Ski Lessons in GudauriFrom First Glide to Red Runs
Most people need about three lessons before a blue run feels like theirs. Here is how those days go — what gets taught first, what comes after, and which of our lessons fits where you are now.
- Day one How a ski boot should feel, standing balanced instead of leaning back, moving on the flat and getting up from a fall without help. Then a straight glide down a slope that stops you by itself, and the snowplough: slowing down and stopping when you decide to. Often a first turn.
- Days two and three Turn after turn, controlling speed with the shape of the turn instead of braking. The beginner lift, on and off without a fall. The inside ski starts coming parallel at the end of each turn. This is usually where skiing clicks.
- Blue runs Parallel turns down a blue without stopping, and any lift in Gudauri on your own. This is where the intermediate lessons start.
- Red runs One change at a time: weight on the outside ski, standing centred, a quiet upper body, finishing the turn so a red stops needing brakes. Then your first clean arcs, and bumps, soft snow or ice when the day offers them.
The order does not change; how fast you move through it is yours. Three lessons on three days teach more than one long one.
- First-timer — never been on skis, or you still slow down with a snowplough and have not left the beginner slope. Also you, if you skied a few days years ago and remember almost nothing.
- Intermediate — all three are true: you link parallel turns down a blue run without stopping, you control your speed on a red even if it is not tidy, and you ride any lift in Gudauri on your own.
- Somewhere in between? Pick the one you are closer to. The instructor sees you on the first run and adjusts.
| Lesson | Who it is for | Price |
|---|---|---|
| Private lesson → | One instructor for you, or for up to 4 of you, any day of the season, at any level. |
90 min ₾320 · 3 h ₾560
for one; more people pay less each
|
| First-timer class → | Your first days, in a group of 4 at most with one instructor, on the days a class is posted. 1.5 hours. | ₾150 per person |
| Intermediate class → | You already ride blues on your own and want reds to feel like riding. 3 hours, same group size. | ₾250 per person |
| Kids lessons → | Children from 3 to 15: the Kids Club, or a private of their own. | Club ₾650 a day · private from ₾340 |
| Women's lessons → | The same lessons, taught by a woman to women. | private from ₾380 |
Three days or more of the same lesson and every day of it costs less. The lift pass is not included in any lesson.
- Ski boots feel wrong. Stiff, heavy and leaning you forward. That is what they are for, and by the end of the first lesson you stop noticing.
- Your thighs will burn. A snowplough is hard work until the turns take over from it. It passes.
- You will fall. Everyone does, instructors included. You learn how to fall and get up before you need to.
- The altitude is real. Gudauri starts at about 2,000 m. You tire faster, get thirsty sooner and burn in the sun quicker than at home.
- Easy slopes can look steep. Fear on a gentle slope is normal and says nothing about your ability. Say so — the instructor changes the terrain, not the pressure.
- Skis, boots, poles and a helmet, on you at the meeting point. Rent the afternoon before if you can — a morning rental queue eats into a lesson.
- Boots that fit: snug, toes just touching the front when you stand straight, heel not lifting when you lean forward. A boot that hurts ends a lesson early — tell the rental shop, not your instructor.
- Your lift pass, bought before the start time.
- Layers you can open, gloves, goggles or sunglasses, sun cream. One pair of thin ski socks — not two, and not cotton.
- Arrive five to ten minutes early. The lesson ends at its booked time either way.
I have never skied. Where do I start?
With a first-timer lesson: a private of 90 minutes, or the first-timer class on a day one is posted. Both start at the very beginning — standing, gliding and stopping on a gentle slope.
How many lessons do I need?
Most people need about three before a blue run feels like theirs. Three lessons of 90 minutes on three days teach more than one lesson of three hours, and three days or more of the same lesson cost less each day.
Should I learn to ski or to snowboard?
Whichever you want to ride — we teach both. Day one on skis is usually easier and has less falling in it. A board is slower to start and catches up fast after the first two or three days.
I skied years ago and remember almost nothing.
Book a private lesson. Half-remembered skiing rarely sits close enough to either class level to be comfortable in one, and a private starts wherever you actually are.
Can my children ski with us?
Children from 3 to 15 learn in their own lessons: the Kids Club or a kids private. A child usually does better in a lesson of their own than in an adult one.
Where do I rent skis?
Anywhere you like, or at our shop. Come the afternoon before your lesson: equipment collected in the afternoon is charged from the next day, and you arrive at the lesson ready.
Is the lift pass included?
No. You need your own lift pass, bought before the lesson starts.
Is there anything above intermediate?
Yes, but not as a posted class. Book a private, or message us and we arrange it directly.
I already ride. Can someone show me around Gudauri?
Take the Slope Tour: 2 hours with a guide who knows the mountain, ₾200 for up to 6 of you. It is about where to ride, not how — for how, take a private.
What if the weather is bad or the lifts stop?
If the lifts run, the lesson runs. If they do not, you choose another date or your money back.