Bakuriani
Bakuriani
ბაკურიანი | |
|---|---|
Borough and Resort | |
 | |
  Bakuriani Location in Georgia  Bakuriani Bakuriani (Samtskhe-Javakheti) | |
| Coordinates: 41°45′N 43°32′E / 41.750°N 43.533°E | |
| Country | Georgia |
| Mkhare | Samtskhe-Javakheti |
| Municipality | Borjomi |
| Borough from | 1926 |
| Elevation | 1,700 m (5,600 ft) |
| Population (2014)[1] | |
| • Total | 1,879 |
| Area code | +995 367[2] |
Bakuriani (Georgian: ბაკურიანი) is a charming town and ski resort located on the northern slope of the Trialeti Range in Georgia, at an elevation of 1,700 meters (5,576 feet) above sea level. Renowned for its stunning natural environment, coniferous forests, and fresh mountain air, Bakuriani is a perfect destination for nature lovers and winter sports enthusiasts alike.
Geography
[edit]The region around Bakuriani is covered by coniferous forests (mainly made up of spruce). The resort lies 30 km (19 mi) 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.[4]
Winter sports
[edit]Ski resort
[edit]Bakuriani includes three main skiing areas: Didveli, Kokhta, and Mitarbi. Modern infrastructure and artificial snowmaking systems ensure optimal skiing conditions at the resort, even on warmer winter days. Bakuriani is an ideal destination for both ski enthusiasts and experienced professionals. The resort is notable for its numerous ski schools and its excellent conditions for family vacations.
Sports competitions
[edit]Bakuriani made history on May 17, 2018, when it was chosen to host the 2023 Freestyle, Snowboard, and Ski Cross World Championships by the International Ski Federation (FIS) Congress. The event took place from February 18 to March 5, 2023, drawing an audience of 175 million and establishing Bakuriani as a leading winter sports destination. From 2023, Bakuriani became a permanent venue for FIS competitions, hosting World Cup events in freestyle and ski cross during the 2023–2024 season. Over the following four years, Georgia, with Bakuriani and Gudauri as key venues, continued to host various FIS World and European Cup tournaments for freestyle disciplines.
Climate
[edit]The climate of Bakuriani is transitional from humid maritime to relatively humid continental. (Köppen: Dfb)[5] 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 (39.7 °F). The average temperature in January is −7.3 °C (18.9 °F) while the average August temperature is 15 °C (59 °F). The annual precipitation is 734 mm (28.9 in). The depth of snow from December to March is 64 cm (25.2 in). Bakuriani is also home to the Botanical Garden of the Georgian Academy of Sciences.
| Climate data for Bakuriani (town centre) | |||||||||||||
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Month | Jan | Feb | Mar | Apr | May | Jun | Jul | Aug | Sep | Oct | Nov | Dec | Year |
| Mean maximum °C (°F) | 3 (37) |
6 (43) |
13 (55) |
18 (64) |
22 (72) |
25 (77) |
28 (82) |
28 (82) |
26 (79) |
21 (70) |
14 (57) |
7 (45) |
28 (82) |
| Mean daily maximum °C (°F) | −0.5 (31.1) |
−0.2 (31.6) |
3.7 (38.7) |
9.3 (48.7) |
14.6 (58.3) |
17.8 (64.0) |
20.6 (69.1) |
20.8 (69.4) |
17.5 (63.5) |
12.9 (55.2) |
6.2 (43.2) |
1.3 (34.3) |
10.3 (50.6) |
| Daily mean °C (°F) | −5.6 (21.9) |
−5.3 (22.5) |
−1.4 (29.5) |
3.5 (38.3) |
8.5 (47.3) |
11.4 (52.5) |
14.1 (57.4) |
14.2 (57.6) |
10.4 (50.7) |
6.5 (43.7) |
1.2 (34.2) |
−3.3 (26.1) |
4.5 (40.1) |
| Mean daily minimum °C (°F) | −10.7 (12.7) |
−10.4 (13.3) |
−6.4 (20.5) |
−2.3 (27.9) |
2.5 (36.5) |
5 (41) |
7.6 (45.7) |
7.6 (45.7) |
3.4 (38.1) |
0.2 (32.4) |
