TR: Turkey, It's Not Just For Christmas

03-13 January 2022

Got the opportunity to accompany Jonny Richards (no relation), Editor-At-Large for Fall Line Skiing Magazine on a trip to Turkey taking in

Ovit Mountain Backcounty
https://www.ovitmountain.com/

Then with these guys to whichever resorts are best, most likely Palandoken, Erciyes, Sarikamis

https://www.skiturkish.com/en/


So far

Bus
National Express
Cardiff - Stansted return
£40 (plus £10 for ski bag)

Flight
Pegaus Airlines
Stansted - Trabzon ; Erzurum - Stansted
£158 (Free carriage on the way out; £30 on the way back)

I'd booked 20kg checked luggage each way for an additional cost. Won't do that again.


Insurance
BMC, 11 days
£94

No PCR or LFT needed for entry in to Turkey as long as you're fully vaccinated

Pre-ordered PCR for return code for £20
Expert Medicals

Ovit has 59cm forecast
https://www.snow-forecast.com/resort...ntain/6day/mid

DAY 1

Uneventful and slick bus journey to Stansted.

Pegasus great.

Bag came in at 18.7 kg and they waived the ski carriage.

Had three seats to myself on both legs of the journey.

No way to charge phone during flight so if you have documents digitally on phone make sure you have battery power for getting through passport control.

Stayed at Air Suite Hotel, Trabzon for the night
2 bedroom apartment
£15
100 yards from arrivals area


DAY 2
Ovit sent a driver to the hotel this morning to bring us up to the mountains (£65 rt)

Then snowcat for the last 8km to the lodge.

Brand new lodge (2nd season of operation)
Spacious, comfortable
Great guest rooms

Hasn’t stopped snowing since we arrived

35cm and counting (10pm)

No sign of stopping but blowing a Gale

Will be interesting to see if there’s any play tomorrow


Instagram

https://www.instagram.com/p/CYlC2C2qtLL/

https://www.instagram.com/p/CYn6YkLDmAc/

DAY 3

Always listen to your guide.

After a wild night and snow loading up to 1m in places, we woke to clear skies and barely a breath of wind.

The three of us set off at 7am skinning above the hotel, accompanied by two dogs.

Gentle track and gentle pace (we started at 2640m) and as the sun crested the peaks we were in place to ski back to the hotel for breakfast.

Light, fast, stable and deep.

After breakfast we went back to the same zone but this time we were ferried up by snowmobile. Pretty wild at times.

Skiing was still great.

Long lunch then went out to catch sunset up high.

Glorious

Cracking first day.


Instagram

https://www.instagram.com/p/CYqwXR2jfcu/

https://www.instagram.com/p/CYttCr3KUow/

https://www.instagram.com/p/CYwDBckKrCj/

https://www.instagram.com/p/CY1h9BkDfo6/

DAY 4

Started the day with a tour again.

Quicker on the up because the skin track was consolidated.

Climbed to a vantage point where you could see the Black Sea then 800m of vert in boot top powder back to a late breakfast.

The afternoon was spent doing snow sled shuttles of some north facing slopes for around 250m a lap.

Sun was out all day, the snow was fast & smooth.

Cracking second day


Instagram

https://www.instagram.com/p/CY3EM4QDoJ5/

https://www.instagram.com/p/CY53ePzKaxD/

https://www.instagram.com/p/CY9CyE4jP6q/

DAY 5

Pre-dawn sled assisted ski tour to the cirque lining the south facing slopes above the hotel.

Lasha, our Georgian guide, Jonny and myself touring above the drop off zone.

Çaka, the owner and sled driver, and Armi, videographer, filming us by drone on the up & down.

Amazing light and fantastic turns.

800m vert on our first run.

Then a second sled shuttle to the staging area from which Jonny and I toured up to the area we hit yesterday.

Spot of late breakfast then another 800m vert run back to the hotel.

Magic.

Long, relaxing lunch then we had 4 sled laps (no touring) of approx 350m vertical in the ‘Lakeside’ area.

Interesting, varied turns through rock gullies and natural half pipes down to the frozen lake.

One of the best days skiing I’ve had.

Cracking third and final day at Ovit Mountain.



Instagram

https://www.instagram.com/p/CY_3YHdD1RU/

https://www.instagram.com/p/CZCl7KhjKN8/

DAY 6

PUNTO TO PALANDOKEN

We were very sad to leave Ovit Mountain (@ovitofficial) but new adventures awaited us further east at the mountain resort of Palandoken (@ejder3200) overlooking the city of Erzurum

The Prinoth snowcat (@prinoth_snowgroomers) took us on the snow covered road back to the highway, where we met our transfer to Palandoken
Not quite what we were expecting for the 2.5 hr drive, a Fiat Punto!

