Tsaghkadzor is the kind of place where the sentence “we’ll just take the ropeway once and head back” almost never happens. In winter the town turns into a compact ski resort – soft snow, long runs and a ropeway that lifts you high above the valley, opening up wide panoramas of the surrounding mountains. Even if you have never skied before, simply sitting on the chairlift and watching the town slowly disappear below is enough to feel that this is not a regular day trip, but a small mountain adventure. If you do ski or snowboard, Tsaghkadzor becomes your playground. You rent the gear on the spot, ride up, and after the first descent you stop counting hours. There are sleds and tubing, gentle slopes for kids and beginners, and steeper lines for those who want speed. After each run you can hide inside a small café for a hot chocolate or mulled wine, warm your hands and go back out again – what starts as “let’s just try one slope” usually turns into a full-on winter day. In summer Tsaghkadzor looks completely different. The same ropeway takes you over green hills and forests, into clear, cool mountain air where silence replaces the winter noise. At the top you can walk along the ridges, take photos of the mountain chain, have a small picnic or simply sit and watch the light move across the slopes. By the time you come back down in the evening, you feel like you have managed to ski, hike and recharge all in one day, without ever being too far from Yerevan.