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International (Europe/Japan/Southern Hemisphere) Republic of Georgia - Gudauri 2020 Trip Report

Mattadvproject

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With some trepidation, tomorrow we leave for the Republic of Georgia...... I am excited to be heading back, but obviously I am more than a little nervous about the increasing spread of Coronavirus. We've discussed it as a group and decided to push ahead with the trip. I understand that many people would think it wise to cancel such a trip under the current circumstances and they would have plenty of merit, but the guests still want to go and after discussing the risks with my wife, I am open to it as well. Currently there are 15 confirmed Coronavirus cases in the Republic of Georgia with 0 deaths. One of the group has already been in Georgia for over a week now (in Mestia, further to the north) and he's been having a good time so far.

This will be a 2 week trip (hopefully without any stays in quarantine) and I should be back on the 25th March. We arrive in Tbilisi on the 13th at 4:45am and then will have 1 night in Tbilisi on the 13th. We hit the road to Gudauri around 11am on the 14th (with a stop at Ananuri Castle on the way) and then we have 9 nights on the mountain. We finish with 2 nights and a full day back in Tbilisi on the 23rd and 24th. I fly back to Denver on the 25th, via Munich.

The snow conditions have been tough in Gudauri this year. The snowpack has been quite unstable and there have been several avalanches with sadly 3 people killed in separate incidents in the sidecountry (Dec 31st, Jan 5th and Feb 16th). Gudauri had a big dump of snow in late December and then January was very cold and dry. The snowpack turned to facets and that has been the cause of the avalanche problem. Then in February, they started to get some more snow and the temps warmed up a bit. The snowpack started to stabilize somewhat and our local guides were able to get into some steeper lines. The start of March saw a decent (40cm) dump of snow and temps warmed up considerably. The forecast is calling for heavy snow around the 15th March. We'll see how that goes.

As per usual, I'll be reporting back as much as possible. Wish us luck and hope we can stay out of harms way.

- Matt
 

Andy Mink

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Have fun and stay healthy!
 
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Mattadvproject

Mattadvproject

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Have fun and stay healthy!

Thanks Andy! Hope to stay safe and not contract anything. Have copius amounts of hand sanitizer and will be limiting the hugs and handshakes and all other social distancing methods where possible. Heavy snow is in the forecast for when we arrive and the long-term forecast is for snow everyday when we are there.....

- Matt
 
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Mattadvproject

Mattadvproject

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Well that was an expensive breakfast...... the trip to Georgia is over before it really began and I'm back home safely in Denver. We made it as far as Munich and then we had to turn around. This is what happened......

About an hour or so before I was due to leave for the airport on Wednesday, then the W.H.O. declared a global pandemic for COVID-19. That was very disconcerting to hear. None of the group called in to cancel though, so I continued preparations to leave. We got to Lufthansa check-in and all was fine. The flight was only half full but was still going ahead. We had a row of seats each, that would be nice.

I had read an article from Denver airport that they were ramping up their health and safety measures in light of the Coronavirus outbreak and supposedly there would be extra sanitizing stations provided with hand sanitizing sprays and wipes throughout the airport. There was no warning signage, no thermal scanners, nothing (like we had seen in Japan back in January) that would indicate there was a global pandemic going on. We saw none of that which was very worrying. Only a few people were wearing masks and none of the airport staff seemed to be taking any extra precautions.

We were there pretty early and we went to go checkout the gate. We needed to fly out of the Terminal A. It was pretty quiet so we decided to go to the United lounge at Terminal B. There were quite a few people in there. There was hand sanitizer spray at the front desk. We had a couple of beers and then headed to the gate. The terminal was a lot busier now.

We got onboard and headed to our seats. None of the staff were gloved or masked and there were no sanitizing measures provided and no signage about anything to do with the virus. I had some anti-bacterial wipes so we gave the seats and tray tables a clean. We had hand-sanitizing spray ourselves and lathered up (I'd been spraying my hands every time I had to tough something).

