To sunny Georgia for snow!
The road serpentine makes its way up. It is impossible to take your eyes off the window - among the mountains covered with snow and shadows of clouds, the Zhinvali Sea-reservoir, the majestic Ananuri fortress and ancient churches, incredibly perched on the very edge of the slope, look in turn.
Fascinated by the history and legends about the life of the mountaineers, which the guide of the "World of Travel" tour company accompanying us tells us, we do not notice how two hours fly by and we are there.
Gudauri is a young, rapidly developing resort - I read on many tourist portals, but it turns out that the first lift was built here back in the 70s of the last century, later the Austrians took up construction here, and now, after the economic downturn of the 90s, Gudauri is actively reviving and developing . New cottage complexes are opened every year, and today there are hotels of all classes here. High-quality new equipment for maintenance of slopes, five lines of the Doppelmayer chairlift ensure no queues and comfortable skiing. Trails of different difficulty levels are classified according to European standards as blue (for beginners), red and black. The total length of the slopes is more than 20 km, the longest is 7 km, the height difference is 1000m: the lower lift station is located at an altitude of 1990m, the third one is at the top of Kudebi (3009m), and the fifth one is on Sadzele mountain (3260m). According to the classification of the International Ski Federation (FIS), the tracks are designed for slalom, giant and super giant and downhill. FIS has already held its competitions here three times.
But most of all, Gudauri became famous for skiing on virgin lands. High snow, wide slopes, lack of rocks and low risk of avalanches create favorable conditions for free descent. Heliskiing is also popular here.
On the third day we make a trip to Stepantsminda, a village at the foot of Mount Mkinvartsver and "Ice Peak" - better known to us as Kazbek. We stay for the night in a guest house, in the family of relatives of the Georgian Patriarch Ilya II. It turns out that Patriah was born in a neighboring village, and in these parts every second of his relatives, smiling, explains our guide.
At dinner, the two-year-old grandson of the hostess, raising a cup of tea, proclaims a toast: "Sakartvelos gaumardzhos! " (Long live Georgia). Falling asleep, we talk for a long time about the fact that you can ride anywhere from Austria to Poland, but you can only meet such a spirit here in Georgia.
A few hours drive from Gudauri, in the Borjomi Gorge, there is another popular winter resort - Bakuriani. This place is called "Sun Valley". And although Bakuriani will not please with three thousand peaks (the highest station of the cable car is located on Kokhta - 2200m), but it was here that the former base of the Soviet Olympic skiing team was located. One of the tracks is certified by FIS and the World Olympic Committee. In addition to the slopes of different levels of difficulty, tourists can have fun riding horses, sledges, ATVs, snowstorms, ice skating and simply enjoy the beauty of nature and the healing climate. Bakuriani, unlike Gudauri, is surrounded by mountains covered with coniferous forests and the air here is transparent and fresh, thanks to the natural mixing of four air streams, according to local residents. The world-famous Borjomi springs are located in the Bakurian mountains. You can try this mineral water directly from the source, in particular, by taking a trip on the "cuckoo" - a Georgian narrow-gauge railway. Borjomi National Park is located 30 km from Bakuriani.
Check-in for the Tbilisi-Kyiv flight continues. A couple of snowboarders in line ahead of me had just sort of settled their gear overhead. "But what about the wine? " - the man shouts, making his way through the entire queue and holding out a five-liter bottle to them... "I did it myself! Take it, take it, drink in Kyiv for an acquaintance! And be sure to visit us again! ”
