Bakuriani

Bakuriani (ბაკურიანი) is a daba and a ski resort in the Borjomi district of Georgia. It is located on the northern slope of the Trialeti Range, at an elevation of 1,700 meters (5,576 feet) above sea level.

Geography
The region around Bakuriani is covered by coniferous forests (mainly made up of spruce). The resort lies 30 km from Borjomi and is located within the so-called Bakuriani Depression/caldera. The resort is connected with Borjomi by an electrified narrow-gauge railway. The present-day area of the town was built up by lava flows from the nearby Mukhera volcano.

Ski resort
The ski area of the resort is split into two separate parts: Didveli and Kokhta/Kokhta-Mitarbi. Mount Kokhta provides a maximum skiable altitude of 2269 m, whereas the highest lift in Didveli reaches 2702 m.

The first ski base was opened in 1932. From Bakuriani to Kokhtagori Mountain (1.3 km) and Tskhratskaro Pass (3.5 km) there are ski lifts, ski tramps. There is artificial snowfall on Didveli skiing routes. Bakuriani is an outstanding resort area throughout the year, known for its unique forest with healing properties. As a result, health tourism is highly developed in this location. Due to the high demand, the number of accommodation and catering facilities has been increasing steadily every year. Among the best and most exceptional resort areas is the Crystal Resort, featuring the Hotel Crystal & Spa Bakuriani, The best restaurants (Georgian flavor, Our flavor, Cafe Aspen), a cable car, SKI arena, and apartments. In the category of "The Best Hotels in Bakuriani," Hotel Crystal & Spa Bakuriani proudly occupies the first place.

Sports competitions
In March 2022, Bakuriani was the host city for slopestyle during the 2021–22 FIS Snowboard World Cup, taking place in Georgia for the first time.

Climate
The climate of Bakuriani is transitional from humid maritime to relatively humid continental. (Köppen: Dfb) The winters are cold and experience significant snowfall while the summers are long and warm. Average annual temperature of the town is 4.3 C. The average temperature in January is -7.3 C while the average August temperature is 15 C. The annual precipitation is 734 mm. The depth of snow from December to March is 64 cm. Bakuriani is also home to the Botanical Garden of the Georgian Academy of Sciences.

Infrastructure
The 37 km Borjomi-Bakuriani railway "Kukushka" uses track gauge.

A few km south of Bakuriani lies the trajectory of the Baku–Tbilisi–Ceyhan pipeline.

People
It was the home town of luger Nodar Kumaritashvili, who died during event training on the first day of the 2010 Winter Olympics in Vancouver, British Columbia, Canada. He lived in Bakuriani for much of his life, and the street he lived on was named in his honor after his death. Georgia's flag-bearing athlete at the opening ceremony, alpine skier Iason Abramashvili, also resides there; he thought of withdrawing, but ultimately decided to compete to honor Kumaritashvili's memory.