Skiing in Tetnuldi / Mestia

Tetnuldi and Hatsvali: high, wild skiing above the Svan towers of Mestia

Ski Tetnuldi and Hatsvali from Mestia, Svaneti: 13 MTA-listed trails, the 9.5 km main slope, MultiCard pass rules, flights and roads to Mestia, best snow months.

Trails across Hatsvali and Tetnuldi, per the operator (km)

37

Lifts across both areas, per the operator

14

Tetnuldi top altitude (m)

3160

Tetnuldi main slope, per the tourism board (m)

9500

Skiing & terrain in Tetnuldi and Hatsvali

Marked trails of Mestia's two state-run ski areas, Hatsvali (7) and Tetnuldi (6), exactly as listed on the Mountain Trails Agency (MTA) status pages for the 2025–26 season. Area labels are the operator's own zone pages. Freeride, ski-touring and heli-ski terrain is not listed.

Trails across Hatsvali and Tetnuldi, per the operator (km)

37

Lifts across both areas, per the operator

14

Tetnuldi top altitude (m)

3160

Tetnuldi main slope, per the tourism board (m)

9500

Trails on MTA's 2025–26 status lists (this table)

13

• Green trails in the table: 2
• Blue trails in the table: 3
• Red trails in the table: 4
• Black trails in the table: 4

Names, areas and colours come from MTA's per-area trail lists (Internet Archive copies of April and May 2026, because status.mta.ski returned HTTP 500 on 18 October 2026); capitalisation of a few names was normalised. MTA does not publish per-trail lengths, so every length is blank; lift lengths are not run lengths. Georgia's tourism administration gives different totals: Hatsvali 5 runs of up to 5.5 km in all (beginner 500 m, intermediate 600 m, longest and hardest 4.4 km) and Tetnuldi 9 runs totalling 13 km, with a 9.5 km main slope it calls the longest in the South Caucasus. Those runs are not named, so their lengths are not attached to rows here, and MTA's 37 km headline figure is quoted separately. MTA's December 2024 notice named Tezo and Tezo 1; the 2025–26 list shows Tezo and Tezo 2.

Tetnuldi and Hatsvali pistes: Chvabiani, Goji Zurebiani, Tezo and the 9.5 km main slope

Tetnuldi is the big, high one. MTA's 2025–26 list shows six marked trails: the blue Chvabiani and Jumber Kakhiani in the lower section, the red Boris Kakhiani 1 and 2 and Goji Zurebiani 2 higher up, and the black Goji Zurebiani 1. The operator's lift list runs from about 2,270 m at the Chvabiani lift to 3,168 m at the top of the Boris Kakhiani lift. Georgia's tourism administration describes a 9.5 km main slope, which it calls the longest in the South Caucasus; MTA does not publish lengths per named trail.

Hatsvali, above Mestia, is smaller and lower: seven listed trails, from the green Beginner and Beginner 2 and the blue Slalom to the red Tezo and the black Zuruldi, Tezo 2 and Givi. The Zuruldi lift tops out at 2,345 m, and the tourism board says the longest and hardest run there is 4.4 km. MTA's own headline for both areas together is 37 km of trails and 14 lifts.

Tetnuldi's name abroad comes from freeride: the FIS Freeride World Tour returned to the mountain for the third time in February 2026, and the tourism board describes off-piste descents towards the Mulakhi and Adishi communities. Off-piste skiing in Svaneti is only allowed with a professional guide and the right avalanche equipment, according to the tourism board.

Mestia for beginners: the Hatsvali Beginner runs before Tetnuldi

Learn at Hatsvali, not Tetnuldi. Hatsvali has the only green trails in the operator's list (Beginner and Beginner 2) plus the blue Slalom, and the tourism board describes a 500 m easy run with a designated training area next to it where instructors work. It is also the easier area to reach, by cable car from Mestia.

Tetnuldi's prepared runs are described by the tourism board as suited to intermediate and experienced skiers; its easiest trails on the MTA list are blue. Once you link turns confidently on Slalom, Chvabiani and Jumber Kakhiani are the natural first Tetnuldi runs. Lifts in Mestia run 10:00–16:00, so lessons and first runs start in the morning.

Getting to Mestia: Mestia airport flights, Kutaisi or Tbilisi plus the Zugdidi road

Mestia has a small domestic airport, Queen Tamar Airport. Georgia's tourism administration lists flights from Natakhtari airport near Tbilisi six days a week (not Saturdays) and from Kutaisi International once a week, on Wednesdays; flights take about an hour but are highly weather-dependent and can be delayed or cancelled at short notice. Most international skiers fly into Tbilisi (TBS) or Kutaisi (KUT) first; check the current domestic schedule before you build a connection on it.

By road, the tourism board gives about 7–9 hours from Tbilisi, 4.5–5 hours from Kutaisi and around 6 hours from Batumi, with the last stretch the roughly 3-hour mountain road from Zugdidi. Georgian Railway runs trains from Tbilisi to Zugdidi, and shared minibuses (marshrutkas) and private transfers cover the mountain road, but we found no official minibus timetable, so confirm departures locally. In winter a high-clearance vehicle is described as a basic necessity, and heavy snow can add hours; check the Roads Department's restrictions on the day.

From Mestia, Hatsvali is about 8 km away and reached by cable car from the town. Tetnuldi is about 15 km away, around 40 minutes by road, and the tourism board says you need a high-clearance car: private minivans and jeeps run from the centre through the day in peak season, but without a fixed schedule.

