Georgia – Svaneti
SKI TOURING IN THE GREATER CAUCASUS – FROM MESTIA TO USHGULI
Technique:
Fitness:
Elevation gain:
1,000–1,200 m per day
Requirements:
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Solid ski touring technique, including confident kick turns
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Confident use of ski crampons
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Skiing ability in all snow conditions up to 35°
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Willingness for longer transfers and simple, authentic accommodation
The Greater Caucasus is Europe’s wildest mountain range – and Svaneti its most remote heart. Here, among medieval defensive towers and glaciated 5,000-metre peaks, lies one of ski touring’s last great dreams: wide, untracked slopes, hardly a soul, and a culture and hospitality as intense as the mountains themselves. Over twelve days, eight of them on skis, I’ll show you this world between Mestia and Ushguli – deep snow by day, a Georgian table by night.
The Stages
Arrival · Direct flight Venice → Kutaisi, road trip to Mestia
Direct flight from Venice to Kutaisi, then by minibus up to Mestia, the main town of Svaneti – the Caucasus growing with every bend.
Arriving in Mestia · Avalanche refresher, freeride & first tours
To settle in, we refresh avalanche transceiver and rescue skills and earn our first turns: freeride at the Tetnuldi ski area and the first ski tours around Mestia, framed by the striking Svan towers.
On to Ushguli · Ski touring in the high Svaneti
Transfer to Ushguli – one of the highest permanently inhabited villages in Europe, beneath the glaciated walls of the Greater Caucasus. From here, ski tours in a landscape where breaking your own trail is still the rule, not the exception.
Culture & cuisine · Svaneti beyond the mountains
Between the tours: traditional Georgian cuisine, the famous hospitality and UNESCO-protected Svaneti with its centuries-old defensive towers. We stay in houses with a comfortable, surprisingly Western standard.
Return · Kutaisi → Venice
Road trip back to Kutaisi and a direct flight to Venice – with twelve days of the Caucasus in your luggage.
What Makes It Special
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Untracked slopes in one of Europe’s remotest ski touring regions
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Ushguli – one of Europe’s highest permanently inhabited villages, UNESCO World Heritage
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Medieval Svan defensive towers as a constant backdrop
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Traditional Georgian cuisine and genuine hospitality
At a Glance
Region
Greater Caucasus, Svaneti (Georgia)
Arrival
Direct flight Memmingen → Kutaisi
Base
Mestia & Ushguli
Duration
12 days, 8 of them on skis
Dates
16–27 February 2027
Group size
4–6 participants
Price
€2,900.00 per person (incl. flight, transfers and accommodation)
Included services
Organization & Guiding
Direct flight Memmingen – Kutaisi incl. sports luggage
Local transfers (taxi / minibus)
Local accommodation
Rental equipment available on request
Memory photos included