Skiing at Shahdag

Jeremy and Erica riding in the gondola

Azerbaijan's first ski resort, Shahdag (King Mountain), only opened within the last 5 years.  This makes skiing a huge novelty to most Azerbaijanis.  In fact, many go to Shahdag for the day with no intention of skiing whatsoever.  They go just to see the resort, ride the lift, and, of course, take a selfie to prove they were there.

Non-skiers in line to ride the lift up the mountain

Taking the selfie to the furthest level, some people even rent skis and boots just for their photo. Perhaps that isn't much different than Americans going to amusement parks and paying for Ye Olde Time photos, but something about it strikes me as going a bit too far just for a photo.

Non-skiers playing in the snow at Selfie City

The pedestrians generally only use one lift at the resort.  We now call the top of that lift "Selfie City" because it's where the pedestrians hang out, take their photos, and play in the snow a bit before returning to the lift to ride back down.  Often, every single chair heading back down the mountain was occupied, which was very odd for us skiers to see!

Non-skiers riding the lift back down

Adding to the unique experience at Shahdag was our hotel complex.  It looked like something out of a movie.  I think Grand Budapest Hotel was the most apt comparison, and was an especially good association if you were in a cheerful, whimsical mood.

Pik Palace Hotel looking like The Grand Budapest Hotel

But if you were in a darker, more pensive mood, The Shining also came to mind.  The picture below of the hotel surrounded by white snow and mountain peaks shows the isolated location that could easily be the scene of a creepy horror flick.

Hotel looking like The Overlook Hotel from The Shining

Pedestrians and hotels aside, we were there to ski.  Which we did, with plenty of friends sharing in the fun!

Erica and Jeremy at the base

Kelly taking a quick stop on the slope

Jeremy, Dave, and Yaniv at the base

Aleksey and Erica on the lift