The flight was fine and we landed in Munich a little early. We got off the plane and walked around a little bit. My phone was still switched off by this stage. The airport was quite busy. We headed to the Lufthansa lounge and had some nice breakfast. When we sat down, they had CNN on the big screen TV with the sound on in English, so we settled down to watch. It was then that we received word of the European travel ban that Trump had announced. That announcement came when we were already in the air apparently. The announcement stated that any travel by non-US citizens or US residents from any of the 26 Schengen countries (did not include the UK) would be banned, starting the 13th March at midnight, US time.

Then I logged into the wireless network and I had a lot of messages on my phone via WhatsApp. One of the group was onboard the plane to Munich in Los Angeles when the announcement had been made and airline staff advised anyone not making essential travel to probably get off the plane, so he had de-planed and gone home. We already had 1 person (from Brazil) in Georgia and then 2 others were (presumably) en-route to Tbilisi.

I was with my friend Dave, also from Denver and we started discussing our options. We could try and turn around now or continue on to Georgia. At least Georgia was a non-Schengen country so we could potentially get flights out from there to Istanbul or Qatar and get home that way, but who knew how long those routes would stay open for. Given that ski areas in Europe (Italy, Austria, Switzerland were either shut down or were shutting down, it was obvious that closures would spread to other countries, it as not a matter of if, more likely when. Staying to go skiing was looking like a irresponsible choice. Then Thiago, our Brazilian guest who was already in Georgia messaged us that villages in northern Georgia were starting to shut down and access was being restricted. That was a confirmation that going to Georgia was going to be a bad idea.

Next I went to speak to the agents at the Lufthansa counter. They said that as of Friday, Lufthansa was canceling all flights to the US. We were going to get stuck if we didn't move quickly. There were only 2 flights going back to Denver and they were both full and we would be wait-listed. I didn't like our chances. They did have a flight going back via Charlotte and then changing onto American Airlines back to Denver. The flight was pretty open. Dave and I discussed the options and decided this would be the safest bet for us moving forwards to get us out of Germany and back to the US. So we changed our flights and then got ready to leave. Our bags had to be diverted onto this new flight and then we had to get to the gate. By the time we got there, they were ready to board.

Crazy times. We had been in Munich for literally 3 hours and now we were turning around. I don't think we had any other choice though. Going to Georgia could have put us in a far worse situation. I think it was the right choice. I sent out messages to the others via our group WhatsApp chat that we were heading back to the US and recommended they do the same. Then we boarded. It was a 9.5 hour flight back to Charlotte and I slept most of the way back. The plane was only half full and Dave and I had a free row each.

When we got to Charlotte, the airport was really busy. Again, there was not any warning about the Coronavirus and no counter measures on display. Getting through immigration and customs was no problem. There was no sanitizing measures or any kind of thermal imaging going on. This is so different to Japan where we had thermal imaging camera's scanning people and sanitizing sprays easily available, with signage to match. This to me is a very worrying sign. Thankfully most people are taking their own precautions. It was surprising to see that airport so busy. I had received messages from the rest of the group that they were also going to be returning to the US. I called everyone and made sure they were ok and that everyone had a plan (which they did). It was good to know the group was all getting out safely. Then we had a 3 hour 50 minute flight back to Denver and that was fine. Our ski bags didn't make it from Charlotte and we are still waiting on them today.

I'm back home in Denver now and trying to process all of this. It's been a crazy two days and pretty overwhelming. I'm glad we are back and I think we made the right choice to return, as frustrating as it was. It could have been worse.... Should we have tried going in the first place? Well in hindsight obviously not but things did escalate quickly. Perhaps this travel ban should have happened a week or longer ago. Only now the government seems to be taking things seriously and this should have started a while ago. I don't want this to turn into a political post, but from what I've seen at the airports currently, we are not doing enough in my opinion. That's a worry.

Now I begin a period of limiting my exposure to the outside world. I work from home (as will my wife) so social distancing is easier for us. As a small business owner in the travel industry, this hits hard if it continues on the trajectory that it is. I believe that things will get worse before they will get better, but ultimately as people have become better educated about the nature of the virus and how to limit exposure to it, then the pace of transference should slow. What the government's response to it, remains to be seen. I hope that we can recover from this quickly......

