Outdoor adventures in Georgia (the country) - Tbilisi, Georgia
On a long weekend in 2018, a friend and I traveled to the country of Georgia. In the US it was tough to tell friends where I was going since everyone knows the US state, but few know the country of the same name between Russia to the north, and Turkey, Armenia, and Azerbaijan to the south. My friend and I planned to ski, mountain bike, and tour the city of Tbilisi.
The first surprise of the trip occurred two weeks before we got there. I was scrolling through social media and saw a video of a ski lift running backwards and flinging the riders off at the bottom. The chairs whipped around in reverse and then crashed together in a big heap of twisted metal. If you google “ski lift from hell” you can find many videos of the incident. At some point I realized this ski lift is at the resort we were going to, Gudauri.
For outdoor activities we skied, rode mountain bikes, and ran through the city. The skiing at Gudauri was decent, but not something to go out your way for. It is comparable too many regional ski resorts around the world.
For the mountain bike ride we arranged a guided tour with https://www.georiders.ge/. The bikes were top notch, and we had a great time with our guide. The countryside was very rugged and beautiful. The ride was more difficult than we expected, so it was good we were both in shape for it.
We stayed in a hotel in Tbilisi and also got out for a run in the fortress overlooking the city, Narikala. The fortress has lots of areas to explore, gardens, and also passageways along its walls. It makes for a really cool running experience.
While we didn’t get in any ultrarunning, the country of Georgia has beautiful countryside, and a vibrant city that makes for a great base. Driving in Tbilisi, described as OK if you are comfortable driving in the middle-east, was also an adventure in its own right. Watch for direct flights in the summer that make a long weekend trip possible from Europe.
