FFS with Ilia Berulava
Ilia Berulava is an unassuming dude, he’s super grounded and has more interest in hearing about what you’re up to than bragging about the multitude of climbs, trips, plans and aspirations he has rattling around his head.
Founder of the Georgia Guide Office, on the board of the Georgian Mountain Guide Association, and one of the only local IFMGA guides working in Georgia, Ilia has his fingers in a lot of pies, yet he still had time to sit down with the Backdrop Journal crew and chew through a few morsels.
BACKDROP - Can you tell us a little about how you came to set up the Georgia Guide Office, in the village of Mestia?
Ilia - I did my mountain guide training in Chamonix, and while I’m from Tbilisi, I know the Svaneti region of Georgia really well. I feel there’s a real comparison between the two regions, the terrain is very similar if anything we’re higher here, so I took the idea of a guide office from Chamonix and brought it here.
BD - How did the locals take to the idea?
Iilia - Tourism is very new in Georgia, but the people here are very open to it and see the benefits. You know, less than ten years ago it was almost impossible to get to Mestia. There’s a village on the way up the valley that was ruled by a family of bandits, they would rob most of the cars that drove through. I don’t mean just take your money but also the clothes you were wearing. I used to climb here a lot back then, so knew some locals who would help me get through, but I remember a mini-bus load of Japanese climbers coming into town almost nude. In the end, the military came and there was a big gunfight, which saw the family killed, that put an end to the problem.
The people here are very welcoming and value tourism, there’s an old Georgian saying ‘A visitor is a gift from God.’
BD- We have to admit that everyone we’ve met has been lovely, and its the first place we’ve ever been where the customs official has stamped our passports and then given us a bottle of wine.
Fear
BD - Did you have any fear about setting up the Guide Office, it must have been a big financial investment for you?
Ilia - Once I’d finished my IFMGA training in Chamonix, I could have stayed there and worked, but I wanted to come home to Georgia. I saw how guide offices work in Europe so I was convinced it would work here. I didn’t have a business plan as such, the motivation wasn’t to make money, it was more to bring all the guides together and develop a standard practice and share our knowledge and experiences.
BD - Is there an organised avalanche forecast in Georgia?
Ilia - No! Another reason for the Guide Office is to share information daily. We normally meet or at least all talk on the phone every day. We exchange information, discuss routes, snow conditions, plans… its the best way to keep everyone safe and informed.
BD - When you say meet, do you mean have a beer?
Ilia - Laughter - Yes we meet in the Buba Bar most nights.
BD - Does fear come into your thoughts when you’re guiding on the mountain, as it’s very remote here?
Ilia - So when I started guiding yes fear and consequences would play on my mind, but now with time and experience, I’ve become much more relaxed. I now have much more space in my brain to think about my next move and to enjoy nature and my surroundings. The more experience you have the more you can enjoy your job.
I often lead tours in the same area, but no trip is ever the same, clients and conditions are always different, I’m always looking for a new lines or how to get higher or even make a tour shorter if need be.
Failure
BD- Have you ever had a moment or event that you could describe as a failure?
Ilia - Not really, as it’s so wild here that a failure will normally result in death. I’ve climbed Mount Ushba eight times in the summer, and have another three attempts planned for this Summer, one is with a team of local guides, to help train them. When you climb Ushba you stand alone at the summit, all eight times it’s just been me and my team on the top, it’s not like the high peaks of Europe.
I did try a winter ascent of Ushba but there was one 40 degree section of snow that wasn’t safe so we had to back down. I do plan to try again if the conditions will allow.
I’m also attempting to climb some unclimbed 7000m peaks in China, that I’ll recce this summer.
One thing that did happen to me, a few years ago, when I was climbing Tetnuldi there was a lightning strike right next to me. I passed out and when I came to I was like a buzzing ball of electricity, I ran to our nearby camp with my hair sticking straight up, my friends were very shocked to see me in such a state - I was very lucky.
Success
BD - What is your greatest success?
Ilia - For me personally it is becoming a IFMGA mountain guide. It’s very hard for a Georgian, as we have to travel, I spent a lot of energy and time to become qualified.
I hope the next big success will be in November when the Georgia Mountain Guide Association will be recognised by the IFMGA.
BD - Is that something you’ve been working on?
Ilia - Yes I’m on the board of the GMGA and have been working with experts from other countries, through exchange programs and mountain guide training assessments, both of which have been very successful.
BD - What are your aspirations for Mestia and ski touring in Svaneti, and do you think its sustainable, especially now that the government has build two ski resorts in the area?
Ilia - First of all I hope that the culture and tradition won’t be affected, there’s a specific energy to this region that very special to me. I hope it won’t become a standard ski resort as you have across the rest of the world.
More people are coming to ski here, both in a resort and for touring, so the locals are happy and the guides are happy. At the present growth, I feel we’ll be able to develop Mestia in a sustainable way and take good care of our guests.
BD - What’s the one thing you would say about Georgia to encourage people to come?
Ilia - I always feel that everyone is welcome here, both human to human, but also you’re welcome into our nature. Georgia is a special place!
Click for more information on the Georgian Guide Office
