High in the Caucasus Mountains, Georgia has some of the world’s best slopes, untouched by overtourism or outside investor
Misha Margiani lashed his drawn wintertime boots to the wooden planks as tightly as he could . It was 1998 , and he was suited up in script - me - down ski , abandoned by Soviet alpinist near his family ’s farm in the Svaneti region of Georgia . The 6 - year - one-time took a deep breathing spell and push himself down a lowly hill .
“ The binding were a thin [ bull skin ] rope , ” he recalls . “ I was golden when they outlive a turn or skip . ” Two years later on Misha helped his jr. comrade , Alexei , learn to ski with the same setup . Fast forward three decades and the brothers would follow their passion to become credentialed by the esteemed International Federal of Mountain Guides Association ( IFMGA ) . It ’s a enfranchisement that comes in handy give that their humble hometown now has a burgeoning reputation within the ski community for the world ’s good snow .
When I learn from the Margianis about their big mountains covered with bubbly gunpowder — sometimes multiple feet deep , roadless by tourists — it all seemed too good to be honest . These form of slopes are the stuff and nonsense of caption . I had to see ( and ski ) them for myself .
Courtesy Andy Cochrane
In January , 2024 , I took my own deep breathing spell and boarded a plane , traveling for a full daytime to get to Tbilisi , the Das Kapital of Georgia . This was calendar month beforeresidents commence protestingpotentially rigged elections , the country ’s retreat from the European Union , and the rule Georgian Dream party . At the clip , I was affect by the capital ’s juxtaposition of tradition likesupra feastsandpolyphonic singingwith a then - booming tech sector and thriving inauguration scene . A day later , I drove nine gruelling hour , endure a impractical road — quit multiple time to dig through snow drifts — and at last arrived in Mestia , the biggest Ithiel Town in Svaneti , nursing home of the Margiani brothers , and an untapped skier ’ nirvana .
Just a few hundred miles from the Black Sea , the high peaks around Mestia get around 300 inches of snow every year , on equivalence with Aspen , Colorado . And because the Caucasus Mountains are so high in EL , the Charles Percy Snow is dry and light , akin to that of Jackson , Wyoming , or Hokkaido , Japan , two of the world ’s great skiing capitals . But , unlike Aspen or Jackson , Mestia is almost unknown , offer empty incline and make out exemption to visiting skier .
I spent a week skiing all over the vale , learning from the Margiani brother as I went . Though my stumble coincided with a mid - wintertime tender piece , leave grievous and blotto snow at the bottom of the valley , the alpine remained light and stable for outrageous skiing . With bluebird days and knowledgeable guides , we spent most of the time on the shoulder of Tetnuldi , the superlative towering above township , ski couloirs and expert personal line of credit that ran for M of feet — until our tired peg gave out and we head back to Ithiel Town to banquet on kubdari , a delectable local centre Proto-Indo European .
Courtesy Andy Cochrane
Just to the northward of Mestia , we ski on the Chaladi and Lekhziri Glaciers , magnificent features which aid chip at the deep valley . Unlike most of the U.S. , much of the backcountry skiing in this area is glaciated , so we wore harness for extra safety . With so much snow , you could shortly forget that you ’re on top of a glacier , until you spot a upright wall of chicken feed on the side of a rill . Even on the busiest daylight , we only saw a few other group in the backcountry . There ’s just so much terrain that skiers incline to spread out .
Georgia ’s flat lowland create a polar bridge between Europe and Asia , which has been used throughout history for trade , migration , and state of war . The Romans , Mongols , Ottomans , Persians , and Soviets all conquered these land . Traditions , holidays , and khridoli — the home motley martial artistic creation , which combines judo , fencing material , and hand-to-hand struggle — illustrate the degree to which the country is still a spiritual and cultural melting pot .
But Svaneti itself was never touched . Its uttermost aloofness in the Caucasus Mountains — coupled with fortify , ninth century towers that fended off encroacher — allowed the local dialect , intellectual nourishment , and culture , called Svan , to pull through unaltered . The main road into Mestia was build less than a century ago and even today it ’s not easy to traverse . There are only 1,972 full - time residents , who have grown to bank on each other to outlive harsh wintertime with modified access to the outside world .
Courtesy Andy Cochrane
After the flop of the Soviet Union in 1991 , Mestia , like much of the res publica , fall into decline . Many Svans go forth to find factory piece of work in cities , nearly crippling the region . But ski tourism began to revitalise the town in 2016 , when the government build Tetnuldi Ski Resort , just a 20 - hour effort from Mestia . hotel , restaurants , and ski shop class bulge up to support the new resort .
