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TR: Tetnuldi 27-28 January 2017
 Poster: A snowHead
Poster: A snowHead

Our holiday: Part of a 10 day trip to Georgia followed by 5 days in Mestia/Tetnuldi.
I travelled with my usual 2 snowboarding mates. We are fairly experienced powder-hungry riders who have explored the European Alps extensively and are now looking for new challenges around the world, in addition to our frequent alpine visits.

Basics : Mestia is in the middle of nowhere. High up in the Svaneti valley, 140km from the nearest town Zugdidi, 3-4 hours away along a tortuous mountain road. Access from Tbilisi is therefore lengthy and complicated however there is a scheduled flight service operated by http://vanillasky.ge, a Georgian tour operator based in Tbilisi, departing from a small airfield at Natakhtari 20km north of the city. Flight time to Mestia is 50 minutes and very spectacular. However this shouldn't be relied upon, especially if travelling with skis/snowboards, as 50%+ of flights are cancelled in the winter due to weather conditions, and maximum weight allowance per person including hand luggage is 15 kg. We were very lucky for our trip out arriving just before the weather closed in, and they let us on with more than 15kg each because the plane was only half full. But for the return trip the flight was cancelled so we had to come back via taxi to Zugdidi then night train to Tbilisi.

Tetnuldi is a further 30-40 minute taxi journey up the valley along a very poor quality road from Mestia. It must be one of if not the most isolated venues in the world for a modern ski resort to be developed which has pretensions of attracting international customers. Totally bonkers given the poor access and distance from civilisation.

Lift system : 2 fast 6 seaters to the top and 1 fixed grip quad to the left from the middle station. Unfortunately the top lift remained closed during our visit, presumably due to avalanche danger from the new snow that was wind-loaded above the massive north-west face below it. (see pics)
The piste map shows plans for 12 lifts in total, including 4 up from the valley. Will be amazing if/when it happens, but don't know how they will ever make a profit, unless they have plans to build a new international airport in the valley as well Puzzled

Very quiet during our visit. No more than 50 people on the hill on powder day Friday, maybe 150-200 on the Saturday.

The terrain : The first lift from the base accesses a mellow blue gradient piste. The terrain around the fixed grip quad to the left is more interesting, with some good off-piste. But without the top lift operational it was all slightly limited. Gutting not being able to get up there! Stunning views of the surrounding 5000m+ Caucasus peaks.

The snow : Masses of snow already in Mestia on arrival (the runway was snow covered Shocked) and it snowed approximately another 30cm during our stay. Very light dry powder immediately after the snow fall - great.

The resort : A developing base station with a basic restaurant and very slow service. Nothing else on the hill. Down the valley, Mestia is a charming town steeped in history. Full of ambience and character. Svaneti towers are all over the place dating back centuries. An interesting museum about Svaneti culture and archaelogical findings which is worth visiting if you have the time.

Food : Lots of places to eat in Mestia. Georgian food is very tasty but mostly meat and bread/cheese based so stodgy and filling. Not a place for a vegetarian.

Accommodation : We stayed in Dodo Japaridze Guesthouse. OK if you like your accommodation "rustic" and your mattresses old soft and springless. There are plenty of other accommodation options in town.

Costs: CHEAP. Accommodation B&B £5-10/night. Lift pass £7.50/day. Beer £1/pint. But the return taxi £40/day to/from Mestia adds to the costs. Expensive because the taxi driver stayed in the resort car park all day as it wasn't worth his while to go back down then up again from Mestia! In our case split between 3 so not too bad.

Conclusion: Fantastic potential if they build all the lifts. I would love to return if/when they do. Crazy place to develop a modern resort though - how they will ever make it a success is anybody's guess.


Last edited by Poster: A snowHead on Wed 1-02-17 20:18; edited 2 times in total
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Piste map



Queue for the first lift on a powder day



Huge and empty developing base station...with what are they going to fill it???







The wind loaded north-west face - closed chair lift visible to the top right



Great views. Mount Ushba in the background.

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