 Poster: A snowHead
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Hi,
Put together a DIY Trip for my GF and I to Gudauri, Georgia.
Thought i'd share the details as price is good IMO and an interesting choice of country for skiing!
Our Dates:
24/01/2022 -> 31/01/2022
Flights
> Booked Directly with Lufthansa
- £287 Each (includes 8kg carry on and "personal item" aka backpack) + Food included on plane
- Manchester to Munich, 1hr 20 Layover in Munich (Nice airport for a layover too) and then on to Tbilisi, Arrives at 4:45am but should be fine to get transfer to Gudauri.
- Return flight to Manchester stops again at munich but for a bit longer...
Accommodation
> Using Booking.com as well as Gudauri Info Site
- Reserved a place close to lifts for £403 (not including breakfast or dinner) with booking.com
- However, found a good deal on "Hotel Veranda" on Gudauri Site with possibly HB (still waiting for confirmation) (£390 compared to £1000+ on booking.com)
- Also looking at another on Booking.com for £500 which is half board...
Prices above are for total (not per person!)
Ski Pass
Looks to be about £105 only for 6 days for an adult (discounts for students, children, etc)
Price Table
Ski Hire
Difficult to get much info on this but looks like lots of hotels rent their own (reading some is free ? but i'd imagine about £70 - 100
Transfers
Can always book with hotel but likely they will just add a cut on top so found a good guide here:
Transfer Info
Not sure we will risk the marshrutka minivans so looks like GoTrip could be the best option and avoids hassle of hiring a car although prices weren't bad on the site listed in the write up.
Any tips from those who have been would be much appreciated!
Do let me know if you are there over 24th to 31st January! 
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Obviously A snowHead isn't a real person
Obviously A snowHead isn't a real person
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why did you choose Georgia?
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Well, the person's real but it's just a made up name, see?
Well, the person's real but it's just a made up name, see?
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| Quote: |
why did you choose Georgia?
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Cheaper than France etc. Due to lift pass + low food costs (georgian food nice also). Skiing looks good from other posts on here and online. Also have a friend of friend is doing a ski instructor season over there and recommended!
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You need to Login to know who's really who.
You need to Login to know who's really who.
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OK. I'll be going Georgia in the next few years but cat skiing,
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Anyway, snowHeads is much more fun if you do.
Anyway, snowHeads is much more fun if you do.
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@Mother hucker, Sounds Good! Looks like it is popular for heli skiing
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You'll need to Register first of course.
You'll need to Register first of course.
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My wife has skied in Georgia about three years ago and loved it. I’ll ask her for info.
Worth booking an instructor, they’re very cheap.
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@horizon, thank you! And my friends friend is there doing instructing so may get a free one or two with him 
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@hbridges, The Dubai Snowsports Facebook group (which includes a few snowheads) go there because it is a short-ish flight and it is a nice place.
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You'll get to see more forums and be part of the best ski club on the net.
You'll get to see more forums and be part of the best ski club on the net.
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Regarding the 1 hour 20 min stopover in Munich. Definitely too close for comfort IMO.
My today's flight from GVA to Munich was delayed by 1 hour (they initially announced only 30 min, right after I sent the suitcase and ski carriage but it took one hour till takeoff).
I continue to Tel Aviv and still have enough time for chicken curry with rice (40 min waiting time after queuing for 10 min).
But other folks are queuing at Lufthansa services to reschedule their next flight.
So I suggest you'll take sandwiches (you'll probably be served a small tortilla sandwich onflight) and try to have a greater interval between flights.
Unfortunately, not my first rodeo.
BTW you'll enjoy Gudauri. Have fun!
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I guess your dates are for 2023 not 22 right?
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snowHeads are a friendly bunch.
snowHeads are a friendly bunch.
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| Quote: |
| I guess your dates are for 2023 not 22 right? |
Yes my mistake 
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And love to help out and answer questions and of course, read each other's snow reports.
And love to help out and answer questions and of course, read each other's snow reports.
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@drporat, Ah yes i was a little worried with timings but unfortunately no other option I don't think. Hopefully will be okay - maybe a little less busy on our dates compared to before Xmas / during holidays.
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You know it makes sense.
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We skied with a Heli from Mestia a few years back. It was great! Would surely also be top touring
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Otherwise you'll just go on seeing the one name:
Otherwise you'll just go on seeing the one name:
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You can definitely do cheaper on the accommodation through booking
Try Alpina Hotel. It was £20 pppn B&B
Free shuttle to lifts, ski back to the hotel
Enjoy
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Poster: A snowHead
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Great stuff @hbridges. Ski Georgia had a stand at the NEC Snow Show in November. They had videos of the skiing playing and it all looked amazing. Only problem was they had one copy(!) of an inviting-looking brochure detailing all the ski areas - ie the copy being used by the woman on the stand 
We're definitely interested in ski touring or off piste there.
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Obviously A snowHead isn't a real person
Obviously A snowHead isn't a real person
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| Quote: |
| Try Alpina Hotel. It was £20 pppn B&B |
Ended up booking Hotel Tsiga - Half Board £300pp (realised i booked 7 nights when only need 6 as will head to airport on the night late as its at 5am) looks really nice!
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Well, the person's real but it's just a made up name, see?
Well, the person's real but it's just a made up name, see?
