Bakuriani Ski Resort Georgia

Bakuriani ski resort has diverse terrain & a modern ski lift system, located in south-central Georgia, midway between the major cities of Tbilisi & Kutaisi. Still not on the radar of the broader world ski fraternity; when it snows, Bakuriani has a festival of untouched powder skiing possibilities with no one else there to cross your lines! And with excellent 'learn to ski' facilities, some good local accommodation & non-skiing activities, Bakuriani has a reputation for being the best place for beginner skiers in Georgia. It is a shame that even though Bakuriani hosted the 2023 Freestyle Word Championships, it is far from being a world class ski area. They have a lot still to learn.....

Pros & Cons for Bakuriani Ski Resort

Pros

• Unlike some Georgian resorts, has great terrain for skiing during winter storms.
• Super-modern lift system.
• Skiable vertical of up to 1,000m off-piste.
• Georgia's best, sheltered beginner lifts and terrain.
• Uncrowded (deserted even!) glade (on Kokhta) and alpine terrain off-piste freeriding.
• Quality on-piste trails for beginners and progressing intermediates.
• Cheap lift pass price.
• Nice range of quality, well-priced lodging options close the ski lifts.
• You are in Georgia ……. so food and drink will be plentiful, tasty, and cheap!

Cons

• Gets the least amount of snow of all the Georgian ski resorts.
• Suffers from issues common to all Georgian ski area: non-integrated resort infrastructure, poor sanitation, lack of up-to-date information, shambolic or non-existent ski buses.
• Ski lift operation is a questionable day to day proposition (operating on GMT - Georgian Maybe Time). Didveli opening times for lifts are still unknown to us, despite what the signs may say!
• Even though it has extensive snow-making system, there appeared little effort to make snow on pistes for the public, instead it seems most snow making was pumped on to the World Championship courses which were all closed to the public, even after the event, which was bemusing to say the least.
• Lift attendants are neither happy nor helpful

Pro or Con (depending on your perspective!)

• Limited length of on-piste trails if staying for a week and the snow isn’t great.
• Main ski sectors of Kokhta & Didveli are not lift or trail connected and are strangely separated by a private ski area (Crystal Ski Resort), which makes any future integration opportunities questionable.
• Rampant hotel over development is evident.
• Powder days can be lonely here!

Skiing & Snowboarding, Lifts & Terrain

Consisting of two separate sectors (Didveli & Kokhta), the resort has over 30km of sheltered piste trails, a mostly modern ski lift system, ridiculously cheap lift passes, gorgeous off-piste tree skiing and huge backcountry potential from the easily reached 2,816m high summit of Mt Sakvelo. Off-piste freeride skiable verticals of nearly 1,000m are possible into the lift base at Didveli, with shorter descents of around 600m vertical into the more sheltered glades of the Kokhta sector, providing fabulous storm riding terrain. Due to the sheltered nature of much of the lower terrain on Kokhta, the resort is also great for beginner skiers, and below the gondola top station in the Didveli sector.

Before we expand on this section based on our recent visit (we not ever bother!), check out the latest ski trail map. Note that most of the major chairlift infrastructure has been installed since 2015, including 3 new chairs in the Didveli sector in 2021 alone. The trail map includes the Crystal gondola which is a private ski lift not covered by a Bakuriani lift pass! Now that's cheeky. Having inspected the top of the Tatra surface tow, we would be surprised if it ever runs again, such is its poor state of repair.

Bakuriani Ski Trail Map

Where is Bakuriani Georgia?

The Bakuriani ski resort is in the ‘Lesser Caucasus’ of south-central Georgia, mid-way between the major cities of Kutaisi & Tbilisi.

The closest gateway airport is Tbilisi (TBS). By road, the main resort town of Bakuriani is around 200km (3hr) from Tbilisi International Airport, We don’t recommend using Kutaisi airport to access Bakuriani - the current state of the 'highway' makes for a tortuous journey in winter. Tbilisi is one of the great cities of the world and worthy of a few nights stay exploring the nooks & crannies of the old town & surrounds.

The recommended mode of travel to the resort is either by private taxi/shuttle using GoTrip, or if a sucker for punishment, rental car direct from the airport. The benefit of having a rental car at Bakuriani is that one can more easily get around to the ski lift bases. Other wise one is at the mercy of the questionable bus system and local taxis (which are fine, but pricey). We used private drivers to get around and whilst it probably cost a little more overall, avoiding driving on the Georgian roads was a good decision!

For hints, tips & warnings about getting to Georgia ski resorts in winter, see our Travel in Georgia page.

Bakuriani Accommodation

The holiday resort town of Bakuriani is filled with a vast number of hotel, rental apartment, guesthouse & holiday home accommodations. Whilst the standards may vary, the sheer amount of lodging options mean one shouldn’t have too much trouble finding last minute beds during the winter season. At least four hotels rate themselves as 5-star (no disrespect intended, but it may not be a 5-star in every country of the world!), with the Bakuriani Inn the pick of them near the main town. Beyond the town, loads of great quality hotels (and some not so great !) line the valley to within a few hundred metres of the base of the Didveli gondola. The 5-star(!) Crystal Hotel & Spa is an interesting option, but doesn't provide a shuttle to the Didveli ski lifts. It is however right next to the private Crystal gondola, which is connected to the main ski resort. The ancient, occasionally running, dodgy old surface tow connecting up to Kokhta is near the hotel.

Next to the lifts of the central Kokhta sector, the absolute stand-out lodgings are the Rooms Hotel Kokhta, right at the base of the slopes.

Search & book here for all Bakuriani ski accommodation.

Review

The Powderhounds reviewed Bakuriani in early March 2023. We were extremely disappointed with the snow coverage, poor management of the ski area and rampant hotel development. It is a place though, that in the right conditions could be great, but everywhere is like that! Click on the review link in the left column (or top of the page if on a mobile) to read all the reviews.

See how Bakuriani compares to the Georgian ski resorts on the Georgia ski resort ratings page or compare them to the European ski resorts on the Europe ski resort ratings page.

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