At the beginning of February 2026 we set off for Bakhmaro. No six months of planning. It had snowed, a friend was already there, and the question was simple: are you coming or not?
The forecast promised more snow, and Bakhmaro looked like the perfect idea. A high-altitude village a few dozen kilometres from the Black Sea, with not a single lift, plenty of terrain for freeride, and snowcats instead of chairlifts.
A resort that isn’t really a resort
Bakhmaro lies in western Georgia in the Guria region, at about 2 050 metres above sea level. It is only about 50 kilometres from the Black Sea. It is this mix of moist sea air and mountains that makes the area a place where truly a lot of snow can fall in winter.
In winter you won’t find classic lifts or groomed pistes here. People ski tour, ride snow scooters, or go cat-skiing. Bakhmaro is more of a base for powder days than a regular resort with a ticket office and turnstiles.
First ice. Then there was a bit too much snow.
At the start it was pretty icy. Then the weather turned and it started dumping. And dumping. And then a little more.
It’s hard to say exactly how much fell. An easier measure was a ski pole: 125 centimeters disappeared completely into the snow. And according to the forecast, another roughly 60 centimeters were still on the way.
When there is too much deep snow
In photos, deep powder always looks like pure happiness. Reality is a little more fun. On gentle slopes, it was practically impossible to ski in that much snow. Stopping meant digging, pulling your skis out, and starting again.
The forests were beautiful, but when you are constantly searching for your skis under the snow, the romance drops a bit. Steeper open slopes after a big snowfall, on the other hand, demand respect, avalanche gear, and good judgment. Bakhmaro is freeride, not a safe park with barriers.
Cat-skiing: a snowcat as a chairlift
For four days we went cat-skiing. The snowcat pulled us up, the group jumped out, skied the open terrain, and the snowcat found us again lower down. In Bakhmaro, it is one of the most logical ways to access a huge amount of terrain without lifts.
Local operators ride both open slopes and forest sections. In poorer visibility, you can tuck into the forest; in good weather, you go higher and onto more open lines.
The snowcat takes the group into the terrain, you ski the open slope, and lower down it picks you up again.
When the snowcat isn’t enough, we use skins
We set out ski touring for two days. Bakhmaro is perfect for it: around the village there are lots of ridges and slopes to choose from, depending on the weather, snow, and avalanche conditions.
We weren’t trying to tick off specific peaks. More like finding a slope that made sense on that day and had a chance of being skiable even with absurd amounts of fresh snow.
Four activities from the trip. Routes, elevation gain, and exactly the kind of holiday where rest is measured by how many times a day you put on your skins.
1. activity →2. activity →
3. activity →
4. activity →
The snowcat broke down. Katka got stuck. I almost set the sauna on fire.
Of course, if everything had worked, there’d be nothing to write about. One snowcat broke down. Katka convinced the host to let her try the snowmobile, and a moment later she disappeared into the drift. We then waited about an hour until everything was finally dug out.
And I almost set the sauna on fire. No need to add many technical details.
The bonus came on skis. “Kaki, let’s race. It’s already tracked out here.” Fifty meters later, an unwanted backflip. That exact moment when, one second earlier, you’re still sure this could never happen to you, and then in midair you’re only figuring out why your head is where your skis were supposed to be.
The Caucasus, the Black Sea and a place where it’s worth taking a detour for snow
Georgia lies between the Black Sea and the Caucasus. For skiers, it is best known for bigger resorts like Gudauri, but Bakhmaro is a completely different discipline. Less infrastructure, more wilderness, and in winter a village that is practically cut off from regular transport.
Getting there in winter is part of the adventure. The last kilometres are often covered in snow and you travel by off-road vehicles, snowmobiles or snowcats.
Go again?
Without a second thought. Bakhmaro is not polished, and that is exactly why it works. When you hit the snow right, you get a huge amount of powder, a minimum of classic infrastructure, and riding that cannot be compared with an ordinary day at a resort.
Only next time, maybe less snow. And safer heating in the sauna.