Today is our post for mathematicians! For rationalists, for those who value their resources (time, effort, money).
Loving winter sports, you involuntarily begin to get acquainted with places where you can still have fun, have a good ride, try new equipment, show off in a new suit, etc. And no matter how wealthy you feel, the question always arises of rational spending of your budget.
The resort budget refers to the combination of money spent on a trip and time to organize a trip, i.e. budget = money + time. Empirically derived the formula that the more time you spend on preparing your trip, the less budget is spent.
If you are planning to go to a new ski resort (and not even a new one), you should seriously approach the issue of organization and think ahead of time the following points:
- The road (how to get, tickets, train, bus)
- Transfer directly to your accommodation
- Housing
- Food
- Equipment (own or rental)
- Skating (ski-pass)
- Instructor / Guide
Let’s start from the 1st point.
The road to Gudauri today can be from Tbilisi and from Vladikavkaz. Take tickets per day decisions to go to the resort are usually expensive, so it’s better to look for plane tickets in advance, this can save several thousand. It’s better to subscribe to the air mail list (convenient booking site for air carrier prices, we always use it), then you always You will be informed about promotions and stock tickets to your destinations.
Problem: expensive flights
Solution: subscribe to the newsletter and stay informed.
Combine points 2 and 3 on transfer directly to the resort and accommodation.
Living 100,500 times more convenient in the resort than traveling just 30-40 km before it, even if housing there is 10-20% cheaper, because you spend time on:
- Taxi search
- Time on the road (God forbid the snowfall and all the transport “got up”, as it happens in Gudauri, and you forced to waste time waiting, and you have been waiting for 30 minutes an instructor, from whom you are not the only one …) In general, this item is very important for everyone.
- Transfer money (taxi delivery at the Nizhny-Novyy-Upper Gudauri resort 15-15 GEL ($ 3-7), if you live 30 km, the cost increases significantly.
By the way, living in a small company of 4-6 people is more profitable than 2 people in each apartment. Can also to select the number of people in the company “according to the capacity of the machines”, but this is completely for students))
Solution: live with the company in walking distance from any lift, as All of them lead to the resort.
4 point about nutrition.
There are many restaurants in the resort who are always happy to feed you delicious food, but if you are not a restaurant fan service, then the option to cook yourself is your option. When choosing a home, take an interest the presence of the kitchen and its configuration. In the company you need to choose the person responsible for collecting the money for the provision, agree on who will be responsible for the kitchen or, in the end, appoint duty officers. So you save money, time and nerves (believe me, after a good wheelchair you don’t want to solve problems at all nutrition).
Problem: Food in the restaurant is expensive
Solution: rent a house with a kitchen and cook, choose hostels with meals, use the “bistro” – buying ready-made food.
5 point gear.
It doesn’t matter if you have your own equipment, just bring it (read more in the post about equipment).
But if you are a beginner rider, and want to rent, it is better to know in advance about the opportunity to rent equipment rent, about the cost (this can be done through the resort’s services – booking an instructor , you can book an instructor on it, choose the type of lesson, consult on the selection of equipment.)
Do not be fooled by the low cost of rental, it can compensate for the quality of equipment or staff responsibility. Always ask your instructor (if you yourself still do not understand) check your equipment is for safety.
And remember that the choice of equipment at the rent box office is also a waste of time. Going season or weekend queues at the rent box office can be lost for about an hour, provided that your size and projectile remain.
Tip: when setting up a lesson with an instructor, take into account the waiting at the rent box office.
6 point about skiing.
So we came to him, the most important thing, why did you come here!
Gudauri is generous and gives discounts on a ski pass if you buy for several days of skiing. But! Think about it. how do you want to ride? Take into account your skiing experience (first time / experienced), the purpose of skiing (by hour / by 2 hours / all day / freeride). The choice of ski pass depends on these factors. Besides, Gudauri is the Caucasus, serious mountains, and in the mountains the weather is very changeable. And no meteorologist has yet could accurately predict the vagaries of nature. Therefore, you must be prepared for different weather, and that your mood to ride every day in any weather, backed up by a purchased ski pass for a week at a discount 10% can be broken about the vagaries of the Caucasus. Or about the closed lifts in view of the weather.
Tip: before buying a ski pass, think about how much, where and when you will ride. Taking in attention to their physical fitness, weather conditions, the resort’s working hours and personal well-being.
7 point – instructor.
The instructor will help you save both time and money.
If you are a beginner rider, then the instructor is your guide to your happy riding future.
He will put you safely on skis or a snowboard in a few hours, and you just have to practice.
He will save you from painful falls, talk about skiing techniques, and in the future you will not have to retrain (as self-taught). And, as you know, retraining is always more difficult and longer than learning.
You can choose both private lesson and sign up on group lesson, also saving money.
If you are an experienced rider, then resort guide can save you time exploring the resort, he always knows where there is fresh snow, where there is not rolled fields, and will make it possible to just roll in cool, without hesitation, there is a cliff ahead or not….
Like everything, value your time, like to relax, come to our mountains, if you have any questions, ask!
