• ABOUT THE SPOT

Snowboarding in Gornaya Karousel (Mountain Carousel), Sochi, Kray of Krasnodar Russia

Base elevation:
178 ft/540 m
Top elevation:
7533 ft/2.296 m
Vertical drop:
5761 ft/1.756 m
Lifts:
5
Longest run:
22965 ft/7.000 m
Sochi is a city situated in the federal subject of Krasnodar Kray, Russia. Its exact location is near the border between Russia and Georgia, on the Black Sea coast. Sochi is known to the entire world, as the 2014 Winter Olympics and Paralympics are about to take place here.

One of the Krasnaya Polyana resorts, extremely popular due to the upcoming Winter Olympics in Sochi is Gornaya Karousel. Mountain Carousel has all the specifications requested by the Olympic committee, making it a perfect snowboarding destination.

The resort is found on the northern slope of the mountain Aibga range and offers 8 tracks that cover 12 km/7.8 mi of terrain. The 7 tracks are for varying ski levels (intermediate snowboarders 2, advanced 3, experts 1, novices 1 track) and the 8th is a black track, the only one found yet in Krasnaya Polyana.

The entire area is served by 5 lifts. The 2 recent adds of chairlifts drive you to the lowest part of the summit of Chernaya Piramida, while the rest 3 gondola type lifts take you up to 2200 m/7217 ft. If you are a freeride snowboarder and prefer big jumps and tricks, there is a freeride area especially made for you.

One unique feature of the resort is that the snow does not melt until mid summer. This fact attracts a lot of snowboarding enthusiasts, who prefer to observe the majestic scenery in spring or summer. The facility includes snowboarding lessons and rentals with instructors to teach you how to use your board.

All of the above combined with the cafes in two levels and other amenities make Gornaya Karousel a first class snowboarding destination.