Gudauri alpine ski area

Gudauri is an alpine area in Georgia’s Greater Caucasus, with lower roadside access, New Gudauri, central slopes and a connection towards Kobi on the other side of the ridge. These are separate starting and return choices. This guide excludes ski touring, freeride, heli-skiing and unmarked mountain descents; a lift on the plan does not make the surrounding terrain a permitted piste.

Historical: the actually inspected GNTA/MTA brochure is a December 2022 file, predating later expansion. Its legend uses local green Beginner, blue Intermediate, red Advanced and black Expert. Pirveli, Soliko and Kudebi remain selected historical name/colour references only. Generic OSM difficulty is not converted into a universal colour; unmatched branches stay grey.

Conflicting sources: the December 2022 brochure advertises 28 pistes/39 km and 18 installations; GNTA’s destination text gives 37 km and 18 lifts. MTA’s English 2023/24 project says the network grew from 70 to 76 km. The Georgian page instead has a 2023/24 heading but December 2024 opening in its body, three new pistes and 70 to 80 km. These dated, differently scoped figures are not a reconciled current inventory. Selected names and community segments are not a substitute for that inventory.

Historical: the December 2022 original shows older Pirveli, Soliko, Shino, Kudebi and Sadzele sectors, with Goodaura/Firni/Kobi gondolas and learner installations. Doppelmayr’s UP02/2024 account, pages 38–39, identifies New Gudaura and Kikilo as six-seat bubble chairs for MTA, with February 2024 Snowboard World Cup context. This establishes historical manufacturer names/types; it does not establish their present footprint, opening or replacement status.

Unconfirmed: the present two-new-chair alignments, Kobi/Firni/Truso name equivalences and Khada/SnowPark replacement scope have not been established. Their doubtful footprints and affected branches are omitted rather than labelled as current. The retained gondola corridor uses raw community names only. Goodaura and Firni have distinct coordinate arrays but identical raw capacity/duration/length/year tags, so those tags are not independent specification or identity evidence.

Historical: the 11 January 2026 FAQ gives Gudauri/Kobi daily 10:00–17:00, Friday/Saturday night 20:00–22:00 and ticket sales ending 30 minutes before lift closure. Both English and Georgian 17 December 2025 notices give Gudauri daily 10:00–17:00; their weekday/weekend split concerns Goderdzi. The separate 12 July 2026 notice gives summer sightseeing 11:00–17:00 from 18 July. None establishes forthcoming winter hours or final return boarding.

MTA’s 28 October 2026 announcement lists 20 December as the planned start for the winter season. The current operator homepage reports Gudauri closed. Unconfirmed: the final season day, lift-by-lift winter timetable, final skier boarding and a complete return are not established. Legacy status hosts remain unavailable; the new MTA map landing is accessible. A future announcement and community geometry do not guarantee operation or access.

MTA and GNTA place Gudauri approximately 120 km from Tbilisi. The tourism authority describes the road approach and warns about the final snowy winding climb. Its generic car journey estimate and description of minivans are not a dated carrier timetable or a promise that the road will be passable.

Check the Roads Department’s actual restriction list before departure and again on the travel day; its published hotline is +995 32 2 31 30 76. Gudauri and the Kobi approach lie on different sides of the ridge. A lift connection does not guarantee a transfer when road or weather restrictions apply, and an absent restriction on the first list page is not evidence that the entire route is safe.

Historical: the 11 January 2026 FAQ lists outdoor parking near Pirveli, Shino, Carpe Diem and Truso and paid covered Redco parking. These named older facilities help distinguish bases, but do not establish current charges, spaces or walking conditions. Georgian Bus currently describes a winter-only Kutaisi Airport–Gudauri route stopping by Smart supermarket. Unconfirmed: exact 2026/27 departures, fares, equipment carriage and a complete assisted boarding/arrival chain have not been verified; arrange these individually.

Unconfirmed: no numeric 2026/27 day fare, current card charge/deposit or dated checkout quote has been verified. MTA directs readers to its tariff service, which returned HTTP 500 on 29 October 2026. Older brochure prices and expired discounts are omitted as current offers; check the actual dated product and contract before paying.

Historical: The 11 January 2026 FAQ requires a physical ski pass at the gate: an electronic ticket or phone QR code does not open the lift. Its reusable Multicard can be topped up for later seasons. Passes are personal, and the FAQ says a daily pass excludes night skiing while seasonal passes include it. Confirm the exact resort, dates and night/sightseeing scope before purchase.

Historical: The dated FAQ lists free lift use below six, child ages 6–12 and junior ages 13–18; category-specific documentary requirements differ. It says purchased passes cannot be cancelled/refunded and a lost personal pass must be reported within 24 hours. Reconfirm the current contract and eligibility with MTA or an official partner, especially if weather, a return connection or assisted access is essential.

GNTA’s winter guide advises helmets, attention to piste signs and speed, weather checks and respect for avalanche warnings. Historical: the inspected December 2022 MTA map marks dangerous areas and rescue 112 and distinguishes terrain outside marked trails. These are planning references, not a current avalanche assessment, an open-piste report or a rescue-response guarantee.

Unconfirmed: no current recreational uphill corridor, touring timetable or permission outside the marked open network has been verified. Follow staff instructions and closures. The community map excludes touring, freeride, backcountry and extreme terrain, upper Sadzele, the disputed newer-chair branches and unresolved work areas. A mapped lift never authorizes a descent across surrounding mountain terrain.

GNTA describes ski patrols, rescue teams and a medical station and advises checking skiing cover in the actual insurance contract. Unconfirmed: a date-specific Gudauri step-free approach, chair-ski boarding procedure and complete assisted return have not been established by the general accessibility page. Discuss the full vehicle-to-equipment-to-lift-to-return chain with the operator/provider before booking, and confirm current terrain and final boarding locally.

GNTA describes several independent ski schools, equipment rentals, accommodation, shops, pharmacies and restaurants. Establish the exact provider and meeting base before booking: a lesson in New Gudauri and a rental near Pirveli can require a separate journey. The generic tourism-page rental estimates are not current offers, and no particular provider, equipment size or adaptive lesson is guaranteed.

MTA is the government-owned operator of the marked lift/piste infrastructure. Its website publishes the general contact info@mta.ski and the postal office at 70 Kostava Street, second floor, Tbilisi; that office is not a skier meeting point. Use the official site for current channels and rescue 112 for emergencies as shown on the original. Do not treat an old map’s service symbol as proof that a shop or station is staffed today.

Historical: rugbyxm’s genuine licensed winter photograph was taken on 1 January 2008 and shows an older chairlift configuration. It establishes no present snow, opening or service availability. Unconfirmed: current staffing of map-marked shops, patrol facilities and individual lesson/rental or adaptive services has not been established. Confirm the exact provider, base, appointment and return arrangement for your actual date.