Erciyes Ski Resort Türkiye
Erciyes ski resort is one of Turkey's largest, providing modern ski lifts & extensive alpine terrain on its impressive 1,258m skiable vertical. Located in central Türkiye, close to the city of Kayseri, a ski holiday here could easily be combined with a visit to the amazing sights of Cappadocia including the villages of Göreme and Uçhisar. When the snow is good, freeriding the off-piste terrain at Erciyes (pronounced Er-jyes) is deserted & delightful, amongst incredible landscapes & fabulous views. And of course, the Turkish hospitality is nothing short of divine - reason enough to visit.
Pros & Cons for Erciyes Ski Resort
Pros
- Can receive loads of snow in the right weather conditions.
- Long skiable vertical of over 1,250m.
- Longest ski trail of around 8km.
- Modern ski lifts & well-maintained ski trails.
- Highest ski lift in Türkiye, the Ottoman chair at 3,346m altitude.
- Quality on-piste trails for all abilities of skier & snowboarder.
- Very good ski-touring opportunities around the mountain.
- Wonderful cuisine & service at the local hotels.
- Near one of the world’s best travel destinations - Cappadocia (and we know everywhere is better in snow!).
- Affordable ski destination when compared to the Alps & a wonderful alternative to Bansko & Gudauri.
- Possible to do a cheeky bit of cat skiing on the mountain.
Cons
- Experienced riders will find only enough ski trails to keep one occupied for a few days (unless it pewks snow!)
- Off-piste terrain & snow quality regularly impacted by wind.
- Extremely slow linking chairlifts between the Hisarcik & Hacilar sectors.
- Due to its height and exposure, the upper mountain Ottoman chairlift runs irregularly & hence its fabulous terrain may not be accessible.
Pro or Con (depending on your perspective!)
- Treeless, high-alpine terrain which is challenging in bad weather, but there are lots of lovely eateries to take shelter in to enjoy a warming cup of salep!
- Unless staying at the resort, a rental car or taxi is best to get around as local public transport to the resort is intermittent & difficult to understand.
- The resort has no fully integrated village, with 'villages' at each gate being more a collection of stand-alone hotels.
- Whilst all the local hotels are superb, many or those located on the mountain are targeted at the very high-end of the market and may not appeal to more budget conscious travelers.
Skiing & Snowboarding, Lift & Terrain
The Erciyes skiing & snowboarding terrain includes (according to the resort management) 112km of trails in treeless, alpine terrain on the flanks of an extinct volcano, the 3,917m Mt Erciyes (or Erciyes Dağı). The highest lifted point of 3,346m sits several hundred metres below the summit, which towers above with its rocky spires encased in ice. Mt Erciyes is the highest prominence in the local area, so cops the full brunt of any winter weather systems rolling through. The mountain slopes range from relatively flat in the lower reaches (perfect for novices & beginners, particularly around Tekir & Develi Kapi), rising through to steep, advanced terrain in the upper sector (Ottoman & Hitit chairs). To add more juice to mix, it will be possible to undertake cat-skiing on the mountain in coming seasons.
The skiable vertical is a substantial 1,250m, and the longest trail is around 8km. Away from the advanced slopes at the Ottoman Chair (and its potential for expert couloirs etc on its backside) and down to the Hisarcik base (a skiable vertical of around 1,080m), the best and longest groomed slopes & freeride terrain is in the fabulous Hacilar sector from the top of Hitit chair (2,939m) all the way down to the Hacilar base (2,088m).
Backcountry descents down nearly 2,000m vertical into the village of Hacilar are possible when the snow is low. Transport back to your hotel will need to be pre-arranged.
Check out the ski trail map below.
The ski lifts at Erciyes are all modern and installed since 2010. All the terrain is served by gondolas and chairlifts. Gondolas move skiers & snowboarders away from two base areas (Tekir Kapi & Hacilar Kapi), whilst the central base at Hisarcik Kapi has multiple chairlifts. The total of eleven chairlifts includes eight quads and three 6ers. Half a dozen surface tows and conveyors serve novice zones at the Tekir & Hisarcik base areas.
