Ski Resorts in Georgia: Gudauri, Bakuriani, Mestia, Goderdzi

Georgia has four ski resorts: Gudauri, Bakuriani, Mestia and Goderdzi. Every lift in the country belongs to the same state company, so one ski pass card works at all of them, and prices are a fraction of what you pay in the Alps: a day on the slopes in Gudauri cost 70 lari last winter, about 27 dollars.

The resorts vary a lot in size, difficulty and how easy they are to reach. Before you book, it helps to know when the season opens, what lift passes, rentals and instructors cost, how to get there from Tbilisi, Kutaisi and Batumi, and where avalanches and insurance fit into the picture.

Resorts and lift pass prices

The lifts at all four resorts are run by the state-owned Mountain Trails Agency (MTA). Prices for the 2026/27 season haven't been announced yet; the table shows last season's 2025/26 prices, which were the same as in the winter of 2024/25.

Kids aged 6 to 12 pay half price, and children under 6 ride free. A season pass good at every MTA resort cost 650 lari, or 300 lari for students. In Gudauri, a 6-day pass cost 340 lari, compared with 420 if you bought day passes one at a time.

The pass is loaded onto a plastic card with a one-time cost of about 5 lari, and you can reload the same card in future seasons. Cards are sold at the ticket windows by the lifts, on skipass.ge, tkt.ge and biletebi.ge, and in the SKIPASS App and SuperApp. Lifts in Gudauri and Bakuriani usually run from 10:00 to 17:00, and in Mestia and Goderdzi until 16:00.

Season dates

The Mountain Trails Agency (MTA) plans to open the 2026/27 season at all resorts at once on December 20, 2026, if there is enough snow. Last winter, the Kokhta area in Bakuriani was first to open, on December 20, 2025, and the other resorts followed on December 27. Bakuriani, Hatsvali and Goderdzi close around the end of March, Tetnuldi in early April and Gudauri in mid- to late April.

The best snow usually falls between mid-January and early March. Over the New Year holidays and on weekends, the slopes and minibuses are packed and lodging is at its priciest.

Winter in the mountains is snowy and sunny, and very different from Tbilisi, because the climate and seasons in Georgia depend heavily on altitude. In January, Gudauri sits around -6°C in the daytime and drops to -14°C at night, with 1-2.5 m of snow on the ground. Pack warm layers, goggles and sunscreen: at altitude the sun is strong even on frosty days.

Gudauri

The biggest and most popular resort sits by the Jvari Pass on the Georgian Military Road, 120 km from Tbilisi. The village is at 2,200 m, the top station at 3,276 m, and most of the runs are intermediate. Gudauri has the most English-speaking instructors in the country, plus a terrain park, freeride terrain and heli-skiing from 550 euros a day.

Renting skis or a snowboard runs 40-60 lari a day, and a private instructor 100-120 lari an hour. On Fridays and Saturdays, the Pirveli run opens for night skiing from 20:00 to 22:00.

For the 2026/27 season, Gudauri is getting two new runs with a combined length of 6 km, artificial snowmaking and floodlights on the Akhali Gudaura run for evening skiing. MTA says this will bring the total length of the runs to 86 km, while independent counts of marked runs put it at about 35 km.

Most of the lodging is in the New Gudauri apartment complexes by the bottom station and in the hotels of the old center. In season, an apartment with a kitchen goes for roughly 200-400 lari a night, more over the holidays.

Bakuriani

Bakuriani lies in the Borjomi Gorge, 180 km from Tbilisi, with the village at 1,700 m surrounded by pine forest. One pass covers three areas: the long, demanding runs of Didveli, which hosted the 2023 Freestyle and Snowboard World Championships, and the gentle slopes of Kokhta and Mitarbi, where beginners feel at home.

This is Georgia's main family resort, with plenty of ski schools for kids, sledding, ice rinks and walking trails for anyone who doesn't ski. Rentals cost 30-50 lari a day and an instructor 70-100 lari an hour.

