Exploring Georgia's Ski Destinations This Winter Amid Political Turmoil in Tbilisi
Georgia, as a country in the high Caucasus Mountains dividing Europe from Asia, has always had great potential for ski resorts. It remains quite cheaper than ski resorts in Austria or Switzerland, and ski tourism in Georgia has only been recently developed over the last decade or so, but it's already bearing fruit. In this article we will discuss winter sports in Georgia in general and how the country appeals to tourists from the Gulf States specifically. We'll discuss the current post-election political crisis (our fellow ESW Editor Stanislav Krapivnik who recently visited Tbilisi calls it a Color Revolution attempt) in Georgia which is creating an opportunity for enterprising tourists and tour managers to book ski packages below the typical rates.
Photo credit above: Georgian flag on a ski cabin with Gudauri resort lifts
Uploaded to iStock by EvaL Apr 2021 iStock photo ID: 1309069328
Overview of the Current Political Crisis in Georgia
In the early 1990s and again during the Beijing Olympics of 2008 Georgia was seen as a land of conflict, with pro-Russian South Ossetia and Abkhazia seceding. Tensions with these unrecognized breakaway republics culminated in the Russo-Georgian War of 2008. But today we can confidently say that the Republic of Georgia is quite peaceful. We say this acknowledging some political turmoil which, despite modest protests in Batumi along the Black Sea coast, have been mostly confined to downtown Tbilisi. More specifically, there have been nightly clashes between pro-EU protesters who routinely use green laser pointers to harass the cops and discharge fireworks at government buildings, and the riot police tasked with protecting the Parliament along the central thoroughfare of Rustaveli Avenue. With #fakenews of post-October election 'violence' being played up, this now lower thresh hold of 'peaceful protester' violence is predictably downplayed by Western media and the EU condemning the supposed regime crackdown, while being celebrated on anti-Georgian Dream social media.
In the Western press and on many social media channels, the unruly Georgian youth are depicted as valiant freedom fighters against a pro-Russian regime's decision to dash their cherished hopes and dreams of EU membership. Hanging in the balance at the moment with the Dutch government demanding a freeze on Georgia's current limited visa-free regime with the EU, as Tbilisi's application to join the bloc is now frozen due to the elected Georgian Dream party's alleged pro-Russian turn. Tbilisi in turn, accuses the EUrocrats of gross meddling in Georgia's internal affairs, a claim with considerable justification as the current opposition-leading Georgian President is a dual citizen and former diplomat of France. In Russian media, the protests are depicted as yet more Maidan-style aggressive Western meddling to overthrow a non-hostile government on Russia's periphery and replace it with a puppet regime that like Ukraine, will seek to join NATO.
Georgian Dream Has Sought Economic Diversification from Europe AND Russia Via Partnerships with the GCC Countries
In truth, although Georgia has been pursuing a more multipolar path during its recent years of impressive economic growth, Tbilisi presently has no diplomatic relations with Russia, which were broken by the war in 2008. Many patriotic Georgians, while rejecting any repeat of the 08/08/08 conflict, would prefer diversification of trade and tourist flows over excessive economic reliance on their larger Russian neighbor. As we've previously written here, Tbilisi has been courting major real estate and infrastructure investment from the Gulf Cooperation Council (GCC) countries, who despite Saudi Arabia and the UAE recently joining the BRICS+ bloc, are hardly in thrall to Russi--as recent events with the collapse of the Russian-backed Assad government in Syria demonstrate.
Enticing Deals on Cheaper Flights to Georgia and Hotel Stays This Winter
The upshot to recent events remains: widespread media coverage of the protests and social media clips on TikTok depicting violent clashes with riot-shield wielding police in both Russia and Western countries is likely to make many tourists from both Russian and Europe avoid Georgia this winter. We are likely to see cheaper deals on flights to Tbilisi and Batumi as well as ski resort stays for intrepid travelers ready to take advantage of scary media headlines not matching the largely peaceful reality. We want to emphasize that despite the political standoff on Rustaveli Avenue, tourists are quite safe in the rest of Tbilisi outside the protest zone and throughout the country.
