Heli Skiing Georgia: The Highest Peaks in Europe
To get to the best heli-skiing destinations and their untouched snow, you typically must travel far away to remote locations. If you heliski Georgia with operators like Heliksir and Svaneti Heliskiing though, you can find beautiful slopes with fresh snow after only a 3 or 4 hour flight from most of Europe.
Georgia is home to an incredible culture where eastern and western influences mix, but it’s also home to the Caucasus Mountains which contain the highest peaks in all of Europe. If you want to heliski Georgien peaks though, then the two regions in Georgia you’ll need to focus on are Svaneti and Gudauri.
Heli Skiing in Georgia: The Details
The Basics
Unless you’re lucky enough to have a heliskiing destination in your backyard, then a heliskiing trip means travelling, sometimes across the world, to ski somewhere with conditions you only know about through pictures and snow reports.
If you’re heliskiing Georgia where the industry is still developing, then you may not even know what to expect from the terrain since it hasn’t been explored by many other heliskiers. To help take some of the mystery out of heliskiing Georgia, we’ve created a quick guide to the basics of the region and the operators there.
Skiing in Svaneti
Svaneti is right in the heart of the Caucasus mountains in northern Georgia, and to get there you’ll need to take a flight to Kutaisi International Airport and then drive 4 hours to Mestia. Once there you’ll be surrounded by some of the highest mountains in the Caucasus range, as well as two of the most popular ski resorts in Georgia. On top of its resorts, Mestia is a small town that welcomes visitors every winter. As a result, it’s full of bars, restaurants, and lodgings so that you have everything you need to après after a day on the snow. While the resorts are great options, you came to heliski Georgia, not ski its resorts, so the next step is to hop onto a helicopter with a guide and head for untouched slopes.
Fortunately, there are plenty of slopes just like that in Georgia since it is often overlooked as a travel destination and there are seemingly endless mountains to ski down within the country.
Skiing in Gudauri
Gudauri is another excellent skiing region in Georgia. In fact, it’s closer to Tbilisi’s international airport than Svaneti. Like Svaneti though, Gudauri is home to a great resort that is a perfect option for days when heliskiing isn’t possible.
Heli Skiing Georgia: Facts & FAQ
Georgia’s heliskiing range is in the Caucasus Mountains. Although you may not be familiar with the Caucasus range, it’s home to Mt. Elbrus, the tallest mountain in Europe. The local peaks don’t rise as high as Elbrus, but you’ll still enjoy the snow that you can only find at high altitudes while heliskiing Georgia.
The terrain itself is made up of steep slopes and chutes, wide bowls, and even tree runs thanks to the elevation that allows snow to fall far down the sides of the mountains. On top of that, Georgia has thousands of acres of skiable slopes, so you’ll have plenty of opportunities to find your perfect line.
Georgia has mountains and peaks that rival The Alps and are easily reachable from most of Europe. Still, the country is developing as a heliskiing destination which means you can enjoy the terrain before the crowds carve out the snow. That may take a while since the peaks in Georgia rise to 5,000 meters and the ski season can last until June, but eventually Georgia’s slopes will be crowded!
Just because the industry is developing doesn’t mean you have to compromise when it comes to operators or lodging. There are the operators we’ve mentioned here and many lodging options to make your trip to Georgia unforgettable.
Heli Skiing Georgia Operator Directory
Two Operators Available to "Elevate" Your Trip!
- Svaneti Heli Ski
Svaneti Heliski’s team is made up of Georgians who grew up in the very mountains you’ll be heliskiing on from their base in Mestia. - Heliksir Heli Ski
Heliksir Heliski Caucasus guides are also an excellent choice since they’re led by Zakhariy Dudauri. Dudauri is a native Georgian who explored the Caucasus Mountains as a geologist before joining lead guide Daniel Bonzi to found Heliksir.
World Class Travel Idea
If the weather doesn’t allow for heliskiing, then you can always ski or snowboard at one of the resorts near Svaneti or Gudauri. Both regions also have towns like Mestia where you can find food, lodging, and activities on down days as well. Or, your heliski guides can help you find other activities like ski tours as well as tours of Georgia’s ancient culture.
BRADY
6/23/23
Brady is an avid skiing & backcountry enthusiast, aging "big wave" surfer and is totally addicted to heliskiing!
VIEW BIO
