Ski Touring in the Greater Caucasus, Georgia
From mid-January to early February I went ski touring in Georgia with friends.
We chose the wild and remote region of Svaneti, whose capital Mestia lies in the Greater Caucasus close to the border between Georgia and Russia. More precisely, we ended up in the small village of Ushguli – the last village that can still be reached by 4x4 in winter.
We flew from Munich to Tbilisi. Picking up the hire car went smoothly, and straight afterwards we drove the 13 hours to Ushguli in one go without any major problems. It has to be said that driving in Georgia is an experience in itself, and we were glad to have rented a capable off-road vehicle (a Mitsubishi Pajero from CSS Cars).
Our accommodation at “Babi & Tata’s House” was simple and rustic but very welcoming, and it fitted the spirit of ski touring in this area perfectly. The family’s 16-year-old daughter speaks perfect English (rather the exception in Georgia) and runs the place with great dedication. Breakfast and dinner were always very good, and you definitely won’t go hungry ;) There’s Wi-Fi, too.
We did some beautiful ski tours and were almost always on our own. Often we got to lay the first tracks. You have to work out the current avalanche situation yourself. However, the area offers plenty of ski touring summits with gentle, less exposed terrain, so even when conditions are tricky you can choose defensive tours on slopes below 30 degrees.
Outmap provided excellent digital maps for this.
The ski tours I did in this region are certainly among the most beautiful I have ever experienced, and the country and its people are definitely worth a visit.
Photos from the tour