Despite all the recent grammatical construction , the usurious and vast mountains are still mostly untamed — a clean canvas tent for the pathfinder and ski manufacture to explore and develop . Tetnuldi Resort has only four lifts , a fraction of what most U.S. refuge whirl every day , and the top one drops skiers off at 10,400 feet , a stark jumping off point for expert backcountry travelers . experient skier can tour up the Nagebi Glacier towards the summit of Tetnuldi , which at 15,938 feet is more than a thousand feet high than Mt. Whitney , the tallest mint in the Lower 48 . Everything in Mestia is self-aggrandising than the Tetons , Cascades , and Sierras that many American skiers , including myself , are used to .
The Margianis believed Tetnuldi tick the beginning of a new era for Svaneti and that they were uniquely fit to help usher in this novel age . The family has inhabit in Mestia for more than a millennium . With backgrounds in mickle rescue and cordial reception , the brothers are well-chosen to declare oneself tips on where to ski , suggestions on the safety prognosis , and even advocate other guides to hire if they ’re too busy . As IFMGA guides , Misha and Alexei could work anywhere in the world . But instead of actuate to the Alps to search out wealthy clients like some of their match , both decided to continue in their beleaguered hometown .
Courtesy Andy Cochrane
Their decision fits with the community ’s long tradition of receptiveness and cordial reception . Before the route into townsfolk was built , visitors were rare ; the Margianis claim families would compete to emcee traveler at their houses , hoping to hear stories and learn about the news from the surrounding lowlands . On our first meeting , Alexei and Misha greeted me with large grinning and hold hug , their tawdry jest filling the room . push back around one day , Misha stop suddenly so we could all help a diminished motortruck that had slid off the road .
The brothers are n’t the only ace who have made the decision to detain . Three XII ski guides know in Svaneti , nearly all certified in the last 10 geezerhood . This new division of prole is only possible with the new roads , substructure — and most significantly — the boom in skiing - related tourism . While it is hard to track the precise number of visitor to Mestia , the growth is evident in the many unexampled building around town .
For now , Mestia remains well-disposed and relaxed , like Aspen , Jackson , and Tahoe all were decade ago . Street dog drift freely , drivers cease in the middle of the street to recognise neighbor , and shop clerks excitedly direct people onto the slopes . The vast bulk of the hotels , restaurant , and guiding help are still owned by Georgians .
The challenge for Mestia and the Margiani brother buy the farm forrard , just like on a two-fold grim diamond run , is to avoid getting out over their ski . Outside developer are starting to see potency in Mestia . The small , close - crumple town has been capable to push back against some outsider , but others have snuck in . It ’s give locals some pause .
“ growing is a unspoilt thing for now . It keeps the local people living here , which mean a lot to us , ” says Misha . “ What we are really worried about is foreigners using the res publica to profit themselves . ”
It ’s not the only existential question hanging over the area . Like all of Georgia , which teeters between the EU and the West on one side and Russia on the other , Svaneti faces long - term challenges about how it handles its human relationship with its neighbour to the north . sit down just a Harlan Stone ’s stroke from the Russian border , Svans must be careful with how they talk about the protests . There have been little demonstrations in town . Like burgeoning industry in major Georgian city threatened by a potential drop in foreign investment funds and looming sanctions from the EU , the ski manufacture has also have a smash .
“ The booking process was almost idle for month , ” enunciate Misha . “ We have fewer Europeans and Americans this wintertime , but the same amount from Slavic countries , Russia , and Central Asia . ”
But life mostly goes on as it has in this distant vale . There ’s a lot of hope for the future .
On my last nighttime in Mestia , I was invited to Lamproba , a Svan festival at the offset of February where families honor their ancestors . I ’d already spent the sound part of a hebdomad eating at different small restaurants that felt more like base kitchens , gorging on local bread , meats , and Georgian wine . I ’d climbed medieval tower , getting impromptu history lessons from the families who owned them as I love the sensational views .
For the terrific close , I joined the Margianis in the small cemetery adjacent to their menage , watching the brothers fall small fires on each grave and make toasts with homemade vodka until the bitty hours of the break of day . My memory board of the dark is misty , but its wallop is lasting . They ’d receive me , a unknown , to unite one of their most intimate ceremonies . It felt like a signaling of how open they are to visitant from across the human beings — at least for now .
This intimate tactile property might not be sustainable for much longer . Last winter , international picture show crews descend on Mestia for Georgia ’s first - everFreeride World Tour result . Viral societal medium magazine ofMarcus GoguenandVictor de Le Rue ’s gain ground runs further put the region on the map as a premier ski goal — whether it ’s fully ready for the implications that come with that kind of fame or not .
“ In the last two years we are see more masses in the mountains , but not crowds , ” says Misha . “ We know it ’s drop dead to be big , just not when it ’ll get there , so we ’re doing what we can to grow it in the right way . ”
