Bakuriani's day pass was 55 lari against Gudauri's 70 — and the road in is the part nobody warns you about

For the Mountain Trails Agency zones, a single ride was 15 lari, a day 55 lari and 28 for children, two days 110, seven days 296, and a season pass 650 lari with a half-price child rate. The Multicard itself costs 5 lari a person. The privately run Crystal area charges separately: 55 lari for a day on the snow, 30 for night skiing, 80 for both. These are last season's published figures, so treat them as the planning baseline until the resort posts its new list rather than as this winter's confirmed prices.

The comparison with Gudauri is not really about the skiing. Gudauri sits on the Military Highway, which means freight lorries grinding past the hotels; Bakuriani is a town you can cross on foot, with a local bus at a lari a ride. Food and accommodation come out cheaper, the restaurants are good for Georgian cooking, and the runs suit beginners and families. What Bakuriani does not have is much of an evening: a handful of bars, and that is the apres-ski. If that matters to your group, Gudauri is the livelier choice.

Bakuriani is about 180 kilometres from Tbilisi and 150 from Kutaisi, two and a half to three and a half hours depending on conditions. The road is sealed and a four-wheel drive is not needed, but winter tyres are compulsory and you must approach from the Borjomi side, because the southern route through Akhalkalaki is not open in winter. Vans from Borjomi run several times a day for 3 lari, and a taxi from there is 50 to 70. The Kukushka narrow-gauge train, which people still ask about, is not running, so there is no rail option at all.

Potholes are a running complaint, and the dirt road up to Kokhta is described as the worst of them. Public toilets are scarce, so plan stops around restaurants and lift stations. Crystal and 25 Ski Park get crowded and disorderly, with reports of pedestrians being hit by skiers. Rental gear can be tired, so inspect it before you pay. And avoid the school holidays, New Year above all, when both the traffic and the lift queues are at their worst.