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.
In southwestern Russia, in the western Caucasus lies an amazing ski resort, the Rosa Khutor Ski Resort. Rosa Khutor is one of the biggest ski resorts near Krasnaya Polyana and is located at Aibiga Ridge along the Rosa Khutor plateau.
The resort started to be constructed in 2003 and finished in 2011 and is scheduled to host all the alpine skiing events for the upcoming 2014 Winter Olympics and Paralympics, held in nearby Sochi. There is no better place than Rosa Khutor to practice your favorite alpine skiing.
The lowest elevation of the resort is 560 m/1837 ft above sea level. The highest lift, the Caucasus Express Gondola climbs to the summit of Rosa Peak, at 2320 m/7612 ft, creating an incredible elevation difference/vertical drop of 1760 m/5774 ft.
Rosa Plateau is the main area for skiing and stands at an elevation of 1170 m/3839 ft, providing a vertical drop of 1150 m/7612 ft from the summit. At the eastern side of the Rosa Khutor resort is Rosa Stadium, which is the finish area for the alpine racing events at 940 m/3084 ft and with a vertical drop of 1380 m/4528 ft from the summit of Rosa Peak.
The majority of the slopes face the northeast with the slopes on the backside facing southwest. There are 26 tracks and the total of the pistes cover an area of 72 km/44 mi with the longest run being 7500 m/24606 ft!! The entire resort is served by 10 lifts, 3 gondolas, 3 chairlifts, 1 rope tow and 3 magic carpets. Their total amount after the completion of instruction will be 19.
The resort is open from December to April. All levels of skiers are welcome with many expert trails, ready to serve every advanced skier who wants something harder.
It is strongly recommended to follow the rules for safety, if you don’t want to get injured. Even if you just want to watch the Olympics or try these incredible slopes, this resort is totally worth a visit!
