WINTER SPORTS IN TURKEY

The high altitude mountains of Turkey have made the country an important centre for winter tourism, and skiing is becoming increasingly popular.

This ski resort is on the mountain of Bubi, in Eastern Anatolia, 18km south-west of the centre of Agri.

Arrival: There are flights from Ankara and Istanbul, and transport from Agri to the resort is only by private vehicles.

Geography: The ski season runs between December to April. The area has a terrestrial climate, and the resort is covered with alpine meadows, which is covered with 1-2m of snow in the winter.

Facilities: There is a ski lodge belonging to the Agri City Directorate, and a café. There is a T-bar and chair-lift.

The Elmadag Ski Resort, which is on the northern slopes of Elmadag mountain range, is a few kilometres south-east of the centre of Ankara, which has made it more popular.

Arrival: At just 18km from the city, and close to the airport, there are many private vehicles going to the resort.

Geography: The resort is on the northern slopes of Elmadag between the altitudes of 1500-1850m. The area is treeless and covered with alpine meadows. The season runs between January and March, with a terrestrial climate, and snow thickness between 30-60cm.

Facilities: There are government-owned ski lodges, plus two restaurants, an indoor swimming pool, sauna, disco and restaurants. The T-bar has a 548m route, and the ski run is at an easy/medium level.

Saklikent is 50km west of the centre of Antalya, in the Beydag mountain range, with an altitude of 2550m. Because of its close proximity to Antalya, it is one of the few places in the world that people can ski in the mornings, then swim in the sea in the afternoon.

Arrival: The resort can be reached from the centre of Antalya by bus, taxi or a hotel service vehicle in one hour.

Geography: The altitude for the skiing areas is between 2000-2400m, with a snow depth between 0.5-1m and a short season.

Facilities: There is a pension with 14 beds, a restaurant, café and local coffee-houses. There are two T-bars, and two ski runs at easy/moderate level.

The resort is 25km outside the city centre of Bingol, in Central Eastern Anatolia.

Arrival: Bingol is well connected to all areas of the country by bus. The nearest airport is at Mus, around 80km east. Private vehicles go from the city centre to the resort.

Geography: The city has a terrestrial climate, and the skiing season runs between December and March.

Facilities: The ski lodge has a 50-bed capacity, and Bingol city centre is generally used for medical and other services. The ski run is 1km, with routes for beginners and advanced skiers. There is a T-bar with a lower station at 1650m, and the upper one at 1890m, with an average gradient of 25%.

Bitlis is in the far east of the country, in Eastern Anatolia around 20km south-west of Lake Van, and the skiing area is inside the city.

Arrival: The city is 1100km from Ankara, 1504km from Istanbul, 1465km from Izmir and around 200km south of Erzurum. The nearest airports are at Mus (85km) and Van (160km). Bitlis can be reached from anywhere in the country by bus.

Geography: The resort has temperate terrestrial climate and the season runs between December and April. The area of Bitlis gets snow continuously in the winter, which had a depth of 1-2m. The areas for skiing are Dideban (1821m) and Sapgor mountains east of the city, and Altinkalbur at the west.

Facilities: In addition to the ski lodge inside the resort, there is much more accommodation and other services in the city. The resort at Altinkalbur has a T-bar facility 726m long, and the standard of ski runs is between moderate and difficult.

The Kartalkaya Skiing Resort is in the Western Black Sea Region, southeast of Bolu, in the Koroglu mountains. The mountain has appropriate conditions for Alpine and cross-country skiing.

Arrival: The distance from Bolu city centre is 54km, and 28m to the Ankara highway. It takes around 45 minutes by road from the city centre and in addition to public buses and minibuses, most of the hotels organise this service for visitors.

Geography: The ski area is at an altitude of 1850-2200m, and the region has semi-temperate climate. Kartalkaya and surroundings are covered with forests, and has a dominant wind direction of west/north-west. The best season for skiing is from late December and late March, with an average 3m snowfall. The snow at the beginning of the season is powdery, getting increasingly slushy towards the end.

Facilities: There are two hotels with a total bed capacity of 1005, plus restaurants, swimming pools, discos and bars. Ski equipment and instruction is available. There are two chair-lifts, six T-bars and three baby lifts, with 12 ski runs around 20km long.

* Yesil (green) Lift (Chairlift - 700 m)
* Camcukuru Lift (Chairlift - 650 m)
* Inekcayiri 1-2 (Ski-Lift - 900 m)
* Resuldede 1-2 (Ski-Lift - 600 m)
* Kazankaya (Ski-Lift - 650 m)
* Koroglu Lift (Ski-Lift - 1200 m)
* 2 Baby-Lift

Uludag, 36km south of Bursa, is one of the country’s favourite winter sports centres and as well as skiing, its richness of flora and fauna has made it into a National Park and summer activities like trekking and camping are also popular. Uludag was previously known as Olympos Misios in ancient times, and is known in mythology as the place where the gods watched the Trojan war. Plans have been confirmed for a development project, which will offer a huge increase in accommodation and skiing facilities. Its geographical conditions mean that Uludag Ski Resort can also offer heli-skiing, snow boarding, ice-skating and snow biking.

Arrival: Uludag National Park can be reached both by highway and cable car. The Ski resort is 40 minutes away from Bursa by road and 60 minutes from the airport. By private vehicle, the Cekirge road is the easiest. Drivers must keep wheel chains, wedges and heavy ropes during winter, which are available for hire or sale along the roadside. There are also minibuses going to the top of Uludag which leave every hour during the winter, and takes around 90 minutes from Bursa.

There are four sections of the cable-car route to reach Uludag, two between Bursa and Kadi plateau (1235m) and two between Kadi and Sari Alan (1621m). Each line has a cabin that can fit 30 people, although it is prohibited to carry ski equipment, and depart the district of Teleferik every 20 minutes. The journey, which stops at Kadi and then changes car, takes around 25 minutes. From the Sari Alan, there is a minibus service travelling the last 7km to the hotel area. In the summer season, there is a chairlift from Sari Alan to Coban Kaya (1750m)

Geography: Uludag is the highest mountain in Western Anatolia, with its peak at Kara Tepe (2543m). It is covered in forests, and the region has a partially temperate climate with a dominant wind direction of south-west/south. The altitude of the skiing area is between 1750 – 2543m, and the best season is from late December to late March. The snow at the beginning of the season is powdery, getting increasingly slushy towards the end.

Facilities: There are 27 hotels, 15 of which are privately owned, with a total of over 3000 beds. The area also has shopping halls, restaurants, cafes and bars, entertainment and health centres.

Ski equipment, rental and instructors are all available here. There are eight chair-lifts, seven T-bars and 13 different ski runs.

Located in the Hazarbaba Mountains in the Elazig district, this resort was only opened in 1999 and is still being improved.

Arrival: Elazig is on the western side of the Eastern Anatolian region, and is well connected by road to all over the country. There are daily flights from Ankara, and three trains a week from Istanbul. The Hazarbaba Ski Centre is 25km south of Elazig, and 6km from Sivrice, and there are private vehicles to the centre.

Geography: Hazarbaba Mountain has an altitude of 2347m with an average snow depth of between 100 – 200cm. The season runs between December and March, and has a terrestrial climate.

Facilities: The resort has a ski lodge and a café. Ski equipment is available for hire, and there are plans to construct accommodation facilities. The T-bar was recently upgraded, and the ski run improved to cater for all levels of experience.

Mechanical facilities and running tracks: The older T bar facility was upgraded to 1700 meters in 2000 and the track was improved in order to provide a better skiing environment to beginner and advanced skiers.

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