The Ski season in Georgia runs from December to April, which in itself depends on snow conditions in the Caucasus Mountains.
There are multiple reasons on why you could prefer Georgia over European countries, however, mostly speaking it would be from an economic scene – Georgia, as stated before, would be much cheaper than Swiss or Austrian destinations, and the Caucasus Mountains are quite different from the Alps, given Georgian resorts' proximity to the warm waters of the Black Sea (not dissimilar to the 2014 Winter Olympics-hosting Russian city of Sochi much further up the coast). There are also other activities you could partake in besides skiing, such as visiting old Tbilisi as well as Georgian churches and monasteries.
There are four main ski resorts in Georgia, which we will discuss now.
1) Bakuriani
Considered to be the second largest ski resort in the country, it is located within 200 kilometers of Tbilisi and the ranges there varies around the 1,700 meters mark. It has been in operation for almost 100 years, although back in Soviet times, it was a training facility for the USSR's Winter Olympic athletes. It is one of the few Georgian mountain resorts that managed to get quite a lot of investment in recent years to develop to this highly modernized point.
There are five ski tracks in Bakuriani, with 23 ski pistes and eight lifts and one funicular. While this may seem that it would give you quite a queue–have no worries, as it is usually not very crowded compared to other resorts, the runs span over 29 kilometers.
Besides skiing, there is a cave city nearby alongside a national park and hot springs in the famous mineral water bottling town of Borjomi. So you can also take some of your time to check out these other activities, if you are a first time skiier in Georgia–our recommendation is to stick to Baukriani. This is especially true if you are a neophyte skiier coming from the UAE or Saudi Arabia.
Photo credit: Evening view of the Gudauri ski resort and nearby condos
Uploaded to iStock by EvaL Oct 2022 iStock photo ID: 1429886077
2) Gudauri
The largest and most well-developed of the four main ski resorts in Georgia, with a broad range of accommodation and restaurant options nearby. The ranges here vary from 2 to 3 thousand meters, and is also quite close to Tbilisi (120 kilometers), making it the most visited winter sports resort in the country. Gudauri was established back in the 1980s and is thus considered to be one of the most modern ski resorts.
There are 20+ ski runs and off-piste areas, with 15 ski lifts, and the runs cover over 80 kilometers, it Is unique from the three other resorts in that it's the only one offering helicopter rides over the mountains. Thus you are able to participate in heli-skiing.
If you are traveling to Gudauri from Tblisi as your home base, excursions to nearby Bazaleti Lake located 900 meters above sea level can also be arranged.
3) Hatsvali
The smallest of the four resorts covered here, with the ranges varying from 1600 to 3,000 meters, it is more known for its cuisine and scenery than anything else. There is a nearby Ethnographic Museum of Georgia and a UNESCO heritage site if you are into such sites. The ski runs cover of 10 kilometers, of which there are five.
4) Goderdzi
The most underdeveloped of the four resorts covered here, and thus its utilities are quite limited compared to the previous three resorts we mentioned. At least the previous three resorts all had rental options where you can rent ski equipment or hire instructors and trainers. Goderdzi has no such thing, there is only one hotel which serves all visitors, but many mountain hiking trails for the off-season. Plus, despite slower driving through the Caucasus coastal range, Goderdzi is the closest major ski resort to the Black Sea city of Batumi and its airport, making flying in easy via charter flights from the Gulf states as well as regular service from Russia or Turkey.
There are four pistes, and 8 kilometers of tracks serviced by 4 lifts.
Considering the largely downplayed in Western media success a decade ago of the 2014 Sochi Olympic games to the northwest in the Caucasus, God willing, Georgia will be ready to host its own Winter Olympiad in the coming decades.