Palandöken

Palandöken is unusual among ski areas in being effectively a city suburb: the mountain rises immediately south of Erzurum and the lower lifts start on the edge of town, so hotels sit at the base and the city with its Seljuk monuments and restaurants is fifteen minutes away. The altitude does the rest - the base is above two thousand metres and the top around three thousand one hundred, on a continental plateau where the air is very dry, which produces powder rather than the heavy snow of coastal ranges and a season that regularly runs from December into April. The mountain itself rises to 3,271 metres, and its ski run is the longest in Turkey; runs are long, mostly above the treeline, and include some genuinely steep pitches alongside broad intermediate terrain; a gondola and a set of chairlifts serve the mountain, with night skiing on the lower slopes. Erzurum hosted the 2011 Winter Universiade, with the freestyle and snowboard events here and the alpine races at the new Konaklı resort nearby; eight lifts serve the mountain. It is cheaper than European resorts and the trade-off is fewer facilities and long transfers to get there.

The main sights

• The city-edge base - lifts starting at Erzurum's suburbs.
• The dry powder - continental snow at three thousand metres.
• The long runs - open terrain above the treeline.
• The night skiing - the lit lower slopes.

When to go

December to April; January and February are the coldest and driest. Weekdays are quiet - weekends bring the city and visitors from further afield.

Practical notes

Temperatures are severe and wind on the upper mountain closes lifts. Off-slope facilities are limited compared with alpine resorts. Getting to Erzurum means a flight or a long train or road journey.

Nearby

Erzurum's Çifte Minareli Medrese and old town are fifteen minutes below; the Tortum valley churches are north.

Key facts