Georgia – Heliskiing at Goderdzi Pass

Information about the Region

The Goderdzi Pass is located in the westernmost province of Georgia, in Adjara. Adjara is bordered to the south by Turkey and to the west by the Black Sea coast. In the summer months, the valley is very green and fertile due to the heavy rainfall. Farmers use the wonderful alpine meadows above 2000 meters to graze livestock on the lush meadows. But already at the end of September, temperatures fall, and the first snow falls. It's time for the farmers to prepare everything for winter, as four to five meters of snow are the norm here. About 4000 people live in the entire valley, and there is still very little tourism. The inhabitants live very simply from livestock farming, and most are self-sufficient. Scattered settlements with sometimes very remote farmhouses characterize the landscape of the valley.

Our Accomodation

Our accommodation, the elegant 5-star hotel built by the Ambassador Group directly at the valley station of the cable car, is where we are staying. In addition to good international cuisine, we are accommodated in spacious and very comfortable rooms. The wellness area with a swimming pool and various saunas leaves nothing to be desired. And as usual, the helicopter is right in front of the hotel.

ambassadori.com/goderdzi

Safety and Quality

Safety and quality are our absolute priority. Although we always aim to provide the best experience for our guests, we will never do so by compromising their safety. Any risks that can be influenced are kept thoroughly within our control. As with any activity in high alpine regions, including heliskiing, there are also risks that are beyond our control. You should be aware that we are not exempt from these risks when skiing in the remote places of our planet. Given that we are far away from any rescue services, we have developed our own rescue protocol. A group consists of a maximum of four guests and one guide. We will generally be out with three groups at a time. The groups will follow a rotating system, meaning that the other groups with their guides are never far off in an emergency. We additionally equip ourselves with first-aid material and rescue equipment, and possess the necessary expertise and practice for its use. We also always keep a satellite phone by our side.

Helicopter and Pilots

At the Goderdzi Pass, we use an Airbus AS 350 E helicopter, operated by Aero Heli, a renowned German helicopter company. This powerful helicopter can accommodate four guests, a mountain guide, and a pilot per rotation. Our pilots come from the Alpine countries and have years of heliskiing experience. We offer you a large heliski area exclusively with only 12 guests per week. Therefore, we only have one helicopter on site. Despite the best maintenance, a helicopter is a sensitive aircraft and can, in the worst case, fail due to a technical problem. Georgia is far from the nearest service base, so in the worst case scenario, we cannot continue the heliskiing during your week in the event of a major repair.

Runs and Terrain

The terrain and runs at Goderdzi Pass vary from high alpine to the best tree skiing we know. 70% of the terrain is above tree line and 30% is below in sparse mixed or coniferous forests. Perfect powder snow can be found in the forest regions in January and February. Our helicopter landing spots are between 2400 and 3000 metres, with most of the runs being around 800 metres, but also up to 1200 metres. We are very flexible in terms of the steepness and exposition and are able choose from the steepest tree terrain to mellow glades – everything is possible. If you love skiing through forests covered in deep snow, then you will love this terrain. We hardly know of any other spots that offer better treeskiing than at the Goderdzi Pass.

Requirements for Guests

In order to get the most out of this week of heliskiing/heliboarding, you should have a very good skiing technique in all terrains and snow conditions. Good physical condition and endurance are especially required for long runs through the forests. This destination is for advanced skiers and snowboarders. Flory Kern – Ski Berge Abenteuer – can refuse individuals the right to participate if they hold up the group, pose a danger, or show conditional weaknesses. In such cases, these individuals may be flown back to the base during the day.

Skiing Equipment

Freeride skiing equipment (min. 100mm under the binding) and safety equipment (shovel, probe, avalanche beacon, and airbag backpack) are compulsory. Safety equipment, including a Scott Alpride avalanche backpack, can be hired from us free of charge. A helmet is recommended. A detailed packing list will be provided approximately 30 days prior to departure. Each participant is responsible for his gear being in good and working order. Replacing or renting material in the local area will not be possible. However, we do carry a few extra pairs of ski in case of loss or damage.

Weather

We, of course, also love to cruise through the deepest powder with the sun shining – but this requires regular dumps of fresh snow and favourable weather conditions. As in all mountainous regions, both snowy and sunny days are part and parcel of winter at Goderdzi Pass. On average there are 3 days of snowfall each week.

Conditions

December, January, and February normally offer perfect powder conditions. Both spectacular days out and down days make up two sides of the dice. Our runs are between 1300 and 3000 metres. In spite of generally favourable factors, heliskiing at Goderdzi Pass is dependent on weather, snow, and avalanche conditions. Uncontrollable and sometimes unpredictable forces of nature exist in the mountains. Therefore, our sport is not always perfect, which is something that we should all be accordingly prepared for. It is not possible to perfectly predict the weather and conditions in advance. The week may offer the most fulfilling skiing experience of your life, but it may also be a disappointment if the weather and snow conditions do not meet your every expectation. 

Bad Weather Days / Downdays

As with all heliski destinations, the Goderdzi Pass also experiences days with very heavy snowfall or cloud cover, making safe helicopter operations unsafe, and the risks of helicopter flight are disproportionate to skiing. The newly built cable car to the Goderdzi Pass departs right outside our front door. Perfect skiing terrain awaits us here. Optionally, we can also add a day of cat skiing, allowing us to reach slopes outside the ski area.

Flying Time and Vertical Meters

We want to provide ‘a destination for riders, from riders’. That’s why we’ve even adapted our whole philosophy of flying time and vertical metres to this line of thinking. We aim to offer you the best possible skiing experience that our package can provide. Our package includes 12 hours of flying per week (with 12 guests), which is approximately 30,000 vertical metres. If we exceed this limit, we can continue flying at the price of 3200 EUR per hour, which will be divided by the number of clients flying. In our package we are able to guarantee eight hours of flying per week. If we fly fewer than eight hours due to poor weather conditions, each client will be reimbursed 200 EUR per hour for the unused hours. If a guest is unable to fly due to a lack of physical fitness, sickness, late arrival, or early departure, we will unfortunately not be able to reimburse any costs. 

Number of Guests and Exclusivity

We want to offer an exclusive heliskiing experience, away from mass tourism, in the spectacular mountains at the Goderdzi Pass. Our trips are therefore ‘semi-private’ and only open to 12 guests a week per helicopter. The clients are divided into three groups, which follow a rotating system. This means that waiting times and delays rarely occur. Each group of four guests will be accompanied by one guide, who knows the terrain very well.