3 grown men; 2 ‘coffin’ ski/snowboard bags; and a couple of duffles & backpacks were finally squashed into place and we were on our way

For a while at least

About 40 mins into the journey we got a flat tyre which our driver had to change roadside on a mountain pass
Thank goodness it was sunny and dry

The rest of the trip was uneventful as we watched the snow covered landscape whiz by our windows
We arrived at our base for the remainder of our visit, the Palan Otel (@otelpalan), at lunchtime and met up with the wonderful Erdem of @skiturkish who’d planned our itinerary for the coming days

The peak of Palandoken loomed large over the base area and we couldn’t wait to hit the slopes

https://www.instagram.com/p/CZE2R8Vjr95/

DAY 7

PALANDOKEN - DAY TO NIGHT

After a wonderful buffet lunch at the Palan Otel (@otelpalan) and a quick change into our gear, Erdem of @skiturkish, Jonny (@gawsworthhall) & I headed to the Palandoken (@ejder3200) base area to meet up with Mesut, a former ski racer now working in Mountain Operations, who would give us a quick tour of the mountain

We did a few laps of the frontside of the mountain before heading off the back of the gondola to ski the 12km run which offers the best views of the area

After Mesut clocked off, Jonny & I continued to lap the gondola watching the sun set on the mountain and the extensive & varied night skiing operations firing up

The groomed runs were in great shape with a combination of wind blown powder and unpisted artificial snow

And as the videos show, it was deserted

https://www.instagram.com/p/CZHvftnjHIo/

DAY 8

SARIKAMIS
107th MARCH FOR THE MARTYRS OF THE BATTLE OF SARIKAMIS

A pre-dawn start to the day as Erdem (@skiturkish) had organised for us to join a convoy of buses traveling from Erzurum to the eastern town of Sarikamis to commemorate the martyrs of the World War I Battle of Sarikamis

The 1914 battle against Russia’s Caucasus Army claimed the lives of nearly 90,000 Ottoman Turkish soldiers due to bitter cold

The 4.5km memorial route was patrolled by soldiers from the Turkish Army in full winter dress, watching over the 50,000 in attendance

This annual commemoration is very important to the people of this region

https://www.instagram.com/p/CZKYqasD_Ba/


IN THE TREES
After watching the March For The Martyrs we headed out of town to the picturesque Sarikamis Ski Resort (@kayakmerkezisarikamis)

Located high above the town and the surrounding plains, the resort is set amongst a pine forest with tree lined pistes and extensive off-piste gladed areas
After the alpine grandeur of Palandoken it was great to be back in the trees

The terrain and layout of the resort reminded me of Rusutsu Resort (@rusutsuresort_official) on Hokkaido, Japan
The snow wasn’t dissimilar either
All natural snow on piste, dry boot top powder in the trees

The resort skis much bigger than it looks on the piste map and represents one of, if not THE, best value in skiing
110 Turkish Lira for the day, which at the moment equates to just over £7 / under 10 euros

Sarikamis would be a great choice for families and/or mixed ability groups with high quality ski-in ski-out accommodation at very reasonable prices and terrain to suit all ability levels
And if it snows, which it does regularly, the hooded lifts provide cover on the way up and the tree lined runs aid visibility on the way down

Erdem (@skiturkish) introduced us to Bora Kanber, General Manager of @sarikamiskayiresortotel built in the past two years which would be the perfect base for an extended stay at the resort

https://www.instagram.com/p/CZMI5m7DhUr/


KARS
IN GOOD COMPANY

After a fantastic day at Sarikamis (@kayakmerkezisarikamis), Erdem (@skiturkish) enlisted the services of Ahmet to take us to the city of Kars for dinner

On Ahmet’s recommendation we dined at Pushkin Restaurant & Cafe (@karspushkinrestaurant) sitting in the shadow of Kars Castle

On the menu for the evening, the specialty of the house, Roast Goose
Delicious

We couldn’t stay for the Traditional Turkish Music & Dancing floor show as we had to get back to Palandoken before the falling snow made the roads too dangerous

https://www.instagram.com/p/CZO6w2sDtdD/

DAY 9

PALANDOKEN
FADE TO GREY
Between 5-10cm of wind blown new snow across the resort, but high winds and almost zero visibility saw us calling it a day just after 1pm

https://www.instagram.com/p/CZRB5qXj...dium=copy_link

ERZURUM
CITY SCENES
Erdem (@skiturkish), Jonny (@gawsworthhall) and I took the 10-minute hotel shuttle ride into the city to visit the Congress of Erzurum where Mustafa Kemal Atatürk, the founding father of the Turkish Republic, laid the foundations for the republic

https://www.instagram.com/p/CZUV-31D...dium=copy_link


ERZURUM
CAG KEBAP AT KOC KEBAP
Erdem (@skiturkish), Jonny (@gawsworthhall) and I took the 10-minute hotel shuttle to Erzurum to try the speciality of the area, Cag Kebab
Mouth-watering marinated lamb meat on a rotating spit
Thicker than the better-known doner, this delicacy is cooked on a horizontal spit, thus retaining much more of its juice and flavour
They even let me butcher the lamb
Literally


https://www.instagram.com/p/CZWTn0mA...dium=copy_link

DAY 10

PALANDOKEN
IT’S NOT MUCH, BUT IT’S HOME

We had planned to visit the second resort in the @ejder3200 ski area, Konakli, but high winds kept it closed for the second day

