Kartalkaya

Kartalkaya sits at around two thousand metres in the Köroğlu range above Bolu, in pine and fir forest, and its position is its main asset - roughly three hours from Istanbul and three from Ankara, which makes it the default weekend ski trip for both cities. The area has a spread of runs served by chairlifts and drag lifts, mostly gentle to intermediate with a few steeper pitches and tree lines, and it has a reputation for suiting snowboarders and learners better than experts. Snow is reasonably reliable through the season and the forest setting is more attractive than the bare slopes of some Turkish resorts. Accommodation is a cluster of hotels at the base that sell inclusive packages; there is no village as such, and nothing to do off the slopes beyond the hotels. The mountain road needs winter tyres and often chains, and it closes in heavy snow.

What you actually see

• The forest runs - pistes cut through pine and fir.
• The lift network - chairs and drags across two sectors.
• The base hotels - the accommodation cluster and its packages.
• The Köroğlu ridges - the range above Bolu.

When to go

December to March, with the most reliable snow in January and February. Weekdays are far quieter; weekends and school holidays fill the lifts and the road.

Honest expectations

It is intermediate terrain - experts will find it limited. There is no village, so evenings mean the hotel you booked. The access road requires winter tyres and chains, and closes in storms.

Nearby

Lake Abant and Yedigöller are elsewhere in Bolu province; Bolu town is at the foot of the mountain.