News

The snowstorm that would last several days was forecast for a long time and then only 10cm arrived. I was picked up in a buggy yesterday. That's how it is sometimes.

But since last night it's been snowing and windy again. Almost 50cm has accumulated in front of The PIONEERS, but with the pretty strong wind it's difficult to determine. It's expected to continue like this overnight and tomorrow.

We've set the avalanche danger level internally at 4 and have stopped all traffic on the access road for our vehicles until further notice.

It snowed last night. After a really nice late summer and warm autumn, temperatures have dropped significantly in the past week. We are expecting at least another half a meter of fresh snow in the next few days.

Snowfall in October is normal. Sooner or later the snow in Bakhmaro will melt again and the access road will be passable again, but will probably be closed (officially at least). However, the snow usually stays on the north slopes and a good base accumulates over the weeks. We will then have good freeride conditions until Christmas and for the start of the season we just need enough snow on the cat tracks.

Wizzair did not adjust its flight schedule in August this year. Maybe there will be changes, but at the moment we are assuming that these will be the flights in winter. The flights we recommend are marked.

We always include 7 nights from Saturday to Saturday in Bakhmaro and Wolfsbed Hut and 6 nights from Sunday till Saturday at project X.

All statements without guarantee! As of 01/09/2024.

Support for the local community.

In the entrance area of The PIONEERS we provide the Bank of Georgia with a video-monitored room for an ATM.

It is the first ATM in Bakhmaro and very important for the local gaming shops, kiosks and food stalls that do not have a card terminal. Landlords of simple cottages will also benefit. Without cash, small businesses cannot generate sales. So it is primarily a support for small businesses in Bakhmaro. We hope that we can also contribute to the attractiveness of Bakhmaro.

Anyway, in winter the ATM will not be active as it is impossible for the bank to replenish cash.

For the first time ever, Georgia has qualified for a European Championship - we watched the decisive game against Greece with the ski team and friends in Gudauri.

Now the European Championship has started and we are showing all the Georgian team's matches open air on our terrace:

18/06/2024, 8:00 p.m.     Türkiye - Georgia
22/06/2024, 5:00 p.m.     Georgia - Czech Republic
26/06/2024, 11:00 p.m.     Georgia - Portugal

The PIONEERS, hotel & cafe

We are happy about every fan...

We have confirmed the first bookings for the 2024/25 season.

First-time repeaters have the opportunity to rebook again in the same week. After that, we will begin offering the remaining weeks to new drivers.

In the 2024/25 season we will offer our hotel - The PIONEERS - mainly for groups and the Riders Lodge for individual bookings. In addition to these two own accommodations, we will again rent a guest house as a Bakhmaro Base.

In Adjara we will again have Wolfsbed Hut as our backcountry hut and project X as our back-to-the-roots catski location. We are also working on a new project: Beech Club.

On tour with the Bakhmaro Ski Club

After Goderdzi Pass and Mestia we went to Gudauri this year. 3 days of ski training and end of the season for all team members who want to learn or improve skiing. So we have some nice days when we can enjoy the mountains ourselves as skiers.

There are always friends from Bakhmaro there too. Of course, the youngsters don't miss out either.

We usually close our cat ski operations in mid-March. This year March 16th was the last day with skiing and even some fresh snow.

We can offer freeriding in Bakhmaro with a clear conscience until mid-March. Afterwards you need a little luck for good snow. This year the following week would have been really good. But you only know that in retrospect.

We would like to thank all the freeriders who visited us and all our cooperation partners for the good cooperation.

I would like to thank the whole team for once again making a freeride season with many highlights possible. The eighth season is now history for us.

The catski season started with the first group in Bakhmaro on December 13th. Only one group is still out in the area.

The weather at the start of the season didn't quite cooperate and this is the picture from December 14th, when the group had the best conditions at Sarkornia.

On Tuesday I will present our project in the Penguin Shop in Zurich. Penguin is our clothing supplier. I will talk about the adventure of opening a catski base in the Caucasus and introduce Georgia as a freeride country.

Registration is necessary as space in the shop is limited.

Date: November 7th
Time: 7:00 p.m
Location: Penguin Shop, Klingenstrasse 9, 8005 Zurich
(near the main train station)
Registration: mail@penguin.swiss

Our hotel recommendation for extra nights in Kutaisi is the Newport Hotel. Just a few steps from the Colchis Fountain (Agmashenebeli Square), the hotel is within walking distance of the Rioni River, the city center and the bazaar. A number of good restaurants can also be easily reached in a few minutes.

Newport Hotel Kutaisi is a modern hotel housed in a historic 19th-century building. The hotel has 34 rooms, a 24-hour reception, a restaurant, a bar and a rooftop terrace with great views of the city.

In order to avoid time-consuming pick-up procedures upon arrival, we will only start the transfers to Bakhmaro from this hotel in Kutaisi city. Pick-up will take place in the early afternoon.

Prices per night:

•     Single room with breakfast: € 75,-
•     Double or twin room with breakfast: € 85,-

The booking can be made through us.

We updated the flight schedule of Wizzair. Usually from September, there are not many changes anymore. That also means that it is time to book flights now. In particular for the Christmas holidays, we recommend to book flights early.

There are more flight connections with Wizzair directly to Kutaisi. These are just the most comfortable and relevant ones.

For overnight stays we will make a hotel recommendation. It saves everyone a lot of time, if we have to pick up just from one hotel.