- Matt
 

Andy Mink

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Mattadvproject

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So it gets better. Our choice to return back to the US immediately, was even more prudent given the latest news from Georgia and Germany. Germany has just closed it's borders, so we definitely needed to be away from there given our routing through Munich. Most importantly we did not press on to Georgia and try and get out from there. All of the ski resorts are now closed (a good decision) and now I just found out that they have had 3 confirmed cases of COVID-19 in Gudauri, where we were going to be skiing.

Apparently, a group from the Czech Republic were staying in Gudauri from the 4th - 10th March (4 days prior to our arrival) and since then they have returned home. Now 3 of them have tested positive for the Coronavirus back in the Czech Republic. They were also eating every night at a restaurant called Drunk Cherry and we ate their a couple of times last season and no doubt we would have eaten there this time as well. The restaurant is closed now (like the resort) and two of the staff are under observation (currently not showing any signs of infection).

So, if we had ended up going, it could have gone very differently. I don't want to speculate on any outcomes, but someone was definitely looking out for us. I'm definitely going to keep up my own social distancing and not making any non-essential travel from here on in. I was lucky..... I hope everyone is taking measures to keep themselves and others safe.

- Matt
 

Mike King

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So it gets better. Our choice to return back to the US immediately, was even more prudent given the latest news from Georgia and Germany. Germany has just closed it's borders, so we definitely needed to be away from there given our routing through Munich. Most importantly we did not press on to Georgia and try and get out from there. All of the ski resorts are now closed (a good decision) and now I just found out that they have had 3 confirmed cases of COVID-19 in Gudauri, where we were going to be skiing.

Apparently, a group from the Czech Republic were staying in Gudauri from the 4th - 10th March (4 days prior to our arrival) and since then they have returned home. Now 3 of them have tested positive for the Coronavirus back in the Czech Republic. They were also eating every night at a restaurant called Drunk Cherry and we ate their a couple of times last season and no doubt we would have eaten there this time as well. The restaurant is closed now (like the resort) and two of the staff are under observation (currently not showing any signs of infection).

So, if we had ended up going, it could have gone very differently. I don't want to speculate on any outcomes, but someone was definitely looking out for us. I'm definitely going to keep up my own social distancing and not making any non-essential travel from here on in. I was lucky..... I hope everyone is taking measures to keep themselves and others safe.

- Matt
Glad you made it back Matt. it's been a crazy week!
 
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Mattadvproject

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Some interesting and uplifting news from the Republic of Georgia last week. The government has announced that they are opening up the economy again and the tourism industry will be re-started. Domestic tourism is allowed to start on the 15th of June and then if that goes well, then international tourism can start again on the 1st July - https://agenda.ge/en/news/2020/1432.

With all the uncertainty right now especially in the ski industry, we have no idea if it will be possible to run trips to Chile this summer and then Japan in the wintertime. So, if Georgia is at least open and it's safe to go, then that gives me some hope. Georgia has reported very low numbers of Covid-19 cases (635) and 10 reported deaths. No word had been announced on a specific plan for allowing international tourists back in, but I would think and hope, it would have to be done with testing of tourists on arrival?

That's speculation on my behalf but I would think that is the only way you could do it somewhat safely? (hopefully they are using a reliable testing method). Either way, I'm optimistic I'll be able to run some kind of overseas tours next winter and if it's only to Georgia, then I'd be happy with that.

- Matt
 

Mike King

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Some interesting and uplifting news from the Republic of Georgia last week. The government has announced that they are opening up the economy again and the tourism industry will be re-started. Domestic tourism is allowed to start on the 15th of June and then if that goes well, then international tourism can start again on the 1st July - https://agenda.ge/en/news/2020/1432.

