Rosa Khutor

Rosa Khutor was built for the alpine events of the 2014 Winter Olympics in the Aibga ridge above Krasnaya Polyana, and the scale of that investment left the region with lift infrastructure well beyond what existed before - gondolas from the valley at around 560 metres to Rosa Peak at 2320, with about a hundred kilometres of pistes across several linked sectors, and neighbouring resorts on the same slopes. Snow is reliable from December into April at height. In summer the same lifts run for walkers, with trails along the ridge, a viewing platform at the top, and a view south towards the Black Sea on clear days and north into the main Caucasus range. The valley village is purpose-built in an alpine idiom with an embankment along the Mzymta. Weather here is maritime rather than continental, so cloud, rain at the bottom and fog on the ridge are common.

What you actually see

• The Olympic infrastructure - lifts and pistes built for the 2014 alpine events.
• The vertical - gondolas from 560 metres in the valley to 2320 at Rosa Peak.
• The summer ridge - walking trails and viewpoints along the Aibga in the warm months.
• The two horizons - the Black Sea south and the main Caucasus range north.

When to go

December to April for skiing, June to September for walking. Several days.

Honest expectations

Maritime weather brings fog and rain, and the ridge can be closed in. Prices are high by Russian standards. New Year and school holidays fill the lifts. The village is entirely purpose-built with no older settlement behind it.

Nearby

Krasnaya Polyana village and the other resorts share the same valley; Sochi is an hour away.