Skiing Türkiye
Anyone that has ever visited Türkiye (previously named Turkey) will know it is a land of high peaks and contrasting climates. The classic winter photos of the Cappadocia region under snow are usually enough to capture one’s imagination and consider a visit to this fascinating country during the colder months. But the draw of a backcountry snowmobile & cat skiing operations, ski-touring, and heli-skiing in the Kaçkar mountains of northeast Turkey add a winter travel dimension previously unforeseen by most. Add in a few impressive ski resorts on the flanks of ancient volcanoes and hey presto, a Turkish ski & snowboard safari is born! There is more to Turkish skiing than meets the eye.
So if you have been thinking about a trip to Türkiye to experience the grand mosques, bazaars & vibrance of Istanbul, the travertines of Pamukkale, the history & bizarre landscapes of Cappadocia, the amazing ancient ruins in Aphrodisias & Priene (or the better-known Ephesus & Pergamon), its pristine beaches & diverse landscapes; know you can add skiing and snowboarding to the list! And ………. everything is better in winter! Less people, snow-covered landscapes, cosy accommodations, and the possibility of riding unsullied, pristine powder. What could be more glorious?
Cat, Heli & Backcountry Skiing in Türkiye
The high Kaçkar mountains and deep, isolated valleys of northeast Türkiye are in the coldest & snowiest part of the country, and home to both emerging & well established cat & heli-ski operations, plus backcountry ski adventures that use snowmobile or snowcat for some initial uphill access. Snow is heavily influenced here by moisture laden winter storms coming on off the nearby Black Sea. The high-altitude range has peaks reaching 3,937m (12,917 ft) on Kaçkar Dağı and gathers a heavy mantle of snow each winter.
Cat Skiing
Powderhounds love cat skiing (woof ... go figure!), and a new one in Türkiye has us excited. Turkey Snowcats have several shiny new machines ready to take you on an exquisite adventure.
Snowmobile/Snowcat Assisted Backcountry Skiing
Turkish Backcountry runs fantastic tours in the wilds of the snow-sure Kaçkar mountains in north-eastern Turkey. Using expertly driven snowmobiles or snowcat for the initial access into the ski terrain, human-powered ski touring are used to make the most of what is effectively an immense private ski area during winter.
Heliskiing
At least one major heli ski operator prowls the vast Kaçkar mountain range in northeast Turkey, not too far from Ovit Mountain. We will try to check it out one day soon!
Turkish Ski Resorts
A surprising number of medium-sized ski resorts, plus several small ones are spread across the entire country. The largest are in central & eastern Turkey, whilst some are closer to the coast in the south. Many of the ski areas will hold little interest to the international traveller, however the two major ski resort areas are situated on ancient volcanic cones and have the attractive features of long skiable verticals at high elevation & broad off-piste terrain.
The most impressive Turkish ski resort is Erciyes on the slopes of 3,917m Mt Erciyes (or Erciyes Dağı). Located in central Turkey south of Kayseri and not far from some of the world’s most incredible landscapes in Cappadocia, Erciyes has fantastic lifts and slopes, making it an ideal addition to a winter visit to the region. Mellow down low, gnarly up top, when covered in powder you will have this place all to yourself. Several excellent on-mountain hotels with exquisite cuisine round out this world-class experience.
Further east, and more influenced by moisture from storms coming across the Black Sea, Ejder 3200 (Palandoken & Konakli) has a range of quality slopes across three ski areas south of the city of Erzurum. In one of the coldest locations in the country, the ski terrain here is better overall than Erciyes for advanced riders, but one needs to go when the snow is thick on the ground to really enjoy it. The Ejder resorts can easily be combined with snowmobile &/or cat skiing in the nearby Kaçkar mountains, just a few hours’ drive north.
Sarıkamış ski resort is a little gem in the east of Turkey, not far from the ancient city of Kars. With some 23km of long pistes on 500m of skiable vertical, excellent tree skiing potential, modern lifts and a lift pass price that is practically free; if in Turkey, why wouldn't you come here for a slide?
