Mount Kazbek Guided Ski Tour

Your adventure begins at Tbilisi Airport, where you will meet your guide and start the drive to Stepantsminda, a mountain village located at the foot of Mount Kazbek.

After arriving, we settle into the hotel and complete a full gear check. If any additional equipment is needed, your guide can help arrange rentals locally. In the evening, we enjoy a traditional Georgian dinner and go over the expedition plan together.

Today, we begin our ski touring approach towards Sabertse Pass and Altihut. Depending on snow conditions, we may need to carry our skis through some of the lower sections before reaching continuous snow.

The route takes us past the famous Gergeti Trinity Church before continuing into the alpine terrain below Mount Kazbek. Our destination is Altihut, a comfortable mountain hut with beautiful views of the glacier and surrounding peaks. To make the ascent easier, the main expedition equipment will be transported by horses.

We continue higher towards the Meteostation, which will serve as our base for the summit attempt.

The route crosses the impressive Gergeti Glacier, bringing us into true glaciated terrain with ice formations, seracs, and wide volcanic slopes. Depending on the conditions, we may use ski crampons or carry skis for some sections. Once we reach the hut, we rest, settle in, and prepare for the acclimatization days ahead.

Today is dedicated to acclimatization. Depending on weather, snow, and group conditions, we make a ski tour towards Kazbek Pass or in the direction of Mount Ortsveri, reaching approximately 4,000 to 4,200 meters.

This day helps the body adjust to the altitude while giving us a chance to evaluate the snowpack and skiing conditions on the mountain.

This day is reserved for technical training, safety practice, and rest before the summit push.

We review key glacier and ski mountaineering skills, including rope travel, kick turns on steep terrain, crampon and ice axe use, avalanche transceiver practice, and other techniques that may be needed higher on the route.

There may also be time to visit the small modern chapel near the Meteostation and ring the bell for good luck, a tradition among climbers and ski mountaineers before attempting Kazbek.

This is the most demanding and rewarding day of the expedition.

We start very early in the morning and skin across the glacier towards the upper plateau of Mount Kazbek. Higher up, the terrain becomes steeper and may require bootpacking with crampons and an ice axe, depending on snow and ice conditions.

After reaching the summit of Mount Kazbek at 5,054 meters, we prepare for one of the highlights of the trip: the ski descent. If weather and snow conditions allow, we ski down the upper slopes of Kazbek and return to the Meteostation through the vast glaciated terrain of the Gergeti Glacier. Mount Kazbek is also known by its Georgian name, Mkinvartsveri, often translated as “ice-capped peak,” a fitting name for this unforgettable high-altitude ski mountaineering experience.

This day is kept as a reserve in case of poor weather or unfavorable mountain conditions.

If we summit successfully on Day 6, we may use this day for additional skiing around the Meteostation area or begin the descent back towards Stepantsminda earlier.

We ski and hike back down to Stepantsminda before transferring to Tbilisi. Depending on your travel plans, we can take you either to your hotel or directly to the airport.

We recommend spending extra time in Tbilisi before or after the expedition. Its food, wine, culture, and lively atmosphere make it a great place to celebrate the end of a ski mountaineering adventure in the Caucasus.