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 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.
• Good value lift pass.
• 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. 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...... Bemusing to say the least.
• Lift attendants are neither happy nor helpful
• Powder days can be lonely here!

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.

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 terrain, the resort is also great for beginner skiers, particularly the lower sectors of Kokhta and even off the gondola in the Didveli sector.

Before we get to write up more about this ski area, check out the 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, creating a modern ski area that doesn’t resemble the latest outdated (!) trail map shown above.

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 great city and worthy of a few nights stay exploring the old town

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 excellent option, but doesn't provide a shuttle to the Didveli ski lifts. It is however right next to the private Crystal gondola. Next to the lifts of the 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 disappointed with the snow coverage and poor management of the ski area. More information about this European ski resort will come when we get the chance to write it up. Stay tuned for our sparkling repartee, new photos & insights.

See how the European ski resorts compare on the Europe ski resort ratings page.

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