skiing
an excellent snow record with beautiful scenery and unusual
après ski
Skiing may not be the first thing which
springs to mind when you think of Turkey, but considering
it is such a mountainous country, it is not surprising that
Turkey boasts a number of good quality ski resorts. Its snow
record is excellent with many of the resorts at high altitude.
Although skiing holidays are not offered by any UK or Irish
tour operators at present, it is possible to visit independently
and it is surely only a matter of time before this sector
develops.
The first mention of alpine skiing in Turkey was in the area
around Erzurum in 1914 and from 1933 onwards sporting clubs
began to be formed for those interested in skiing in the areas
around Bursa, Ankara and Erzurum. The Turkish Mountaineering
and Horsemanship federation, which also catered for skiers,
was formed in 1935 and in 1939 the Turkish Mountaineering
and Winter Sports Federation was established – one of
the first such organizations anywhere in the world. Turkey
currently has 8 ski resorts: Uludagõ, Kartalkaya, Ilgaz, Sar‡kam‡s
Palandöken, Erciyes, Davraz and Sakl‡kent
Uludagõ
Uludagõ is the oldest established ski resort in Turkey. It
is 36 kms from the historic centre of Bursa and 150 kms from
Istanbul. Its proximity to Istanbul means that it is very
popular with weekenders from the city – a high society
crowd who come as much for the ambience as the skiing. It
is a pretty, alpine style village with a good choice and standard
of hotel accommodation and lively après ski.
The ski area of Uludagõ is at a height of 1750 - 2543 metres
and is very picturesque, with pine trees dotting the mountain
slopes, and several runs through the trees. There are some
good nursery slopes facing the main resort area with an easy
progression through blues and reds, which make it ideal for
beginners and intermediates. In total it has 1 cablecar, 5
chairlifts and 7 T bars. Qualified skiing instructors are
on hand and equipment is available for hire. The ski season
lasts from December through to the end of March.
Palandöken
In recent years, Palandöken has become one of Turkey’s
most popular ski resorts, in part due to the short 30 minute
transfer from Erzurum airport, just 12 kms away, and in part
due to the excellent standard of hotel accommodation on offer
in the resort. Heavy investment has also been put into the
infrastructure of the resort to update the lifts. Palandöken
is proving popular with Russian and Dutch skiers as well as
the local Turkish market. Après ski is based in hotels,
which have good facilities and the historic centre of Erzurum
is just 5 kms away.
Palandöken is a high resort with the ski area situated
between 2150 – 3200 metres, well above the tree line.
What it lacks in beauty, however, it makes up for with the
quality of its runs including the longest in Turkey at 12
kms. There is a good nursery slope area with drag lifts and
a total of 17 pistes served by a gondola and 3 chair lifts.
The majority of the runs are designed for beginners and intermediates
but there are a couple of good black runs and some excellent
off piste. Qualified instructors are on hand and the hotels
all have their own ski hire shops. The ski season lasts from
December – May.
Kartalkaya
Kartalkaya is located in the Western Black Sea Region, approx.
54 kms southeast of the town of Bolu in the picturesque pine
forests of the Körogõlu Mountains. Situated approximately
220 kms from Ankara airport (4 hours by bus), it is popular
with well off types who visit from the city, and find it more
affordable than Uludagõ. The ski area lies between 1800-2221
metres with 3 chairlifts and 7 drag lifts. There is an average
snow fall of 3 metres, and the season lasts from late December
until the end of March. There are two hotels in the resort,
qualified skiing instructors are available and ski equipment
can be hired locally.
Erciyes
Erciyes Ski Centre is located on the extinct volcanicmountain
of Erciyes, which is east of Cappadocia and south of the town
of Kayseri. It is just a 30minute drive from Kayseri, which
is only 25 kms away. Kayseri airport is just 35 kms away –
a convenient 45 minute drive. There are 2 chairlifts and 3
draglifts serving the ski area which is at a height of 1800
– 3000 metres. The longest run is 3.5 kms and there
are a total of 12 kms of pistes. The season lasts from December
– end ofApril. Ski instructors are available and equipment
can be hired locally. There is one hotel in the resort.
Sar‡kam‡s
Sar‡kam‡s ski centre is located near Sar‡kam‡s,
60 kms from Kars in the east of Turkey. Kars airport is approx.
50 kms away – a 40 minute drive. It is famous for the
quality of its powder snow. The altitude in the skiing area
of Sar‡kam‡s is from 2200-2634 metres with pistes running
through beautiful pine forests, which provide shelter from
the wind. The season usually lasts from December – the
end of March. The resort is equipped with 2 chairlifts and
1 T bar. The Saricam telesiege is the largest andmostmodern
in Turkey, with a capacity of 2400 pax per hour.At Cibiltepe,
at an altitude of 2700 metres, there is skiing for all levels
– from beginner to advanced, including a piste of 7kms
surrounded by pine forests. There is one hotel situated in
the resort. Qualified skiing instructors are on hand and equipment
is available for hire.
|
