Bakuriani | All the Basics

Bakuriani is a lush, beautifully situated resort town in central Georgia. At about 1200 m with mountains stretching to 2600 m it provides some beautiful flying opportunities, although it's unclear whether the cloud base ever rises sufficiently to provide good cross-country opportunities. Much exploration remains to be done.

So far the main flights have been limited, with some thermal soaring. About a dozen flights have been done in this region, primarily from the range to the south, which has about 600 m of elevation above the high plateau (see photo) that stretches down to Armenia. Typically, the plateau carries strong winds from the southeast, often beyond flyability for paragliders.

Likely, a week of staying here would yield some good flying. Nice guesthouses, great views, and attractive alternatives (hiking, cycling, swimming in Tabatskuri Lake) make this an inviting prospect. Flying in winter (ski lift) is possible, but altitudes are modest and winds not necessarily favorable.

Difficulty
Generally a friendly location, with many broad spaces, easy opportunities for landing, few obstacles, good launch sites, although the wind can become strong, and regional winds may become a little tricky (it is possible that there might be some regional windshear). But definitely flyable for beginners. On the plus side, good mobile phone connections everywhere.

Launch
The main launch site is a mountain range to the south, in the direction of Tabatskuri village. Once over the pass (often guarded by paramilitary personnel protecting the pipeline, requesting ID), straight up the mountain on the left (requires a 4x4), and once you are up on the ridge, looking down over Bakuriani again, pretty much anything goes as a launch site. Note that it's windy around here. We have flown over the ridge, leeside, and landed in the Bakuriani valley, but it's a rough ride.

Here is a basic video from a good soaring day, many years ago.

Svaneti | Mestia -- All the Basics!

As a flying location, Svaneti has the potential to become big, very big. It is spectacularly beautiful, scenic with its ancient towers, retains a unique flavor, and its remoteness makes it even more enticing.

In terms of flying, the valleys are broad, offering many good landing locations. The valleys lean up against the main Caucasus range, with several mountains about 5000 m, and some reportedly vying with the Himalaya in difficulty. The Twin Peaks of Ushba, for example, regularly claim the lives of experienced climbers.

Not much flying has been done up there so far. Doing some distance shouldn't be hard. Maybe the best time is in late August and September.

Mestia itself offers a good launch site, just above the town (see evening photo, and impossible to miss). It is accessible by car, and about 900 m above town. Once you get some thermals here, you can go on and on.

The site is fairly difficult until early afternoon, with a very steep drop. At around two o'clock (September) a nice breeze sets in from the west, and this clearly is the preferable launch direction. Not for beginners, though.

Depending on the wind direction, pretty much anything seems possible. The airport offers a huge landing site, nicely aligned against the valley winds. Not much that can go wrong here.

Difficulty
Nothing for beginners, since this is not a forgiving environment; even experienced pilots should take precautions, have a detailed rescue plan, good communications, and know that external help is unlikely, and may take days to arrive. Perhaps not the place where you want to take risks close to glaciers. Beware of the strong NorthWest winds blowing across the Caucasus.

Logistics
The Mestia Tourism Center can help to organize a vehicle and a place to stay; Zaur Chartolani from the center was one of the first Georgians to fly a paraglider in the late 1980s (but currently is no longer flying); the center lists the following numbers:

• Ia (+995 77) 42 49 62 (german, russian, english);
• Zaur (+ 995 99) 41 93 53 (russian);
• Shorena (+995 95) 358049 (english, russian).

Mass tourism hasn't arrived, so providing basic services remains expensive -- your money will help people through the winter. Generally, exemplary behavior by paragliders important to help secure future goodwill. Camping is not a good idea. Wikipedia info on Svaneti gives you more background.

Gudauri | All the Basics

Gudauri is Georgia's premier winter-resort, 80 km (or, to be more precise, 100 minutes north) of Tbilisi. In relatively barren landscape, it offers some spectacular views.

A challenging flying location in thermal conditions, it is a good place to practice in winter with ski lifts.

Launchsites:

There are three main launch sites. In summer they are accessible by 4x4, on a rough road. Taking a local driver is a good idea.

1. Kudebi (3000 m) -- the very top of the resort, typically primarily for winter flights when the lifts are working.
   
2. Austrian hut (~2700 m) -- a good launch site in early afternoon, just below Kudebi, exposed to the South, and overlooking a huge gulley: a good exit point for cross-country flights. No need to go up to Kudebi, typically, since you can launch from here.
   
3. Red boxes (~2650 m) -- a launch site later in the afternoon, easily recognizable as you are coming up the road, a little lower down from the Austrian hut, also good for afternoon soaring.
   

Landing:

Potentially, there are many landing spots in Gudauri. In winter, the bottom of the second lift is the preferable landing location. In summer, this site is treacherous, since the slope below has occasional thermal releases, which instantly reverse the wind direction.

Difficulty:

Not a place for beginners in thermal summer conditions. Landing sites are in relatively narrow valleys, winds are strong, and the landscapes and winds are complicated. Located at the weather divide along the Caucasus main ridge, this is a complex environment. Unlike, say, Svaneti, it does not have a generous landing space.

Strong regional winds may not break through to ground level, but create strong turbulence at higher altitudes.

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