UNCHARTED TERRITORY: Skiing in Georgia With Hans Saari Memorial Fund

For a complete gallery of images from this trip go HERE

The Hans Saari Memorial Fund (HSMF) was created to honor the life of Hans Saari, a young mountaineer who lost his life in a skiing accident in 2001. The fund's mission: "Is to foster an appreciation for skiing and its personal challenges, alpine environments, and mountain cultures by promoting ski exploration and education." (hansfund.org)

A native of Washington State, 27-year-old Jason Thompson skied for the first time at age 12 and when he moved to Bozeman, Montana, for college, he traded in soccer cleats for ski boots. With the help of the Hans Saari Memorial Fund, Thompson and his ski pals, Seth Waterfall and Tyler Jones, traveled beyond the mountains of Montana to explore relatively unknown ski terrain. With its western edge along the Black Sea, Georgia is nestled between Turkey (southwest), Armenia (south), Azerbaijan (southeast), and Russia (north). Home to the Caucasus Mountains and slightly smaller than South Carolina, Georgia binds Eastern Europe and Western Asia and is not typically a ski destination. Instead, it is better known for a history of political strife and economic and cultural struggles. Jason, Seth, and Tyler honored Saari and the goals of the fund by traveling to Georgia's highest peak, 17,063-foot Mount Shkhara, to explore mountain cultures and "promote ski exploration and education."

POWDER: How did you hear about the Hans Saari Memorial Fund?
Jason Thompson: I knew about Hans and what he was doing with Alex Lowe and Kris Erickson while I was living in Bozeman prior to his death. I still remember the day when I heard about Hans' accident. I never had the opportunity to meet him. I guess I first heard about the fund when calling the avalanche center every morning for the report since the fund would sponsor reports.

P: What pushed you to apply for the fund?
JT: I wanted to experience a new culture and I wanted to go skiing. I figured that there would be a lot of folks applying for this grant; grants for skiing are hard to come by. It is a privilege to have received this grant in honor of Hans.

P: Why did you decide to ski in Georgia’s Caucasus Mountains of all places?
JT: I started looking in the Caucasus on the Russian side, but was curious about Georgia, especially when I couldn't find any information about it. I was intrigued. I saw that Mt. Shkhara was in Georgia; I googled it and found a stunning image - an image that says, "These two couloirs are here to be skied." I looked at maps to locate the nearest town or village; I found Ushguli. The more research and time I spent, the more fascinated I became with the history of the region and culture. Skiing where no one else has and to see fascinating history and people all along the way, that's when I knew I wanted to travel to Georgia.

P: Where in the country were you and how long was the trip?
JT: We left Seattle on May 16 and returned June 7. We flew from Seattle to Amsterdam and then into Tbilisi, the Capitol of Georgia. From Tbilisi we drove around 14 to 15 hours to Ushguli, which is at the base of Mount Shkhara, in the Central Caucasus Range. We spent a total of 15 days on Mount Shkhara.

P: Georgia has struggled economically and politically in the past with its ties to the former Soviet Union. Did you feel any tension within the country or among the people?
JT: We felt completely safe our entire trip and very welcomed. Georgians want to welcome guests and make them feel at home - specifically, the Svans, where we spent most of our time. We ate and drank with them until we couldn't do it any more. Many people didn't realize that we were from the States; they would guess Sweden or Germany and many times we had to tell them. Then they were very excited to meet us.

For a complete gallery of images from this trip go HERE