From Ananuri Fortress, we again proceeded on our way, traveling along the Georgian Military Highway for another 57 kms. (45 mins.) to Gudauri, a ski resort situated in the Stepantsminda District, on the southern slopes of The Greater Caucasus Mountain Range.  Midway along the route, the scenery began to change from brown to white as we went up the snow-capped mountain.

Stopover at Gudauri

The resort town, located near the Cross Pass, was already blanketed in about 8 inches of snow. Our Mercedes-Benz Sprinter panel van stopped near a Smart Supermarket branch and a gas station and waited for the arrival of a smaller Mitsubishi Delica L-400 4×4 van that would take us to Stepantsminda town proper.

Smart Supermarket

Good Travel in Axis Palace Apartment

As Gudauri is located at an elevation of 2,196 m. (7,200 ft.) above sea level, it offers high quality skiing opportunities and we arrived at the town just when the ski season (December to April) was about to begin. Its slopes are completely above the tree line and generally considered to be avalanche-safe, best for free-riders.

Winter wonderland

Skiers here can experience some of the most sublime runs in Europe, at altitudes between 1,500 and 4,200 m. above sea level. Gudauri is also one of the best places in Georgia for heliskiing, speedriding and paragliding.

Building my first snowball

As we were just here for a short stopover, we weren’t going to experience these alpine sports but this didn’t stop us from enjoying some of the finest powder-snow in the Caucasus (a first for me) as we participated in a snowball fight, particularly targeting our Georgian guide Sopho.

Snowballs away!!!!

I also made my first snow angel, lying on my back on the shallow undisturbed snow and moving my arms up and down, and my legs from side to side, to form the shape of a stylized angel.  It was pure fun.

Selfie at Gudauri

Georgia National Tourism Administration: 4, Sanapiro St, 0105, Tbilisi, Georgia. Tel: +995 32 43 69 99. E-mail: info@gnta.ge. Website: www.georgia.travel; www.gnta.ge.

Qatar Airways has daily flights from Diosdado Macapagal International Airport (Clark, Pampanga) to Tbilisi (Republic of Georgia) with stopovers at Hamad International Airport (Doha, Qatar, 15 hrs.) and Heydar Aliyev International Airport (Baku, Azerbaijan, 1 hr.). Website: www.qatarairways.com.