Elevation 5642

The Genplan Institute of Moscow has developed a comprehensive development project for three ski resorts in the Caucasus, which have been designated as special economic zones of the tourism and recreation type. The first of these zones is Elbrus. The project includes the construction of new ski runs, cable cars, and hotels, as well as the modernization of stations and improvements to the Azau tourist meadow. To expand the audience and enhance year-round appeal, a network of eco-trails is also being developed. In this article, we provide a detailed breakdown of each stage.

Written by:
Alyona Kuznetsova
Translated by:
Anton Mizonov

04 March 2025

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In Russia, more than 3,500,000 people engage in skiing and snowboarding. A significant portion of this flow no longer has skiing vacation in the Alps, opting instead for the more accessible Caucasus, which has dramatically increased the strain on its infrastructure. This makes the issue of sustainable development for existing ski resorts, the creation of new ones, and the overall improvement of service quality especially relevant.

As early as 2010, the Russian government adopted Decree No. 833, “On the Creation of Special Economic Zones and a Tourism Cluster in the North Caucasus Federal District”. The cluster consists of the special zones “Elbrus” in Kabardino-Balkaria, “Mamison” in North Ossetia, “Armkhi” in Ingushetia, “Matlas” in Dagestan, and, last but not least, “Veduchi” in Chechnya. Russia’s Spatial Development Strategy through 2025 designates these zones as key centers of economic growth for the region.

The special economic zone status helps attract investors through tax and customs incentives, as well as by facilitating the accelerated development of transport and utility infrastructure. The latter can largely be ensured through an economically justified and well-balanced project.

Between 2022 and 2023, the Genplan Institute of Moscow developed such a project for three territories – Elbrus, Mamison, and Armkhi – commissioned by the corporation Kavkaz.RF.

High-Altitude Planning

The work was carried out in parallel across all three republics, covering 12,000 hectares of mountainous and high-altitude terrain.

The Genplan Institute of Moscow undertook a comprehensive range of tasks, from engineering surveys to financial and economic modeling and the development of a design code. An additional challenge was the organization of technically complex facilities: cable cars, snowmaking systems, and ski run corridors, all designed with consideration for the region’s unique natural conditions – elevation changes exceeding 3,000 meters, avalanche and mudslide risks, and extreme temperatures. Special attention was also given to environmental regulations.

The result was the approval of planning documentation for three high-altitude ski resorts – Elbrus, Armkhi, and Mamison – which continues to guide their active development.

Each location has its own unique characteristics, shaping the positioning of the resorts.

Vladimir tatarnikov – the project manager

The Elbrus Tourist and Recreational Complex is positioned as a year-round mountain recreation center of national and international significance, offering a wide variety of leisure activities and services.

One of the key tasks was to create an optimal planning structure in alignment with the main target indicators: projected tourist traffic, accommodation capacity, and the throughput of ski infrastructure facilities.

Upon full development of the Elbrus complex by 2030, the annual guest flow could exceed 920,000 visitors, with the potential to grow to 1,000,000. Accommodation capacity is planned to increase to 730,000 people, while the throughput of ski infrastructure will be significantly expanded through the construction of over 10 kilometers of new cableways and 33 kilometers of ski slopes.

The project places a strong emphasis on year-round use of the area. To achieve this, it was necessary to broaden the target audience and make the resort more family-friendly. The experience should be appealing not only to those with skiing skills but also to a wider range of visitors. In this regard, the concept of year-round usage scenarios for ski resorts plays a decisive role, as defined by the projects. Each of the year-round tourist and recreational complexes has been designed with a set of functions that ensure continuous guest flow, supporting active, wellness, and cultural tourism throughout the year.

Elbrus: Snow All Year Round

The Elbrus Mountain is 5,600 meters tall. Intensive construction of mountaineering camps and tourist bases began here as early as the 1920s. The first cable car line was launched here back in 1969. In March 2024, the resort welcomed a record 103,000 visitors. Notably, the previous surge occurred in August 2023, when 30 kilometers of newly developed eco-trails were opened.

Elbrus’ closest domestic competitors are Dombay, Krasnaya Polyana, and Arkhyz. However, Elbrus boasts features that few other resorts in the world can offer – skiing is possible 365 days a year: for eight months on the high-altitude section and for the rest of the year on the glacier. The ski runs have an elevation difference of over two kilometers, ensuring long descents.

The resort is already undergoing dynamic development and has a well-established infrastructure. At the same time, the ski area holds significant potential for further expansion in line with international standards. In the future, the special economic zone could integrate the Cheget ski resort and the slopes of the Yusengi River valley. There is also vast potential for summer activities, including various guided-tour and hiking routes.

The development of the Elbrus all-season tourist and recreation complex is planned both in the high-altitude area and in the “tourist village” of Azau Meadow. The entire resort zone is located within the specially protected natural territory of the “Priyelbrusye National Park”, which imposes certain restrictions and regulations upon whatever operations you are carrying out here.

Ascents and Descents

The mountain zone is home to the resort’s sports and ski infrastructure: currently, the slope features 13 kilometers of ski runs and more than 9 kilometers of cableways. The cable car stations house restaurants, observation decks, high-altitude shelters, and hotels.

The infrastructure at the cable car stations will be further expanded. At the “Plateau under the Observatory” station (so called!) and within the “Family Park” area at an elevation of 3,000 meters, training slopes will be added, complementing the ski runs of varying difficulty that start here – green, blue, red, and black.

