24/10/2026
Before the 1980s, Gudauri was a small stop on the Military Highway. Then came the skiers ⛷️
The Friendship Monument went up in 1983, overlooking Devil's Valley — and in the same decade, Gudauri started turning from a small stop on the Georgian Military Highway into a ski resort. Its first lift and first hotel opened in 1988, with an Austrian company building the cable car and an Austrian firm running the hotel, which was unusual in the Soviet Union. 🏔️
Here's the bigger surprise: the original Gudauri was a heliskiing resort, and the cable cars were added as a way to keep skiing in bad weather. In those early years, the hotel and lifts ran only in winter. Today Gudauri is Georgia's best-known ski resort in winter, and a base for paragliding, horse riding and quad tours in summer. 🚁
Gudauri, then and now 👇
📮 Then: a small stop on the Georgian Military Highway → Now: Georgia's best-known ski resort
🚁 Then: skiing by helicopter → Now: gondolas and chairlifts, with heliskiing still on offer
🏨 Then: one hotel, opened in 1988 → Now: a purpose-built resort
❄️ Then: open only in winter → Now: paragliding, horse riding and quad tours in summer too
🏛️ Then: the Friendship Monument rises in 1983 → Now: one of the most photographed stops on the road
Send this to whoever's already dreaming about a snow trip 📩
Message us on WhatsApp for private Gudauri trips from Tbilisi — snow days from December, paragliding and viewpoints in the warmer months, with hotel pick-up, a private car, and your own driver and English-speaking guide.