Ski resort Gudauri to host winter season with two new ropeways
Six-seater cable cars operated on 1,249- and 1,369-metre-long ropeways will carry 1,800-2,400 passengers per hour. Photo: Mountain Trails Agency
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Georgia’s popular resort of Gudauri will host winter enthusiasts with two new ropeway systems during the coming winter season, the Ministry of Economy said on Friday.
Six-seater cable cars operated on 1,249- and 1,369-metre-long ropeways will carry 1,800-2,400 passengers per hour, with the new infrastructure set to be installed in the New Gudauri area of the resort.
The ropeway complexes and related infrastructure will diversify the services of the Gudauri resort and contribute to its rapid development. [The new infrastructure will help host] the growing number of visitors and support international events”, Irakli Burchuladze, the Director of the Mountain Trails Agency of Georgia, said.
The skiing area is also set to be expanded, with Burchuladze saying a new six-kilometre-long track would be added to the existing 70-km track to “create a completely new skiing space for visitors”.
Photo: Mountain Trails Agency
The construction is being carried out by the Austrian-Swiss company Doppelmayr Garaventa Group.
The Ministry said development of sports tourism was “one of the main priorities” of authorities, and noted Georgia successfully hosted the 2023 Freestyle Ski and Snowboard World Championships and took an “honourable place on the world sports map”.
This led to the fact that the International Ski Federation included Gudauri and Bakuriani in the annual calendar among the leading countries, and now for the first time, the stage of the international World Cup in snowboard cross will be held in Gudauri”, the Ministry said.
The Snowboard Cross World Cup will be hosted in the resort between February 3-4.
The Freestyle Ski, Snowboard and Freeski World Championships closed in Georgia’s ski resort of Bakuriani on Saturday with Tess Ledeux of France and the Troy Podmilsak of the United States earning the final gold medals in the big air showcase.
Michel Vion, the Secretary General of the International Ski Federation, on Saturday praised the ongoing Freestyle Ski, Snowboard and Freeski World Championships in Georgia’s winter resort of Bakuriani as the “best tournament” held with “very good outcome” and stressed Georgia had everything to become a winter sports destination.
Johan Eliasch, the President of the International Ski Federation, on Saturday said Georgia’s winter resort of Bakuriani had “a lot of potential” to host “more events” as part of the World Championships and praised the quality of ski slopes and snow in the resort.
Irakli Burchuladze, the Director of the Mountain Trails Agency, on Saturday said that hosting the Freeride World Tour in 2024 in Georgia’s Tetnuldi ski resort in northwestern Svaneti region “is a victory for the country”, stressing Georgia would “once again be marked” on the world sports map in a new direction.
Georgian Prime Minister Irakli Garibashvili on Friday told the Parliament “important” cultural and sport events took place in the country last year and the trend would continue this year as well to make Georgia a “gathering place for international level sport and cultural events”.
Georgia’s popular ski resorts of Bakuriani and Gudauri have been marked as permanent hosts in the competition calendar of the International Ski and Snowboard Federation, enabling the destinations to host stages of World Cup events running under the body annually. The Mountain Trails Agency of Georgia on Wednesday said the two locations would be among 11 resorts around the world hosting 19 events of the 2023-2024 FIS Ski Cross World Cup calendar.
Georgian Economy Minister Levan Davitashvili on Tuesday said Georgia’s mountain resort of Gudauri would take a “worthy place” among the world's “leading ski resorts” after the completion of updates and modernisation of its infrastructure.
Preparations for the coming winter tourist season in Georgia’s mountain resort of Gudauri were discussed on Wednesday in a meeting between the country’s Economy Minister Levan Davitashvili and representatives of public agencies and businesses.
Georgia’s popular winter resort Gudauri will have a festive opening for Winter Season 2023-2024 on December 20, the Mountain Trails Agency said on Thursday.
Georgian Economy Minister Levan Davitashvili on Wednesday said the country’s popular ski resort of Gudauri would welcome visitors with new infrastructure worth ₾70 million ($26mln), in comments officially launching winter season in the resort.