Milioni & “Small Alaska”, N (север), 12 км., ⎋ 05:00 ч., ⇡ 03:00 ч., ↑ 541 м., ↓ 1462 м., ▼ 1974 м. - ▲ 3066 м.
This and others (more than 30 routes) are in the printed version of the backcountry guide to the Gudauri and Kazbegi region from the "Still Wild Georgia" series.
You can buy a book at the Travel Bar in Gudauri - https://www.instagram.com/gudauribar/ or order mail delivery: https://gudauri.com/shop/category/gudauri-guidebook/1.html
Starting point
The route can start from the upper stations of the Sadzele or Kudebi mountains.
Access
The logical access to the gorge – from the pass from the Kobi gorge
Ascent
When starting the route from the upper station of Sadzele, you need to descend by traversing along the northern wall of East Sadzele mountain to the upper, flat part of the Kobi gorge. Or (safer option) after the descent from the north slope of Kudebi mountain ascent by ski-tour along the piste in the resort area through the pass, going round the top of East Sadzele to the Kobi gorge with the following short traverse ascent to the Kobi-Milioni pass.
Descent
There are several options for descending into the Milioni gorge, the safest and simplest one – is from the Kobi-Milioni pass. In case of stable snow cover, you can start the descent to the left from the pass among the small rocks or ascend a bit higher to the right side of the ridge. After skiing the first part of the route (height drop of about 500 meters), if having time and energy, it’s logical to ascend in the vast northern cirque to the Milioni-Khada gorge (local freeriders call this place “Small Alaska”).
Supposing the snow is blown out and a hard crust. In that case, you can make a right-side traversing descent from the Kobi-Milioni pass and try, without dropping the height, ride out by long traverse to the start of the ascent to the “Small Alaska” route, crossing two shallow ravines on the way. But in this case, make sure that the snow cover is stable on the traverse section, keep distance and pass steep sections and ravines one at a time.
The route ends in the Kobi village on the Georgian Military Road. You can return to the resort on ski-lifts (which is very convenient if the Cross Pass is closed and the traffic through it is stopped). Then, using two gondolas, you can ascend from Kobi to the Kobi pass and descend to the desired point in the Gudauri resort.
The route is potentially dangerous due to the terrain peculiarities and the presence of so-called “terrain traps”. Giant avalanches (size 3-4) regularly collapse from the northern slopes in the days of increased avalanche danger. This route is definitely not recommended for solo-passing riders without relevant experience.
Before heading on a route to the Milioni gorge, make sure that the cableways going to Kobi are working: check their working hours and try to descend to Kobi with a longer cushion time than a minimal one of 40 minutes. It’s the period needed to walk from the route’s endpoint to the start of the cableway in Kobi.
Returning to the resort by car, you can make a stop a few minutes before Gudauri near the Russia-Georgia Friendship Monument (“Russia-Georgia Friendship Monument” on page 35), which has been there since Soviet times, in honor of the 200-year friendship between Georgians and Russians. In addition to this interesting fact, even better are the incredible views from this area on a half-kilometer precipice, a volcanic plateau, and a mountain lake (artificial).
