Mount Kazbek guided 11-day ski tour

Enjoy an incredible 11-day ski tour in and around Mount Kazbek, one of the highest mountains in the Caucasus, together with Ilia, a local GMGA certified mountain guide.

Private

Caucase

1 Day

Mar - May

High

Intermediate

Highlights

* Enjoy ski touring in Mount Kazbek surroundings.

* Discover local villages and cultural spots.

* Reach the summit o Mount Kazbek and contemplate incredible views.

Description

I invite you to an 11-day amazing ski tour in the surroundings of Mount Kazbek (5047 m), the third highest mountain in Georgia and the seventh major summit in the Caucasus mountain range.

The first spot of this trip will be Gudauri, a traditional ski resort that is two hours away from Tbilisi, Georgia’s capital city. The plan is to spend a few days there, in order to check the equipment and start our training by going to ski down the slope.

Another important location in this itinerary is the small town of Stepantsminda, in northeast Georgia. This is an ideal place for doing some classic ski mountaineering. In addition to that, there’s a historical spot along the way: the beautiful Trinity Church, an orthodox and apostolic church from the 14th century, lying in the top of a mountain.

You will also have the experience of crossing the beautiful Gergeti glacier and finally arrive to Bethlemi Hut, at 3670m.

And of course, the main attraction of this trip is getting to the summit of Mount Kazbek, where you will get some stunning views of the Caucasus mountains.

If you are interested in the details of this 11-day ski touring trip, please check the information below.

Please contact me if you are planning a ski touring in the Caucasus mountains. I will be glad to provide you all the information you need and guide you around some of the most beautiful places near Mount Kazbek.

If I'm not available to guide you, one of my 3 teammates, all of them GMGA mountain guides, will be happy to do so.

You can also take a look at my Gudauri 7-day guided freeride and ski touring trip.

Price includes

- Accommodation included

- Guiding fee

- Breakfast

- Lunch

- Dinner

- Transport during the trip

Itinerary

Day 1: Arrival and warm up

Arrival to Tbilisi and transfer to Gudauri (2000m), which is three hours away. Once there, we have a rest, warm up and go skiing on the slope using ski lifts. We spend the night in Gudauri.

Day 2: Mount Bidara and Kobi Pass

First we use the ski lifts to go as high as possible. Then we hike for half an hour to Mount Bidara (3100m) and Kobi Pass. We return to the hotel in Gudauri, which is about 15-20 minutes away.

Day 3: Cross Pass

Short ride to Cross Pass (3000 m). Then, we hike to the saddle between mountains Deda Ena and Gogebashvili. According to snow conditions, we decide the better way to go downhill. Finally, we go back to the hotel in Gudauri.

Day 4: Gergeti glacier

Early in the morning, a transfer takes us to Stepantsminda (Kazbegi). We start the ascent towards Bethlemi Hut. We pass Trinity Church at 2000 m. Four or five hours later, we reach the Gergeti glacier. We spend two hours to cross the glacier and finally, we reach Bethlemi Hut (3670m) after a short but steep climb. We spend the night at the hut.

Day 5: Acclimatization day

Hiking with skis on Mount Orcveri (4300 m). There’s a wonderful view of Mount Kazbek and the glacier. After that, we ski down to Bethlemi Hut.

Day 6: Summit day

On this day we try to reach the summit of Mount Kazbek. We take the normal route along the glacier until we arrive to the plateau, at 4400m. Then we go up to the saddle (4900m) on skis or using crampons, depending on the conditions. Finally, we do a little ice-climbing to the summit (5047 m). We descent to Bethlemi Hut.

Day 7: Extra day

This day is reserved in case of bad weather.

Day 8: Return to Gudauri

We return to Stepantsminda (1700 m). Then, a transfer takes us back to Gudauri.

Day 9: Relax Day

We do some easy skiing around Mount Chrdilebi and Mount Miliona, using ski lifts and hiking for a short while.

Day 10: Sightseeing at Tibilisi

A transfer takes us back to Tbilisi, where we go sightseeing.

Day 11: Departure

Departure.

About the guide

Ilia

4.4

(84)

Mountain Guide

I'm a fully certified IFMGA / UIAGM mountain guide from Tbilisi, Georgia. I have the GMGA (Georgian Mountain Guides Association) certificate and I'm a member of the Austrian Mountain Guide Association.

I'm a professional mountaineer, national team member of Georgian Mountain Federation. I am actively climbing in the Caucasus mountain range.

The programs I guide more often are:
- Mountaineering = Mt. Kazbek, Mt. Tetnuldi, Mt. Ushba, Chaukhi region.
- Ski Touring = Gudauri, Svaneti, Kazbegi regions.
I also manage large expeditions and base camps for Caucasus Mountains.

Please get in touch with me if you plan to come to Georgia. It will be my great pleasure to help you and to guide you in our awesome mountains.

I am leading a Guide Office in Georgia, and work together with my colleagues George, Lasha and Leri (National certified Mountain Guides). In case I'm not available, one of them will be your guide.

Languages

Russian | Georgian | English

Certificates

GMGA | IFMGA

Request more information

What people are saying about Explore-Share

Man

Climbing with guide Guillaume was absolutely a highlight of my 2-week Europe vacation. Originally, we were planning on climbing in the Calanques, but the park was closed due to wind and fire danger. Guillaume chose another amazing location (Pic de Bretagne) based on my climbing abilities and preferences and kindly offered train station pick-up and hotel drop off, which I appreciated very much. The multi-pitch route we did was not only fun but also the right amount of challenge, which I thoroughly enjoyed. The communication from the team (Gauthier) was prompt and clear—highly recommend!

Maxine

Luis Silva was a great climbing guide and belayer! He taught me how to do moves that were difficult and encouraged me to try routes that were challenging for me! Because of his encouragement, I managed to complete these routes! I really enjoyed the climbs and completed 8 routes in the Sesimbra/Azoia area. The weather was perfect, no direct sun and cool enough to enjoy the climbs. Explore-Share made booking an outdoor climbing experience in Lisbon extremely easy. Luis, our guide, was fantastic, and the platform’s organization was flawless.

Valeriya

You’re simply the best!!! :))) Explore-Share made everything easy and stress-free. Will definitely use again.

Joshua

We had Léo as a guide for our day climb in Fonty. We were blessed with a knowledgeable, warm, and instructive guide. Communication with Léo and Ivan was smooth and swift. Explore-Share was excellent in arranging everything for our day climb. The communication was quick, and the platform was easy to use, making our adventure stress-free.

Cami

Patrick was a great guide. He took us on an intermediate Via Ferrata at Passo Sella. Renato was quick to respond with any outreach on the Explore-Share platform. The booking process was straightforward, and once Patrick was confirmed, all went well. It was a wonderful experience, and I’d highly recommend the platform.

4.8