As the temperatures start to fall, the popular mountain resort of Gudauri is fully prepared for the opening of the ski season. Cableways have been repaired, skiing tracks cleared of stones and, most importantly, a snowmaking system was installed, which can extend the ski season for an extra one and a half months. This season is scheduled to open on December 13.
Last year many tourists were dissatisfied with the poor weather conditions and lack of snow in the mountains. To combat against these climactic obstacles, some resorts like Gudauri and Bakuriani established snowmaking systems which will soon be ready for operation. The system is designed by the Demaclenko, a market leader in the system which resembles an arsenal of snow guns.
According to Oleg Kolonitski, Director of the Ski Servise Company, which is the representative of Demaclenko in Georgia, Gudauri has installed the latest snow guns, which have been successfully tested. “They made the snow out of the water, so you won’t find any chemical additives and impurities here. Water and compressed air react with each other, cooled and sprayed over the entire surface of the earth in the form of snow,” he said.
A total of 29 snow guns were installed on Gudauri’s first track and these are capable of covering all of its 9.5 ha territory. The Mountain Resorts Development Company plans to launch them officially on December 1. Therefore, for the first time the opening of the ski season in the mountain resorts will not depend on the weather.
“The deadline for the ski resort’s opening is December 20. We are planning a big opening ceremony with lots of sports, music and entertainment events. Most importantly, the weather does not scare us anymore, so we can act strictly according to plan. This year we expect a large flow of visitors and tourists and we think that we will have a very successful season,” said Tatia Chikvaidze, Deputy Head at Georgian National Tourism Agency.
In addition, to improve the quality of the Gudauri ski resort and bring it closer to European standards, in June 2014 with the organization of the Mountain Resorts Development Company and Pisten Bully, the department staff of the ski slopes underwent training in the Swiss resort of Saas Fee.
Significant improvement to the quality of the resort helped to improve and develop the surrounding infrastructure. For the 2014-2015 season, a large number of cafes, restaurants, and all types of hotels and guesthouses have been built or renovated.
“Gudauri is already fully prepared for the opening. We are ahead of the schedule can say that everything will be opened at the designated time. We just have to wait for the snow and launch our snowmaking system, but if weather conditions change and the snow goes early, we can still stay open,” said Sandro Onoprishvili, the Head of the Mountain Resorts Development Company.
By Eka Karsaulidze
Georgia Today
