Turkey is an important center of winter sports and activities including skiing, heli-skiing and snowboarding. Turkey’s ski resorts offer visitors good snow conditions with high altitude mountains covered with snow all throughout the year.
With a naturally high terrain, forested peaks and mountain ranges, winter sports in Turkey have been waiting for discovery by international skiers.
Turkey’s snow record is excellent with many of the resorts at high altitude. During the normal winter conditions the height of the snow reaches approximately 3 m, and covered with forests, the natural beauty of the mountainous areas is stunning.
The following 10 ski centers are the most popular destinations for a skiing holiday:
Central Anatolia
Elmadag Ski Resort: Elmadag Ski Resort is a few kilometres southeast of Ankara, on the northern slopes of Elmadag between the altitudes of 1500-1850 m. The area is treeless and covered with alpine meadows. The season runs between January and March.
Erciyes Ski Resort: Erciyes Ski Resort is one of Turkey’s oldest ski resorts. The ski resort is at Mount Erciyes, approximately 3915 m the highest summit of Anatolia, and located 25 km away from Kayseri.
Eastern Anatolia
Palandoken Ski Resort: Palandoken Ski Resort in Erzurum is one of Turkey’s largest ski areas and considered by many the best, with good hotels, good conditions, good facilities, and Colorado-type powder, covered with snow during winter.
Sarikamis Ski Resort: Sarikamis Ski Resort is 50 km away from Kars. The best season for skiing from December to April, and the track length is 1200 m, height is 2100 m.
Black Sea
Ilgaz Ski Resort: Ilgaz Ski Resort lies 40 km from Kastamonu, and have an altitude of 2850 m. The skiing season runs between December and April. The ski runs are between 1800-2000 m altitude
Kartalkaya Ski Resort: Kartalkaya Ski Resort is 40 km away from Bolu in the Black Sea Region. The ski area is at an altitude of 1850-2200 m. The best season for skiing is from late December and late March.
Marmara
Uludag Ski Resort: Uludag Ski Resort is the oldest and most popular alpine village in Turkey, situated 36 km away from Bursa. The ski area lies between 1800-2500 m and the best season from December to April.
Kartepe Ski Resort: Kartepe Ski Resort in Kocaeli is a good beginner’s and intermediate skiers’ hill with three chair lifts and a 1700 m summit.
Mediterranean
Saklikent Ski Resort: Saklikent Ski Resort is 50 km west of Antalya, in the Beydag mountain range, with an altitude of 2550 m. The altitude for the skiing areas is between 2000-2400 m, with a snow depth 1 m and a short season.
Aegean
Bozdag Ski Resort: Bozdag is 110 km away from southeast of Izmir. The skiing season runs between December to March. The ski areas are at an altitude of between 1700–2157 m and the northern slopes are suitable for alpine discipline.
Source: Daily Sabah
