georgia. Most recently Georgia is famous for its border conflicts with Russia and occasional political movements, but among ski adventurers it is known for soaring peaks and deep powder snow. I can attest the steep and deep reputation is accurate.
Arriving in Tbilisi is a bit disorienting, the city is a mixture of old and new, as evidenced by the mix of historical homes, castles and monuments immediately adjacent to futuristic bridges and buildings that seem to be sprouting up from amongst the otherwise low lying city scape. The city taking a little time to adjust to, but is filled with abundant dining options and hidden gems among the local architecture. high recommend a city tour, preferably one that involves abridged wine tour, Georgia is after all the oldest wine producing country in the world. But enough about the capital, let’s talk about the skiing and for that we need to head to the the town of northwest town of Mestia.
Mestia is reached via 7 hour van ride or 45 min plane ride, we opted for the plane. Should note booking tickets on the flight from Tbilisi to Mestia is old school as it gets, phone calls, emailing of documents and nothing online (this may have changed, since my last visit 3 years ago). When you arrive at the airport the same person that check you in, will be the same person that scans and weighs your luggage and loads your luggage (it’s a small operation). The flight was a bit of a white knuckle ride in through snow squalls and low visibility but the pilots handled themselves well and we landed safely through both legs of our journey.
Mestia itself is a classic mountain town, located in a narrow valley situated among soaring peaks on all sides. The town has many accommodation options, but make no mistake this is not a luxury resort scene. But what it lacks in luxury, Mestia makes up for in authenticity and beauty.
Located in town is a local ski mountain called Hatsvali, the resort is lower elevation and doesn’t have a large vertical drop, but contains a decent amount of trails and can be reached easily from town (3 – 5 min car ride). Where you will want to spend your time skiing is 45 mins down the road at Tetnuldi Ski Resort. It is situated at a much higher elevation and offers access more expansive terrain and backcountry exploring.
Tetnuldi has is tucked high above the valley where the tree line starts to give way to the above alpine terrain. It has a single base lodge building and a couple of brand new lifts (the extra bougie kind with race car seats and retractable bubble screens. The bottom pat of the mountain offers mellow terrain filled with wide cruiser run, while the top lifts five access to much steeper and technical terrain (especially if your willing to make the extra 30 mins effort to boot pack up some of the ridgelines just off the highest elevation lifts). Here you can find terrain that will get the blood pumping and zero in your focus, but be warned, this is not the US and the just out beyond the boundary of the lifts and groomed runs the avalanche control was infrequent or entirely non-existent. There were numerous slides visible from the lifts just outside the ski resort boundaries (where many riders had ventured). Part of this was due to the snow cycle we experienced (heavy snow on top of a weak base), but something to be mindful of. Do not assume the clearly visible lines from the lift are safe, venture off trail at your own risk.
Ski Resort Reports 