Lift Passes
Lift tickets at Erciyes are incredibly affordable, but they are charged based on how many lift journeys one uses, rather than by day! Tickets available are for 1, 7, 14,30, 50, 100 & the most expensive lift pass from the cash desk, a 200 ride ticket. The 200 ride ticket is usually more than enough for a full week and is very cheap at about 25% of what might expect for a similar pass in an Alps ski resort. Worth noting that children above the age of 12-years pay the same rates as adults.
Cat Skiing
The resort has started a cat skiing operation on exclusive terrain adjacent to the ski area on the Develi side. Private groups of up 10 people can book it out for single trips, single days or multi-days. Check out a multiday cat ski tour at Erciyes ->
Where is Erciyes Turkey?
The Erciyes ski resort is in central Turkey, Kayseri province, 23km south of the large city of Kayseri. The ski resort is close to the Turkish tourist hotspot of Cappadocia in neighbouring Nevşehir province. The splendid town of Goreme in Cappadocia is 72km (1hr) by road west of Kayseri and only 87km (1½hr drive in winter conditions) west of Erciyes ski resort.
The closest gateway airports is Kayseri Erkilet (ASR), only 28km north of the ski area & 5km north of the Kayseri city centre. Kayseri Erkilet is a major hub for visitors to Cappadocia and in winter receives direct flights from several German & Dutch airports [Munich (MUC), Frankfurt (FRA), Cologne/Bonn (CGN), Düsseldorf (DUS), Hannover (HAJ), Rotterdam/The Hague (RTM), and Stuttgart (STR), regional Turkish airports and of course, Istanbul. Ankara is the obvious alternative entry point but requires a rental car & a 3hr road trip to get to the mountain. The Ankara Esenboğa Airport (ESB) unfortunately has only limited international flights in winter from several German origins (Cologne, Dusseldorf, Frankfurt, Munich, Berlin), plus Vienna.
Most international travellers will fly to Kayseri via the new Istanbul (IST) international airport or the Istanbul Sabiha (SAW) airport.
From the airport, the best way to get to the ski resort (and to get around the captivating local region) is by rental car. Plenty of well-priced small SUVs are regularly available at the Kayseri airport. See here to search & book car rentals.
The ski area has three base areas with day parking. The central Hisarcik Kapi (kapi = door or gate!) is bookended by Hacilar Kapi, (6km as the crow flies to the north), & the Tekir Kapi (2km to the southeast). Tekir Kapi is the easiest to drive to, whilst Hacilar Kapi gives one the best terrain options. From Kayseri city centre, Hacilar Kapi is closest (19km), Hisarcik Kapi is next (23km), Tekir Kapi furthest (24km) and a little further along, Develi Kapi (25km). Each can be reached in about 30min by car in winter. The road all the way from Kayseri to Tekir Kapi is a luxurious dual lane highway.
Alternatively, most accommodation providers in the region will provide airport transfers to the hotel, but then getting to the skiing and regional sites starts to get difficult in winter. Local taxis are then required, which can be great or seriously limiting depending on your perspective. Getting a random taxi from the airport to a hotel in the region is simple. Prices are listed on a board out the front of the taxi rank, making it easy to avoid getting ripped off. Along the way, be prepared for the taxi to get stopped by the traffic police that are in force around Kayseri. Their presence is both reassuring and annoying all at once. We were stopped 3 times by different police during the 30min drive from the airport to the ski area.
Erciyes Accommodation
Whilst not having any one village as such, Erciyes has undergone something of a renaissance in the last few years in relation to quality accommodation options. The Develi & Tekir sectors now have a plethora of fantastic luxury hotels to choose from when staying on the mountain. New for season 23/24 is a luxury hotel at the central Hisarcik Kapi. Due to the lack of other 'village' infrastructure, most accommodation at the ski resort includes half-board (breakfast & dinner) in the tariff, but if it only includes breakfast, one can visit any of the other hotel restaurants to check out their feast-like, buffet offerings.