Davraz is another fascinating ski destination, located such that there is a possibility of combining a sunny Mediterranean beach, playing a round of golf & riding powder all in the same weekend! Davraz is north of the ritzy seaside town of Antalya and has 20km of trails in an alpine setting, 750m of vertical and a highest lifted point of around 2,400m. The off-piste looks inviting here, particularly if the top chairlift (a modern express with a bubble) is open.
Lift Passes
Worth knowing is that lift passes to even the biggest ski resorts are ridiculously cheap, often in the realms of €6 to 7 for a full day. The other thing to realise is that they are generally based on how many chairlift/gondola rides you go on. For example a 200 Pass means that you can ride a chairlift/gondola etc 200 times, whenever you want during the ski season. Given that it is ridiculously cheap it seems to work fine.
Getting to Turkey & Beyond
Turkey is located at the eastern end of the Mediterranean Sea, and south of the Black Sea. Sharing borders with Greece, Georgia, Armenia, Iran, Iraq, and Syria, one cannot say it isn’t in an ‘interesting’ part of the world! The nation’s largest city, Istanbul, is in the west of the country, about 2,500km south-east of London and 8,050km (5,000 miles) east of New York.
Flying into Turkey is usually via either of the two major international airports that serve the city of Istanbul, the new Istanbul Havalimanı International Airport (IST) or Istanbul Sabiha Gokcen International Airport (SAW). Travellers from European origins may arrive in Sabiha airport, but those from other flight origins will land at Istanbul airport. Once in Istanbul, regional flights to places of interest to skiers (e.g. Kayseri, Trabzon, Erzurum) can be taken from either airport, depending on the airline.
For snow enthusiasts, once in the country, flight pricing & scheduling is quite reasonable. The airport at Kayseri (KSR) is best for the Erciyes ski resort (and Cappadocia). As a major tourist year-round tourist region, there are even direct flights to Kayseri from airports in Germany (Munich, Frankfurt, Stuttgart et al) and the Netherlands (Rotterdam/The Hague). Everyone else will likely need to go via Istanbul.
In the northeast, Trabzon (TZX) airport is best for cat & helicopter skiing in the Kaçkar mountains, with Erzurum (ERZ) airport the best for Ejder 3200 ski resort and also cat/snowmobile-skiing in the Kaçkars to the north. The airport at Kars (KSY) is closest to Sarikamis and has good links with Istanbul (IST) and Tbilisi (TBS) in Georgia.
An alternative entry point to Turkey, particularly for cat & heli-skiing in the Kackar Mountains, could be via Batumi (BUS) or Kutaisi (KUT) airports in Georgia. The final journey into Turkey on the bus via the coast road toward Trabzon is easy enough, but does involve a little bit of palaver at the border (we have done it). This option is useful for anyone already skiing in Georgia and wanting to expand their horizons into the best mountains of Turkey.
Reasons to Ski Turkey
So many snow-covered mountains to explore in a place with very few international winter visitors, Türkiye could be the perfect ski holiday location. The Turkish people know how to do hospitality just about better than anyone. The food experience is beyond wonderful. Even the already amazing Turkish coffee is better in winter. The landscapes, history and culture will draw you in. And there is still a wild, remote edge to Türkiye in winter, and a bit of untamed edginess always makes for the best experiences.
Review
The Powderhounds were super excited to have spent a few winter weeks in Türkiye during February 2023. We visited Erciyes, Edjer 3200, Cappadocia & Ovit Mountain. We experienced blizzards, great skiing, some confronting experiences, met incredible people, ate wonderful food and truly enjoyed the whole experience. We recommend a visit to Türkiye. A few days savouring the sights of Istanbul, a few days in Cappadocia, skiing Erciyes and then some adventure further afield doing cat skiing, ski touring or such in the Kaçkar Mountains will be quite the winter holiday. See the individual resort and tour operations for our observations, plus sparkling repartee, photos & insights.
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