Georgia – Ski touring trip to Gudauri and Kazbek

Day 1: Travel to Gudauri
Landing in Tbilisi, followed by a transfer of around 2.5 hours to Gudauri. After the journey we take our time to settle in and check into our hotel in Gudauri.

Days 2-5: Freeriding and ski touring
Four days of ski touring and freeriding in Gudauri. Our local guide Anatoly will show us the best freeride options and the finest ski tours to the numerous 3,000-metre peaks around Gudauri. This is his home; he works as a mountain and ski guide and knows the mountains, the snow and the whole area like hardly anyone else. On the last of these days, depending on how we feel, we do a shorter ski tour in the morning before moving to the next area with a transfer to Stepantsminda in the late afternoon. We stay first at the hotel in Gudauri, then at the hotel in Stepantsminda.

Day 6: Ascent to the Altihut
From Stepantsminda we climb to the Altihut at around 3,000 metres. With 1,250 metres of ascent, this is already a solid day's stage. If that's not enough for you, you can add an acclimatisation tour to the Ortsveri Pass followed by a descent to the Altihut. In the hut, newly built in 2018, we enjoy practically the standard we are used to from huts in the Alps.
Walking time: 5.5 h | ↑ 1,250 m
⌂ Altihut (3,000 m)

Day 7: On to the Betleemi Hut
From the Altihut the next stage takes us on to the Betleemi Hut at 3,650 metres. Now things get considerably more rustic, with less comfort and warmth awaiting us. If you want to shorten your stay at this hut, you can add a longer day stage up to the Ortsveri Saddle.
Total: ↑ 650 m
⌂ Betleemi Hut (3,650 m)

Day 8: Ski tour up Kazbek
From the Betleemi Hut we head over demanding terrain and impressive glacier expanses to the summit of Mount Kazbek, one of Georgia's most famous mountains. If everything comes together – weather, conditions and the participants' fitness and acclimatisation – this summit will be the crowning finale of our trip to Georgia. If the summit of Kazbek isn't possible, we have the option of climbing Mount Spartak, which is over 4,500 metres high. And simply visiting this region and being out in this impressive mountain world is a highlight in itself. Afterwards we ski a whopping 3,300 vertical metres from the summit down to Stepantsminda, where we spend one more night.
Total time: ↑ 1,400 m | ↓ 3,300 m | Difficulty: PD+, up to 40°

Day 9: Rounding off in Tbilisi
Our last full day in Georgia. Today we travel back via Gudauri to Tbilisi to round off our stay as guests in this wonderful country. We spend the evening together over a good dinner in Georgia's capital.

Day 10: Departure
From the airport in Tbilisi we fly back home – with lots of great impressions and experiences in our luggage.

Info: Climbing Mount Kazbek is our plan A. Although the mountain counts among the easier 5,000-metre peaks in summer, in winter this high summit often shows its forbidding side. Storms, precipitation and poor conditions can make an ascent impossible. So it also takes a bit of luck to catch a suitable weather window during these days. If the summit isn't possible, we have a solid plan B with additional tour options in Gudauri and the Kazbek area.