So we explored the abandoned building above the gondola top station at Palandoken instead

https://www.instagram.com/p/CZZ0g9Vs...dium=copy_link


PALANDOKEN
INBOUNDS AVALANCHE
After exploring the abandoned building we went looking for powder underneath the gondola at Palandoken (@ejder3200)

We traversed across to one of the main gullies and found our powder, but Jonny (@gawsworthhall) also triggered a small avalanche which took him for a 100m ride

Thankfully it wasn’t deep and it didn’t cause him any harm but it was a wake up call that the snow hadn’t bonded to the old sun & wind affected layer

https://www.instagram.com/p/CZcSKJ4D...dium=copy_link

DAY 11

ERZURUM
CITY SCENES
Jonny (@gawsworthhall) and I returned to Erzurum for second helpings at Koc Cag KEBAP and also visited the Çifte Minareli Medrese (Twin Minaret Madrasa), Erzurum Castle, and the Jewellery District


https://www.instagram.com/p/CZr5jbkD...dium=copy_link

DAY 12

TURKEY
AND THAT’S A WRAP

What a fantastic first visit to the Anatolia region of eastern Turkey

Fantastic snow conditions; impressive terrain and scenery; the warmest of welcomes; fabulous food; and interesting experiences on and off mountain

Many thanks to Jonny Richards, Editor-at-Large for Fall-Line Skiing Magazine (@falllinemag), for the invite

To the crew at Ovit Mountain (@ovitofficial) for pulling out all the stops during our stay

And to Erdem at @skiturkish for organising such a diverse itinerary at Palandoken (@ejder3200) and Sarikamis (@kayakmerkezisarikamis)

I can’t recommend a winter holiday to Turkey highly enough

To quote Arnold, “I’ll Be Back”


https://www.instagram.com/p/CZtO5Gjj..._web_copy_link

Quote:

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Originally Posted by Mike Pow

DAY 12

TURKEY
AND THAT’S A WRAP

What a fantastic first visit to the Anatolia region of eastern Turkey

Fantastic snow conditions; impressive terrain and scenery; the warmest of welcomes; fabulous food; and interesting experiences on and off mountain

Many thanks to Jonny Richards, Editor-at-Large for Fall-Line Skiing Magazine (@falllinemag), for the invite

To the crew at Ovit Mountain (@ovitofficial) for pulling out all the stops during our stay

And to Erdem at @skiturkish for organising such a diverse itinerary at Palandoken (@ejder3200) and Sarikamis (@kayakmerkezisarikamis)

I can’t recommend a winter holiday to Turkey highly enough

To quote Arnold, “I’ll Be Back”


https://www.instagram.com/p/CZtO5Gjj..._web_copy_link

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Wow! Fantastic!
Tyx for sharing such an in depth TR!
Huge stoke!



Sent from my SM-G998U using Tapatalk

My pleasure

It's practically free skiing in-resort

Fabulous Mike. Getting after it always. Thanks.

Great TR. Thanks for sharing. Had never thought of Turkey as a ski spot. Food and skiing both look great.

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Originally Posted by Hayduke

Fabulous Mike. Getting after it always. Thanks.

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Cheers

Beacons look good for Friday :)

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Originally Posted by tintin5

Great TR. Thanks for sharing. Had never thought of Turkey as a ski spot. Food and skiing both look great.

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Cheers

Should definitely be on the list

Quote:

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Originally Posted by zion zig zag

Any photos in this TR for people without instagram? Sounds cool.


Sent from my iPad using TGR Forums

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Sorry no

Quote:

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Originally Posted by tintin5

Great TR. Thanks for sharing. Had never thought of Turkey as a ski spot. Food and skiing both look great.

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This! Thanks Mike. Now you just go slay some fucking Beacons will ya.

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Originally Posted by garyfromterrace

This! Thanks Mike. Now you just go slay some fucking Beacons will ya.

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Thanks

Was out last Thursday :)

Been a poor winter in Wales.

Cold with no precipitation.

Warm with loads of precipitation.

Fucking Gulf Stream and Jet Stream.