−3.8 (25.2) |
−7.9 (17.8) |
−1.3 (29.7) |
| Mean minimum °C (°F) | −18 (0) |
−18 (0) |
−15 (5) |
−8 (18) |
−2 (28) |
2 (36) |
6 (43) |
6 (43) |
0 (32) |
−6 (21) |
−13 (9) |
−17 (1) |
−18 (0) |
| Average precipitation mm (inches) | 52.3 (2.06) |
56.8 (2.24) |
62.9 (2.48) |
72.3 (2.85) |
112.2 (4.42) |
110.5 (4.35) |
70.9 (2.79) |
66.5 (2.62) |
61.5 (2.42) |
68.4 (2.69) |
55.3 (2.18) |
51.1 (2.01) |
840.7 (33.11) |
| Average snowfall cm (inches) | 30 (12) |
23 (9.1) |
29 (11) |
14 (5.5) |
0 (0) |
0 (0) |
0 (0) |
0 (0) |
0 (0) |
7 (2.8) |
20 (7.9) |
26 (10) |
149 (59) |
| Average precipitation days (≥ 0.01 in) | 12.9 | 12.9 | 14.5 | 14.3 | 18.7 | 18.1 | 14.2 | 12.7 | 11.6 | 11.8 | 10.4 | 11.0 | 163.1 |
| Average rainy days (≥ 5 mm) | 0.2 | 1.0 | 4.7 | 9.5 | 17.5 | 13.0 | 10.9 | 9.1 | 10.3 | 10.2 | 2.4 | 0.4 | 89.2 |
| Average snowy days (≥ 5 cm) | 14.4 | 12.8 | 11.8 | 5.4 | 0.1 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 1.5 | 5.9 | 10.7 | 62.6 |
| Mean daily sunshine hours | 9.6 | 10.6 | 11.9 | 13.3 | 14.5 | 15.1 | 14.8 | 13.9 | 12.5 | 11.1 | 9.9 | 9.3 | 12.2 |
| Percent possible sunshine | 48 | 48 | 49 | 44 | 49 | 67 | 88 | 91 | 82 | 57 | 52 | 50 | 60.4 |
| Source 1: Climate averages (1981-2016) - Weather Spark [6] | |||||||||||||
| Source 2: Precipitation at 1665m ASL (1936-1992) - NOAA [7] | |||||||||||||
Infrastructure
[edit]Bakuriani, with 12 ski lifts and 33 km of trails, offers a premier ski experience, reaching heights of 2,702 meters. As part of the "New Life of Bakuriani" project, three advanced ski lifts were constructed for the 2023 Freestyle, Snowboard, and Ski Cross World Championships, boosting the resort's capacity to 5,400 passengers per hour, with potential expansion to 7,200. To ensure optimal conditions, a snowmaking system was installed, covering Didveli, Kokhta, and Mitarbi, along with a 29 km ski road completed in December 2022. Two artificial water reservoirs on Didveli and Mitarbi, with a combined capacity of over 307,000 m³, support the snowmaking infrastructure and provide water for fire prevention.
People
[edit]
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.
Gallery
[edit]-
Bakuriani -
Bakuriani, January 2022 -
Flock of sheep in the Bakuriani recreation area, October 2018 -
Bakuriani hotel complex, fall 2018
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See also
[edit]- List of ski areas and resorts in Asia
- List of ski areas and resorts in Europe
- Samtskhe-Javakheti
- Bakuriani K-115
References
[edit]- ^ "Number of population by administrative-territorial units and sex | 2014". geostat.ge. 2014. Archived from the original on 2016-09-20. Retrieved 2019-02-11.
- ^ საქართველოს სატელეფონო კოდები — „სილქნეტი“ Archived 2016-03-06 at the Wayback Machine
- ^ საქართველოს საფოსტო ინდექსები — „საქართველოს ფოსტა“
- ^ "(PDF) Long-lived center of youngest volcanism in the Borzhomi region of Georgia: Isotopic-geochronological evidence". ResearchGate. Retrieved 2019-01-01.
- ^ "Bakuriani climate: Average Temperature, weather by month, Bakuriani weather averages - Climate-Data.org". en.climate-data.org. Retrieved 2018-12-31.
- ^ "Bakuriani Climate averages (1981-2016) - Weather Spark". weatherspark.com. Retrieved 2019-01-01.
- ^ "Global Summary of the Month Station Details: BAKURIANI, GG, GHCND:GG000037524 | Climate Data Online (CDO) | National Climatic Data Center (NCDC)". www.ncdc.noaa.gov. Retrieved 2019-08-04.
External links
[edit]
| International | |
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| National | |
