Mount Erciyes

Erciyes is the volcano that shaped much of Cappadocia, standing alone above the Kayseri plain and visible from a long way off in clear weather. Its ash and lava are the parent rock of the soft tuff that people later carved into further west. The mountain holds snow for much of the year and carries a large ski area on its northern side, developed heavily over the past fifteen years, with lifts running from around two thousand metres upward. In summer the same lifts serve walkers and mountain bikers, and the summit becomes a scramble on loose volcanic rock that wants an early start and, in most seasons, an axe and crampons near the top.

The landscape

• The cone from the plain - a solitary snow-capped volcano above the city.
• The ski area - lifts and pistes across the northern slopes.
• The summit scramble - loose volcanic rock and permanent snow patches.
• Old lava ground - flows and crater walls around the base.

When to go

Ski season usually runs from December into March or April depending on snow, with January and February the most reliable and midweek by far the quietest. Summer walking runs June to September. Weather turns fast on this mountain in any season, and the summit is often in cloud by late morning even on a clear day.

What to expect

The resort is modern and functional rather than characterful, and the base is a cluster of large hotels with little around them. Snow cover varies a lot from year to year. The summit is not a walk: it involves exposed scrambling and snow, and people underestimate it every season. Winds on the upper mountain are severe.

Nearby

Kayseri, the Soganli valleys and the wider Cappadocia region.

Key facts