Mestia with kids: Hatsvali beginner zone, lift-pass ages and a non-skiing day in town

MTA's pass rules make lifts free for children under 6; Child covers ages 6–12 and Junior 13–18, and a seasonal Junior pass needs a physical ID or birth certificate. For families Hatsvali is the practical base: the green Beginner runs, the training area where instructors operate, cafés at the middle and upper stations, and a cable car from town instead of a mountain drive.

We could not verify a ski school with published teaching languages and ages for the 2026–27 season, so ask your guesthouse or at the Hatsvali ticket office about instructors, the language they teach in and the meeting point before you book. Tetnuldi has fewer dining options and longer, more serious runs, so treat it as a day trip for confident older children.

A non-skiing parent has plenty to do: the Zuruldi café at the Hatsvali top station for the view, and in Mestia the Svaneti Museum of History and Ethnography, the Mikheil Khergiani museum and the medieval Svan towers.

Where to stay for Tetnuldi and Hatsvali: Mestia town or a village guesthouse

There is almost no lodging at the ski areas themselves; the tourism board says Tetnuldi has no hotels on the mountain. Mestia is the base for both areas, with modern hotels and cheaper family guesthouses, many serving breakfast and dinner with Svan dishes. Its big advantage is the cable car to Hatsvali; the drawback is the 40-minute drive to Tetnuldi each day.

If Tetnuldi is your main goal, a family-run guesthouse in one of the villages nearer the mountain, such as the Mulakhi community the tourism board mentions, cuts the drive, but you give up Mestia's restaurants, shops and easier transport, and depend on a car or your host's lift. Ask before booking whether the host can arrange the high-clearance transfer to Tetnuldi, and how close you are to the Hatsvali cable car if you are staying in town.

Start the Booking search in Mestia and filter for places that offer half board or transfers.

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Tetnuldi and Hatsvali ski pass 2026–27: MTA MultiCard rules and price status

Both areas are run by the state Mountain Trails Agency and covered by one pass. As of 18 October 2026, MTA had not published 2026–27 prices in a form we could verify (its status and price site returned an error), so no price is quoted here; check MTA's channels before you travel instead of relying on older figures.

Passes are loaded onto the rechargeable MultiCard, which also works at Gudauri, Bakuriani and Goderdzi; the card is reusable across seasons. Categories are Adult, Child (6–12), Junior (13–18) and Pensioner; under-6s ride free. You need the physical card at the gates (no QR codes), passes are non-refundable, and a lost personal pass must be reported at the ticket office within 24 hours.

MTA sells passes at the Mestia ticket offices and online via SKIPASS.GE, TKT.GE, Super App and Biletebi, but in January 2026 its FAQ noted that Mestia passes were temporarily unavailable online, so plan to buy or top up at the ticket office if the online option is missing. Tickets are sold until 30 minutes before the lifts close.

Best time to ski Tetnuldi and Mestia: snow history, season dates and forecasts

For the best snow window, aim for mid-January to March. A third-party archive (Snow-Forecast.com, built from model 'nowcast' data over roughly the last decade, not station records) gives average weekly snowfall for Hatsvali/Mestia of about 26 cm in January, 23 cm in February and 24 cm in March, against 21 cm in December and 14 cm in April, with the snowiest week in early March. Late December and early January are shoulder weeks, because the high Tetnuldi lifts open later, and April is a shoulder month for Tetnuldi only. Historical averages never guarantee a given season.

MTA has not yet announced 2026–27 dates. For reference, in 2025–26 the Zuruldi lift at Hatsvali opened on 27 December and Tetnuldi's lower lifts on 3 January, with the upper Goji Zurebiani and Boris Kakhiani lifts from 19 January; Hatsvali closed on 29 March and Tetnuldi on 9 April. The 2024–25 season opened on 21 December. The Freeride World Tour stop on Tetnuldi (21–28 February in 2026) brings extra visitors.

Before you go, combine the mountain forecast with the Roads Department's restrictions and MTA's lift updates on its social channels. Heavy snowfall is when flights to Mestia are most likely to be cancelled and the Zugdidi road slowest, so keep a buffer day before your flight home.

Tetnuldi ski partners: share the jeep, the guide and the long road to Svaneti

Svaneti rewards teaming up. The jeep or minivan to Tetnuldi, a private transfer from Kutaisi or Zugdidi and a certified freeride guide all cost less per person in a small group. On SkiPair, post your dates, your level and whether you are based in Mestia town or a village, and say whether you want piste days at Hatsvali, laps on Tetnuldi or guided off-piste.

Agree in advance what happens if a flight is cancelled or the road slows, who carries avalanche gear on freeride days, and a fallback meeting point at a lift station. Mixed-level groups work well here: beginners can take lessons at Hatsvali while stronger skiers spend the day at Tetnuldi, and everyone meets back in Mestia.

Ski pass prices for Tetnuldi / Mestia

Check the operator’s current prices for your ski dates, ticket duration, age group and the area covered by the pass.

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Weather and snow

A clearer view of the snow in Tetnuldi / Mestia: recent snowfall, what is forecast next, and an outlook for your dates.

Snow and temperature are model estimates. They do not confirm that lifts or pistes are open. Further-ahead dates show seasonal patterns rather than a weather forecast.

Flights & getting to Tetnuldi / Mestia

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Recommended airport for Georgia: Tbilisi (TBS).

Tetnuldi / Mestia is better with your kind of people

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A glimpse of Tetnuldi / Mestia

Archive photos · cropped for display

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