At Develi Kapi, if spending a few days on the slopes of Erciyes, you will not regret a few nights at the awesome Hotel DAS 3917 at Develi Kapi. The service is fabulous and the food astounding, but it does come at a price. Access to the lifts & slopes is via a 30 second shuttle across the road to their après & ski room complex at the base of the Kanis chair. For alternatives, just across the road from DAS, try the more affordable, but still high quality, Radisson Blu Hotel or the new luxurious Magna Pivot Hotel. In a quiet location across the road from the Develi ski lift base, the Library Hotel Erciyes strikes the right balance between quality & affordability.
Close to Tekir Kapi, the superbly priced Zümrüt Palas Otel is perfect for Powder Hounds on a budget. A little further down the road in walking distance to the ski lifts at Tekir Kapi, the Erciyes Hill Hotel is an option. An old favourite in between Tekir & Develi, and one of the original hotels at the mountain, the superb Mirada del Lago has been recently refurbished for a more refined stay.
At the central Hisarcik Kapi, the brand new 5-star Megasaray Mount Erciyes Hotel has opened for season 23/24. We noted it under construction during our visit in February 2023 and think its location is one of the best on the resort due to its proximity to the best advanced ski terrain.
Search & book all Erciyes ski accommodation.
The central Anatolian region around Erciyes has some of Türkiye’s best & most fascinating accommodation for holiday visitors. Given its relatively close proximity to the ski resort (1½hr drive), we recommend staying in the village of Göreme for at least a few nights and explore the local region. Located in the heart of Cappadocia, Göreme's stunning landscape, incredible history, and multitude of gorgeous Cave Hotels make it an unforgettable experience. And yes, Cave Hotels are literally carved into the soft stone. From our own experience we can recommend staying at the terrific value Sultan Cave Suites or, next door, the even more impressive (& pricier) Kelebek Cave Hotel & Spa (the Presidential Suite is beyond amazing!). In nearby Uchisar, we can also recommend the hard to beat combination of amazing rooms, views, hospitality & price at the Kale Konak Cappadocia Guesthouse.
Search & book for Goreme accommodation.
For city lovers (or the desperate!), the heart of Kayseri has several superb hotels, the best of which are the highly-rated and allegedly 5-star Radisson Blu Hotel Kayseri, Holiday Inn, Wyndham Grand Kayseri (also 5-star), Novotel Kayseri, and Dedeman Kayseri. Kayseri is not the most enchanting place to stay in the region, but it provides excellent hotel lodgings for incredibly affordable prices, plus has a 'big city' experience that is seemingly a world away from the wind-swept resort up at Erciyes.
Search & book for Kayseri accommodation.
Local Attractions & Activities
Any visitor to the region would be churlish not to combine skiing & snowboarding on a huge extinct volcano (Erciyes) with the delights of nearby Cappadocia. Away from the ski resort there is ssssooooo much to do and see and eat and sleep! Wandering through the fairy chimneys, landscapes & cave houses of Goreme; exploring the underground city of Kaymakli, the looming ‘castles’ at Uchisar & Ortahisar, and the many 9th to 11th century churches & frescoes secretly carved into stone; plus taking a sunrise balloon flight over the region. The journey is topped off by several nights in the most lux cave hotel you can afford - worth every cent! Visiting Cappadocia is one of the best non-ski travel experiences this Powderhound has ever had (and that is saying something). Combining it with skiing (and even some powder) sends the experience into the stratosphere!
Review
The Powderhounds visited Erciyes in 2023 and despite experiencing a mixed bag of weather & the hideous earthquake that devastated so many loves, we have life-long memories to cherish. We loved the incredible hospitality & friendliness of the locals, the food, the hamams, the dry powder snow & the amazing landscapes. Click on the review link in the left column (or top of the page if on a mobile) to read all the reviews.
See how Erciyes compares to other European ski resorts on the Europe ski resort ratings page.
Follow Powderhounds Europe on Instagram to see where we are currently skiing. Follow our main Powderhounds page on Facebook to stay in touch with up-to-date info, tours, and discussions.