The state lift operator lists four ski resorts in Georgia: Gudauri, Bakuriani, Mestia, whose skiing is split between Tetnuldi and Hatsvali, and Goderdzi. One pass works at all of them. The drives are another matter, and for a week of skiing the road from the airport decides more than the piste map does.
Below are the four side by side: altitude, season, passes, the nearest airport and the winter-tyre rule on the way up. Each drive has its own post, linked below. This one is for choosing.
Photo: rugbyxm / Wikimedia Commons, CC BY 2.0.
Ski resorts in Georgia: one operator, one pass
The Mountain Trails Agency, which sits under the Ministry of Economy and Sustainable Development, runs the ski areas at all four resorts. Its passes load onto a plastic Multicard, and the agency’s FAQ is plain that an electronic ticket or a QR code will not get anyone through the turnstile. The MultiSki passes, for seven days, ten days or the whole season, are valid at all four resorts, and the seven or ten days do not have to be consecutive. A pass cannot be cancelled or refunded once bought.
Passes are sold at the resort ticket offices and online through the agency’s resellers, and the agency posts each season’s price list on its lift-status page. Check it there in December rather than trusting a figure copied in October.
The lifts open when the snow allows, and the agency announces the date in December itself. Last winter Bakuriani opened first, on 20 December 2025, and the lifts at Gudauri, Mestia and Goderdzi were set to start on 27 December. The closing dates were 29 March for Bakuriani, Goderdzi and Hatsvali, 9 April for Tetnuldi and 19 April for Gudauri. Expect a similar shape for 2026/27, not the same dates.
Gudauri, on the Military Highway
The agency puts Gudauri at 2,200 metres and 120 kilometres from Tbilisi, and the national tourism administration says its lifts reach 3,276 metres. It is the nearest of the four to the capital, about two and a half hours from the city on a clear road (the administration gives 2 hours 25 minutes), and last spring it stayed open longest. Tbilisi airport is the arrival, and the transfer from Tbilisi airport to Gudauri covers the timing, the price and the cheaper shared minibus.
The road is the Georgian Military Highway north from Mtskheta. The section from Mleta past the resort to Kobi is on the list of roads where winter tyres are compulsory from 1 December to 1 March, and that climb is the part of the drive to plan around. The Gudauri winter arrival makes the case for leaving Tbilisi in the morning.
Bakuriani, above Borjomi
Bakuriani sits at 1,700 metres in the Borjomi municipality, 180 kilometres from Tbilisi. The agency counts 12 lifts and 33 kilometres of trail across three areas, Didveli, Kokhta and Mitarbi, and the resort hosted the 2023 world championships in freestyle, snowboard and ski cross. Its season runs from December to March, and last winter the lifts stopped on 29 March.
The drive from Tbilisi is about two and a half to three hours, west on the main highway, south through the Borjomi gorge, then up from Borjomi. Winter tyres are compulsory on the whole road from Borjomi to the resort, on Bakuriani’s ring road and on the short road to Didveli. The Bakuriani ski transfer compares the Tbilisi and Kutaisi arrivals, and the tourism administration notes that the resort is also reached by minibus.
Tetnuldi and Hatsvali, in Svaneti
Mestia’s skiing is in two places. Hatsvali runs from 1,868 to 2,348 metres and starts within reach of the town centre by cable car. Tetnuldi is higher, from 2,260 to 3,160 metres, and lies 15 to 17 kilometres out of town, depending on which page of the tourism administration you read. Its winter guide to Svaneti says the road up needs a high-clearance car. Between them the two areas have 37 kilometres of trail and 14 lifts, and Tetnuldi hosted the Freeride World Tour in February 2024.
The tourism administration gives 7 hours 10 minutes by road from Tbilisi to Mestia; allow eight or more, before snow adds its share. From Kutaisi it is about half that. Kutaisi is the airport for Svaneti, which is also where choosing between Georgia’s three airports comes out. The road from Jvari through Mestia to Lasdili is on the winter-tyre list.
There is a faster way in. Flights to Mestia from Tbilisi and Kutaisi take about an hour, and they fly only when the weather allows. For a light traveller with flexible dates, flying is the better answer. The long road into Svaneti covers the drive, the flight and the minibus.
Goderdzi, above Adjara
Goderdzi is the smallest of the four by trail length: 8 kilometres and 3 lifts, on the Goderdzi pass in Adjara. The agency gives its altitude as 2,027 metres and the administration gives 2,025, with a top point of 2,350. The administration says intermediate runs make up 71.5 per cent of the trails, and it describes the winters there as extremely snowy. Last season the lifts closed on 29 March.
It is a Batumi trip, not a Tbilisi one. The resort is 109 kilometres from Batumi, about three and a half hours by road, against 252 kilometres and about five hours from the capital or from Kutaisi. Batumi is a small airport with a short season, so check that a winter flight exists before building the week around it. The road climbs from Keda over the pass towards Akhaltsikhe, and that whole stretch is on the winter-tyre list. The administration notes that it takes snow ploughs to keep it open.
Gudauri or Bakuriani, and what the car costs
For most visitors the choice is between these two, because they are the two resorts that can be reached from Tbilisi and driven back in a day. Gudauri is higher, nearer and open later into spring. Bakuriani is 500 metres lower, among conifer forest, and the tourism administration calls it a resort for three generations.
Bakuriani is priced at our day rate, because the car and driver are committed for the day: 1 350 ₾ in the seven-seat V-Class, 1 500 ₾ in the S-Class and 2 500 ₾ in either Maybach, for eight to nine hours door to door. The ride down at the end of the stay is the same day in reverse. Gudauri is a shorter run; ask for its fare when you book. Our fixed Tbilisi airport transfer fares are for the run between the airport and the city, so they do not apply to the mountains. A longer day, from Kutaisi airport for instance, is quoted with the extra hours already included.
Svaneti cannot be driven there and back in a day, so we quote it as a multi-day booking, in writing, in advance, and there is no price for it on this page. Goderdzi is a trip from the Batumi side, and there is no SOIT price for it here either. Its quote comes back in writing.
Count the bags as well as the people. The V-Class is the only one of our four cars that takes more than three guests, and with ski bags it is worth asking about even for three. The car costs many times a minibus seat. For one or two people with rented skis and a daylight arrival, the minibus is a sensible way up, and what a day with a private driver costs shows how to weigh the two.
The winter-tyre list includes the climb to all four resorts, and driving in Georgia yourself covers what else a rental desk will not mention.
Send the resort, the dates, the flight and the bag count to booking@soitblack.com, and the fare is confirmed in writing before a car is dispatched.