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Surrounded by the majestic Greater Caucasus mountains in Georgia, Racha is an untapped backcountry skiing jewel at the intersection of Europe and Asia just waiting to be explored. Due to its incredibly versatile terrain ranging from low, dense forests near picturesque villages to 4,000 m/13,123 ft snow-capped peaks, this stunning area is ideal for adrenaline addicts in quest of the ultimate backcountry experience. With amazing powder and verticals for all skill levels, no nearby resorts and, as a result, no hordes of people, you can fast-track your skills with no interruption. Many quaint villages offer its visitors an insight into the local culture, community and Georgia’s traditional cuisine. It’s time to step out of your comfort zone and experience an enthralling backcountry adventure in this remote and splendid location!
Feel a sense of adventure in this seldom-visited mountain haven
Discover the Georgian culture and feel like a local in quaint villages
Shred quality snow on diverse terrain and push your skiing skills even further
On the first day of your upcoming adventure, you’ll arrive at Tbilisi International Airport or Kutaisi International Airport and your guiding service will pick you up. Depending on arrival time and needs of the group, you may eat lunch in Kutaisi or Tbilisi. You’ll travel to the town of Oni, check into a local guesthouse, and have dinner there. Your guide will carry out a gear check and a safety briefing. Prepare to depart for a day of avalanche education early next morning.
Kick off the day with a delicious breakfast. Your first day in the field starts with skinning to the location where avalanche introduction will take place. Learn why, how and where avalanches take place, how to approach risk management in the backcountry and other important considerations. You’ll discuss theory and do some practical drills such as burial and recovery, search patterns, and communication. Once you’re finished with your avy intro, return to your guesthouse and enjoy a plentiful traditional Georgian meal.
Near the town of Oni, there are three rustic villages surrounded by a plethora of peaks and mountain ridges intercepted with vales, notches, cols, and saddles waiting to be discovered on skis. The specific areas will be chosen depending on the snow and avalanche conditions, the fitness of the group, and your desires. You can opt for multiple day tours each followed by a stay in the guesthouses found in the villages of Chiora, Shebi, and Ghebi. Alternatively, you can decide to take on 2-day tours involving winter camping with overnights in basecamps and return to village guest houses afterwards. Your days will typically involve 500-1,000 meters (1,640-3,280 ft) of verticals and long descents taking you to your basecamps or villages. Any of these days, you can also take a rest day and decide to further explore the town of Oni and the nearby villages, or go for a wine degustation (this is also an option if weather conditions are bad on any given day).
Your last skiing will involve either returning back to a village guesthouse from your basecamp or a day of ski touring from any of the villages. Upon returning, you will enjoy your last dinner and have the last chance to celebrate your achievements with fellow skiers and your guide as your departure will take place the following day.
After a hearty breakfast in your accommodation, you will leave the Racha region, followed by a ride back to your airport in Tbilisi or Kutais. Your guide can take you to any other Georgian city if you want to continue traveling the country on your own.
57hours is committed to providing safe outdoor adventure experiences. We require all guides using our platform to have a COVID-19 safety plan and to make the details of that plan accessible to travelers. In most cases, group sizes will be reduced, guides will avoid overcrowded locations, and other safety measures will be met depending on the location and activity.
We also expect clients to respect local regulations and take measures to protect themselves, guides and the communities they’re traveling to. For more information on COVID-19 measures in Racha, Georgia, please refer to Georgia’s COVID-19 Entry Rules Website and the Government of Georgia’s Prevention of Coronavirus Spread in Georgia website.
Please contact us if you have any questions or require further information. We are happy to provide you with the most up-to-date information!
What you get in this adventure:
What’s not included:
To enjoy this backcountry adventure, you need to be in very good physical shape. You will be on your feet for multiple hours a day for 8 full days, covering several miles of terrain every day. On this adventure, you’ll ski up to 1,200 m / 4,000 ft of vertical in the backcountry. You will need to manage controlled descents in variable conditions. All participants should feel comfortable on challenging blue or black-level resort runs and be able to carry a loaded daypack while skinning up variable degrees of terrain.
Backcountry skiing isn’t just for pros looking for the ultimate thrill ride, it’s also beginner friendly, meaning anyone with solid blue level resort experience can have fun in the backcountry. If you’ve never backcountry skied before, heading out with a guide is your best bet. They’ll take care of the planning, introduce you to the basics, like skinning uphill, and teach you how to manage the terrain. They also have the experience and avalanche training to keep you safe.
All camping and sleeping gear is provided by your guiding service. For technical backcountry ski touring gear, you will need to bring:
For personal items, we recommend bringing:
All mandatory gear can be rented if you don’t have your own. You can rent:
Your guiding service can rent the avalanche gear at no extra cost and ski touring rentals can be arranged in advance through a ski rental shop in Georgia. If you need to rent gear, let us know and we can help make arrangements.
Group sizes and pricing:
Ski touring in Racha, Georgia, can be arranged for larger groups. Contact us to make arrangements.
Min. age requirements:
If your group has skiers under the age of 18, contact us prior to booking to make arrangements.
To get to Racha, Georgia, most people fly into Shota Rustaveli Tbilisi International Airport 5 hours away from Racha or David the Builder Kutaisi International Airport, 2 hours away.
Your guiding service will pick you up from one of these two airports and you will travel to the city of Oni, Racha Region. The guide will choose the appropriate terrain dependent on conditions and the ability of the group. On your departure, your guiding service will transfer you to one of the near-by airports. If you’re interested in continuing to ski somewhere else in Georgia, your guiding service can make arrangements for you.
A 50% deposit is due immediately. The second payment is due by 1/12/2022.
The 50% deposit is non-refundable. All other program fee payments are refundable upon request unless the expedition has already incurred costs on behalf of the applicant.
In case you are forced to cancel your trip as a result of Covid-related changes in entry requirements for Georgia or your home country, your guide will refund half of the deposit (25%) of trip value and the rest will be applied toward any trip in the following season.
All policies regarding cancellation will be clearly laid out by your guide after booking your adventure.