The Mir Station at 3,450 meters will be modernized, with a restaurant, an observation deck, a rest area, and temporary retail facilities built nearby.

Near Gara-Bashi Station, the investment project Elbrus 3847 will introduce new infrastructure: observation decks, restaurants, guesthouses, a meditation pavilion, a snow town, mountain trails, and a helipad. This area will include 90 modular units, accommodating up to 180 tourists.

With the construction of new cableways and ski slopes, the enclave near Ice Base Station at 3,670 meters will see significant development. The site of an abandoned glaciologists’ station will be renovated and repurposed as the Ice Museum.

The legendary Priyut Odinnadtsati (Shelter of Eleven), which burned down in 1998, will be reconstructed. The new high-altitude hotel at 4,060 meters will accommodate up to 120 guests.

At the Foot of the Mountain

The Elbrus Special Economic Zone, spanning 2,600 hectares, serves as the main tourist hub of the Baksan Gorge. Within this area, the Genplan Institute of Moscow is focusing on the immediate development zone, stretching from Azau Meadow to the settlement of Elbrus – a distance of roughly 20 kilometers, which can easily be covered in about 30 minutes by transport. Currently, Azau Meadow can accommodate 1,500 tourists, and if you take into account the nearby settlements of Tegenekli, Terskol, Yusengi, and Elbrus, more than 6,000 visitors can find comfortable lodging within reach of the ski lifts.

Due to the terrain’s constraints, the development capacity of the tourist village is limited, leaving no room for expansion. Consequently, the primary focus has been on organizing and refining the architectural and planning identity of Azau Meadow.

Ekaterina katkanova, chief architect of the project

The development of the Elbrus Tourist and Recreational Complex is planned both in the Azau Meadow and in the high-mountain area.

For Azau, the highest priority is structuring its architectural and spatial composition while creating private and semi-private public spaces, which the resort currently lacks. In designing the architectural appearance of both the tourist village and the mountain area, a proposal was made to reconstruct several existing structures to unify them into a cohesive stylistic identity.

Azau’s main square is shaped by the existing buildings and a gentle ski slope exit – the only one in Azau. This sector will be the starting point for Azau’s development: the square will be reorganized and improved, and the construction of the new EL9 cableway station will help distribute visitor flow and reduce the ski lift waiting time.

In the central part of the meadow, a training zone will be introduced for beginners, featuring a conveyor lift, a “green” ski slope, and a tubing hill. The entrance zone to the tourist village will be framed by a cluster of hotels, a sports complex with an ice rink, a spa center with a swimming pool, greenhouses, a climbing center, and an open parking lot for 800 cars.

In the mountain area, the development of sports and ski infrastructure will be complemented by public and business functions.

At the Priut-11 (“Shelter of Eleven”) station, a new high-altitude hotel, “Alpinist Camp” is planned to be built on the site of the former Priut-11 (designed by architect Nikolai Popov), which was lost to a fire. The hotel will recreate the historic image of the original shelter and accommodate 120 guests.

Across the entire special economic zone, including both the high-mountain and valley areas, plans include the construction of over 24 hotels, an increase in restaurant seating capacity to 2,800, and the development of more than 50 kilometers of eco-trails.

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Beyond Skiing

The peak season for ski resorts traditionally falls in winter and early spring. As noted earlier, the all-season tourist and recreation complex Elbrus enjoys a significantly longer ski season than any other resort in the North Caucasus – lasting up to 150-165 days, from late November to early May. However, the resort also has plenty to offer visitors during the summer and autumn months.

In the lower part of Azau Meadow, near the Baksan River, plans include the creation of a rope park and a promenade, integrating the existing “Cheget Turn – Azau Waterfall” eco-trail. A network of hiking trails, totaling about 50 kilometers, will weave through the pine forest, serving as a gateway to the extensive eco-trail system of Elbrus, which follows the Baksan Gorge and extends toward Kislovodsk. These trails will showcase the natural beauty of the region while also connecting the visitors to cultural heritage sites within the Elbrus complex, linked to significant 20th-century events.

The Genplan Institute of Moscow’s proposed developments propel the already successful all-season tourist and recreation complex Elbrus into a new phase of growth, transforming it into a world-class, year-round tourist destination that is equally appealing in terms of experience and in terms of visitor comfort. The institute’s comprehensive analysis accounts for all projected development impacts, from transportation to environmental sustainability.

Dmitry Smirnov, chief economist of the project

Despite the planned development of additional tourist facilities for year-round operation, the Elbrus complex will still have high, mid, and low seasons, each with distinct occupancy rates and average lengths of stay.

During both winter and off-season periods, the resort is expected to receive over 200,000 visitors per season. The average hotel occupancy in peak season will be around 79%, with an average stay of 5.6 days. In the low season, hotel occupancy will not exceed 48%, and the average length of stay will be about 2.8 days.

A significant portion of winter visitors will be day-trippers – skiing and snowboarding enthusiasts who do not stay overnight in accommodations within the Elbrus region.

The construction of new ski infrastructure, lodging facilities, and sports and tourism venues is expected to increase the number of tourists to 600,000 per year by 2030, while the number of guided-tour visitors could reach 320,000 annually.

To ensure the successful operation of the Elbrus complex and the balanced, sustainable development of the entire Elbrus region, it will be essential to modernize the tourism infrastructure in the Baksan River Valley, with a primary focus on upgrading the Cheget ski complex.

In our upcoming publications, we will explore the Genplan Institute of Moscow’s vision for the development of the Armkhi and Mamisоn resorts.

04 March 2025

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