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I'm off to Mestia for 6 days touring at the start of February, been wanting to go with a few years but covid ruined it....very excited!
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You need to Login to know who's really who.
You need to Login to know who's really who.
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| conor90 wrote: |
| I'm off to Mestia for 6 days touring at the start of February, been wanting to go with a few years but covid ruined it....very excited! |
Can I ask who you’re going with? A friend asked me about local touring operations/guides and I only know the German heli group we went with
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Anyway, snowHeads is much more fun if you do.
Anyway, snowHeads is much more fun if you do.
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Ilia Berulava, I found him on Explore-share, which seems to have a lot of Georgian guides. He also has a company Georgia Guide Office, so he might not necessarily be the one guiding us. I can post in here after my trip with how I get on.
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You'll need to Register first of course.
You'll need to Register first of course.
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I'm also heading to Gudauri on 4th of February for a week of skiing, but a bit worried about the lack of snow (they still haven't opened the slopes). Anyone have any info/forecast for more than 7 days?
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Still waiting for my office to send me to Tblisi. And my counterpart over there knows it!
By the way, do you need a visa, and is it easy to get? The questions on the form to get into Moscow were totally unreasonable ("give us an entire history of your life of world travel with accurate entry and exit times for each country").
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You'll get to see more forums and be part of the best ski club on the net.
You'll get to see more forums and be part of the best ski club on the net.
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| Quote: |
| By the way, do you need a visa, and is it easy to get? |
No visa required from what i can tell. Separate from Russia so should be completely different i'd imagine. Currently weak snow there but had some coverage last 2 days. Hoping it will continue until my trip on 24th.
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snowHeads are a friendly bunch.
snowHeads are a friendly bunch.
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Looking like an absolute nightmare in Georgia! I still have almost three weeks but the forecast doesn't look pretty. It has been blue skies and sunny for most of January bar a couple of days of snow.
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And love to help out and answer questions and of course, read each other's snow reports.
And love to help out and answer questions and of course, read each other's snow reports.
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Any news regarding snow forecast? I'm worried whether we should just cancel the trip (we ski on-piste, but only two are open). We're supposed to fly in on the 5th of February. I can't imagine what the community is going through but heard that's not the only problem-- https://ab.co/3iMoL5k
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No snow in the near term forecast, only stuff 10+days out which can't be relied upon. I can't cancel unfortunately as nothing is refundable. I've asked the guide if we can push out the dates as flights can be changed but he said not yet - I'll be asking him again soon.
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You know it makes sense.
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Wow this season is such a strange snow year across so much of Europe. Hope your trips work out.
We were in the planning stages for touring in Georgia but booked Gulmarg instead for this winter, but its high on the list for next year.
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Otherwise you'll just go on seeing the one name:
Otherwise you'll just go on seeing the one name:
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I think from now on I'm going to book last minute trips only and follow the snow. As long as you're not booking during school holidays, it should be fine to do - and in my opinion it's worth an extra hundred or two in flight costs.
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Poster: A snowHead
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Obviously A snowHead isn't a real person
Obviously A snowHead isn't a real person
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Well, the person's real but it's just a made up name, see?
Well, the person's real but it's just a made up name, see?
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@kat.ryb, make sure you do a trip report on that one...have always wondered about there, the snow looks good, but there seems to be a bit of a lack of groomed pistes and lifts!
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You need to Login to know who's really who.
You need to Login to know who's really who.
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@Mike Pow, can you enlighten us?
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Anyway, snowHeads is much more fun if you do.
Anyway, snowHeads is much more fun if you do.
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| rungsp wrote: |
| @Mike Pow, can you enlighten us? |
I have no knowledge of this
Just that the article only comes from the foreign instructors' perspective
I would have tried to get some info from the Georgians
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You'll need to Register first of course.
You'll need to Register first of course.
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Would be interesting to see what comes of this. Its on my list as a potential for some teaching hours next season
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I'm off to Bakhmaro for a week's catskiing in a few days, and thankfully the Lesser Caucasuses haven't faired so badly - looks like a wave of snow coming in as we arrive 
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| ArseCaptain wrote: |
| I'm off to Bakhmaro for a week's catskiing in a few days, and thankfully the Lesser Caucasuses haven't faired so badly - looks like a wave of snow coming in as we arrive |
Who with?
Have a great time
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You'll get to see more forums and be part of the best ski club on the net.
You'll get to see more forums and be part of the best ski club on the net.
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| Mike Pow wrote: |
| ArseCaptain wrote: |
| I'm off to Bakhmaro for a week's catskiing in a few days, and thankfully the Lesser Caucasuses haven't faired so badly - looks like a wave of snow coming in as we arrive |
Who with?
Have a great time |
Booked with "Catski & Heliski Georgia" (catski.eu) - powderproject had no availability for the week we wanted to go, by the time we were ready to book. I'll make sure to post a report!
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| ArseCaptain wrote: |
| Mike Pow wrote: |
| ArseCaptain wrote: |
| I'm off to Bakhmaro for a week's catskiing in a few days, and thankfully the Lesser Caucasuses haven't faired so badly - looks like a wave of snow coming in as we arrive |
Who with?
Have a great time |
Booked with "Catski & Heliski Georgia" (catski.eu) - powderproject had no availability for the week we wanted to go, by the time we were ready to book. I'll make sure to post a report! |
Looks magic
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FAQ
