Svaneti Ski Touring in the Georgian Caucasus

Day 1: Airport pickup

Arrival in Tbilisi or Kutaisi international airports. You will be picked up by the driver there and transferred to your hotel in Tbilisi or Kutaisi. Your hotel will be in the center of each city with easy access to sightseeing, restaurants, and cafes.

Day 2: Mestia

After an early breakfast, the group will be driven to Mestia, the main town in Svaneti. The drive will be about 5 hours from Kutaisi and 8 hours from Tbilisi, with some shortstops. There will be plenty of landscapes to enjoy on the way, especially as we gain altitude and get closer to Svaneti. You will feel you are moving into another world. Check into the hotel and be introduced to your local guide. At the welcome dinner, you will experience proper Georgian cuisine and discuss the plans for the days ahead. We’ll also visit the Svaneti ethnographic museum.

Day 3: Tetnuldi Ski Resort

Early breakfast and drive to Tetnuldi Ski Resort with the group. We will do several off-piste runs from the ski lifts to warm up for the days ahead. Then, we will do a short ski tour about 1 hour from the top of Tetnuldi ski resort. From there, we enjoy a thrilling ski descent of 1,300m to the spectacular village of Adishi, nestled in a deep valley. With the 4×4 car, we will head back to Mestia to the hotel for the night.

Vertical ascent: 200m / Vertical descent: 1,300m

Breakfast, dinner included

Accommodation in Mestia

Day 4: Etseri Valley-Mt. Simzagari

Early breakfast. We will start the day driving towards Etseri Valley and at 1,700m we will ascend Mt. Simzagari which is 3,311m in altitude. As we reach the summit, we will be rewarded with the breathtaking views of surrounding peaks. We’ll start the descent on an epic line, giving us 1,600m of a vertical drop. As we arrive to the Etseri Valley below, we will head back to our warm hotel in Mestia for dinner and rest.

Vertical ascent: 1600m / Vertical descent: 1,600m

Breakfast, dinner included

Accommodation in Mestia

Day 5: Bagvdnari

After finishing breakfast, we’ll drive towards Becho Valley. From the village of Bagvdnari, at an altitude 1,600m, we will ski tour through an old abandoned village and the ancient Mtavarangelozi Church. The slope will take us up to 3,300m on the ridge of Mt. Kheldra. During the ascent, get closer and closer to Mt. Ushba, one of the most iconic mountains in the Caucasus. After taking in the view of the mighty peaks around us, we will make an impressive descent of 1,700m back to the village of Bagvdnari. The driver will meet us and transfer us back to Mestia hotel where we’ll feast and rest.

Vertical ascent: 1700m/ Vertical descent: 1700m

Breakfast, dinner included

Accommodation in Mestia

Day 6: Mt. Laila

On this morning we will have breakfast and drive towards Tskhumari village, which is the way we will approach Mt. Laila. The ascent will start at 1,350m. At 2,250, we will have a variety of options to continue skinning up. Depending on the condition of the group, we can make our way to 3,400m, which will give us the best ski descent of a 2,050m vertical drop. After we ski down to the starting point, we will drive back to the Mestia hotel. Dinner and rest

Vertical ascent: 2050 / Vertical descent: 2050

Breakfast, dinner included

Accommodation in Mestia

Day 7: Chalaadi glacier

This day will be an exciting tour to the powder covered Chalaadi glacier, one of the favorite tours of the trip. We will drive about 10 minutes from our hotel in Mestia and start skinning up at 1,500m. The ascent will be through a beautiful alpine forest on Mt. Koruldi up to 3,320m. From this point, we’ll ski down a different route, through the Chalaadi glacier, right at the foot of Mt. Ushba and the Chatini Mountains. The feeling is other-worldly as you witness the powerful presence of these summits above you while carving through fresh powder snow. The driver will meet us in the valley and take us to the hotel in Mestia. Dinner and rest.

Vertical ascent: 1820 / Vertical descent: 1700

Breakfast, dinner included

Accommodation in Mestia

Day 8: Ushguli

Breakfast and checkout of hotel in Mestia. We will drive 2 hours towards the UNESCO Heritage site of Ushguli, the highest point of human occupation in Europe. At the feet of Shkhara and the massive Bezingi wall, Ushguli will fill you with amazements and curiosity. This is the most remote region of Svaneti allowing these ancient villages to be immaculately preserved. We’ll check-in to our guest house. Just next to the village, we’ll ascend Mt. Lamaria from 2,200m to 3,070m, where we’ll have an incredible view of the 9 summits of Mt Shkhara and the Svaneti main ridge. We will ski all the way down to Ushguli and relax in the guesthouse for the night.

Vertical ascent: 870m / Vertical descent: 870m

Breakfast, dinner included

Accommodation in Ushguli

Day 9: Mt. Gvibari

We’ll skin up to Mt. Gvibari up to 2,943m from the village. The northern slopes of this mountain offer the best terrain and snow conditions. We will run this line twice on this day, as the first time is never enough. After a full last day of incredible skiing, we’ll head down to Ushguli and rest in the guesthouse.

Vertical ascent: 1750m / Vertical descent: 1750m

Breakfast, dinner included

Accommodation in Ushguli

Day 10: Return

After an early breakfast, we’ll drive back to Tbilisi or Kutaisi from Ushguli. Check in to the hotel and rest for the night.

Breakfast included.

Accommodation in Tbilisi or Kutaisi, you will be dropped off at the airport the following day