The narrow-gauge "Kukushka" train from Borjomi to Bakuriani hasn't run since 2020. The government says it will return after restoration in December 2026, but check closer to your trip.

Mestia: Hatsvali and Tetnuldi

These two ski areas in Svaneti, 460 km from Tbilisi, share a single pass. Hatsvali is small, at 1,868-2,348 m, and the Zuruldi cable car carries you up from the edge of Mestia. Tetnuldi is 17 km out of town, with skiing up to 3,160 m and a run as long as 9.5 km.

Tetnuldi is widely regarded as Georgia's best freeride spot, and it has hosted Freeride World Tour stops since 2024. The February 2026 stop was canceled because the snow cover was thin and unstable, and the 2027 calendar has not been announced yet. Mestia has fewer instructors than Gudauri, so it isn't the best pick for a first ski trip, and getting there eats up most of a day.

Lodging is cheaper, though: a guesthouse costs roughly 50-80 lari a night in winter, or 80-150 lari per person with dinner and breakfast included.

Goderdzi

Georgia's smallest and cheapest resort sits in the mountains of Adjara at around 2,027 m. It has 8 km of mostly gentle runs, a gondola, a chairlift and a magic carpet for beginners, and a day pass costs 30 lari.

Most visitors come from Batumi, about 110 km and 2.5-4 hours away on winter roads. Coming from Tbilisi, the pass through Adigeni is usually closed in winter, so you have to go around through Batumi.

Getting there

In Tbilisi, minibuses to Gudauri and Bakuriani leave from Didube bus station, the hub for most intercity transport in Georgia heading north and west. From Kutaisi, Bakuriani is about 2.5-3 hours away and Mestia 5-6 hours.

Vanilla Sky flies to Mestia from the Natakhtari airfield outside Tbilisi. The plane is small, baggage is capped at 15 kg, and flights are often canceled because of weather, so build a spare day into any winter trip.

Safety and insurance

The road from Tbilisi to Gudauri almost always stays open in winter: last season it was closed only once, overnight from February 27 to 28, 2026. Closures are far more common on the stretch beyond the resort, from Gudauri over the Jvari Pass to Kobi: at least 13 times in the 2025/26 winter, sometimes for 4-5 days. If you are heading on to Kazbegi after skiing, check road conditions on georoad.gov.ge.

Gudauri has had a ski patrol and a first aid station since 2016, but nothing like the professional avalanche services of the Alps.

When it comes to winter safety in Georgia, avalanches and closed passes are the main risk in the mountains. Go off-piste only with a guide and avalanche gear: a beacon, probe and shovel, which rent in Gudauri for about 35 lari a day. If someone is hurt or missing, call 112; it reaches police, ambulance and fire services and works even without a SIM card.

Since January 1, 2026, foreigners have needed medical insurance to enter Georgia. Basic policies often exclude skiing and helicopter evacuation, so make sure your health insurance in Georgia covers winter sports before you head for the mountains.

Which resort is right for you

• Gudauri: closest to Tbilisi, the most runs, freeride and heli-skiing, plenty of English-speaking instructors.
• Bakuriani: families with kids and beginners, gentle slopes, forest and plenty to do off the slopes.
• Mestia: experienced skiers and freeriders who don't mind the long trip.
• Goderdzi: the cheapest day pass and short runs, an easy hop from Batumi.

Key takeaways

• Four resorts, one operator (MTA) and one ski pass card.
• Day passes last winter: Gudauri 70 lari, Bakuriani 55, Mestia 50, Goderdzi 30; 2026/27 prices are not out yet.
• The season usually runs from late December to late March or mid-April, with the best snow from mid-January on.
• Rentals cost 30-60 lari a day, instructors 70-120 lari an hour.
• A minibus to Gudauri costs 15 lari and to Bakuriani 20; the Kukushka train to Bakuriani isn't running yet.
• Make sure your insurance covers skiing, and if you are going on from Gudauri to Kazbegi, check whether the Jvari Pass is open.