With all the uncertainty right now especially in the ski industry, we have no idea if it will be possible to run trips to Chile this summer and then Japan in the wintertime. So, if Georgia is at least open and it's safe to go, then that gives me some hope. Georgia has reported very low numbers of Covid-19 cases (635) and 10 reported deaths. No word had been announced on a specific plan for allowing international tourists back in, but I would think and hope, it would have to be done with testing of tourists on arrival?

That's speculation on my behalf but I would think that is the only way you could do it somewhat safely? (hopefully they are using a reliable testing method). Either way, I'm optimistic I'll be able to run some kind of overseas tours next winter and if it's only to Georgia, then I'd be happy with that.

- Matt
Hopefully it will be safe to travel. And hopefully it will not require a bunch of restrictions that would make it unattractive, like mandatory quarantine periods at the point of your arrival.

I'd like to go to NZ this summer for the Rookie Academy. Right now it isn't feasible because of quarantine restrictions.
 
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Mattadvproject

Mattadvproject

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Hopefully it will be safe to travel. And hopefully it will not require a bunch of restrictions that would make it unattractive, like mandatory quarantine periods at the point of your arrival.

I'd like to go to NZ this summer for the Rookie Academy. Right now it isn't feasible because of quarantine restrictions.

Agreed Mike, mandatory quarantine wouldn't work for me and my programs and I doubt it would work for the international tourism industry to Georgia in general. I would think you would need a 2 week quarantine period to increase safety, but that would be too long of a period to wait for most people, to justify traveling.

I've been following the situation in NZ and it looks like they will be downgraded to Level 2 restrictions which will allow resorts in NZ to open, but just for domestic operations. Apparently they are still working on the Australian/NZ bubble which would allow Aussies to visit NZ this winter for skiing, though it is not guaranteed yet - https://www.stuff.co.nz/business/12...5erh5qDM7LeJpaNa6FFyzgFCl8FXDsfaM47e83TrQfeac.

I hope you get to go to the Rookie Academy but I think it's more likely for you in 2021. It would be great if it happened this year and there is still time for things to change (in a positive way hopefully). All the best Mike.

- Matt
 
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Mattadvproject

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Well, it was almost a year to the day that the aborted trip to Georgia happened as my Facebook page likes to let me know. What a lot has happened since then, the world is a very different place. My business was thriving and now it is down to zero, that's been tough, but things are looking up and I'm hopeful for the future. My wife and I moved out of Denver (Aurora) and moved back to the mountains back in April (Granby, CO) and that was a really positive change. That definitely kept me sane during the height of the pandemic. We had the fires that came really close to town and we evacuated for one day, but we were back the next thankfully.

I took on work at the Granby Ranch ski area, taking up the new role of Ski School Training Supervisor, basically my job is to train all the ski instructors and also I came up with some special programs for the public (carving camps) so running those was fun. I just had all my level 1 candidates (10 of them) pass their exams last week so that was great. We close on April 4th and then it's time to enjoy some fishing and mountain biking.

I'm definitely more optimistic for the future and resuming my business and international travel. Chile re-opened their borders back in December and the ski area in Nevados de Chillan was running most of the summer, plus Chile is well underway with their vaccination program so I would hope that I'll be able to travel there again in August, especially with our vaccination program in this country ramping up. That would be amazing to be able to head to Chile this summer, what a celebration it would be!

Other countries are starting to re-open their borders. The Republic of Georgia (ironically) re-opened for travelers back in February and on March 8th, the ski areas resumed operation. My friends in Gudauri just had their first guided groups come through. If you are fully vaccinated, you can travel to Georgia without any restrictions, a trend that will likely grow as other nations seek to re-start their tourism industries.

Anyway, here's a few photos from the Caucasus Mountains and the Gudauri ski area (thanks Cebastian for these photos), from today, to help increase the stoke and the move to more positive times, hopefully......

160595542_10158448900413096_2777201829423987100_n.jpg


160710593_10158448900243096_1682275907941942158_n.jpg


160782347_10158448900298096_7344695128496873356_n.jpg


160869387_10158448900173096_7996733221996000904_n.jpg

Hope you are all safe and well!

- Matt
 

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