Ski Turkey

Turkey has the potential to be one of the world’s leading ski nations and its rulers know that, like Russia, China and Iran they are developing new ski areas in the more remote and politically sensitive areas – in Turkey’s case the East of the country in particular – with the aim of driving economic growth and employment in the region.

Because although it is best known to British tourists for its sunshine and beaches, Turkey is in fact a largely mountainous country, with some very high peaks in the East. So the country's 20 or so ski areas offer a very diverse mixture – some are close to the sea so you can combine a beach and snow holiday, some are in areas famous from antiquity with 6000 year old archaeological remains to explore in your après ski hours; others are highly fashionable.

Turkey’s original resort, Uludağ, remains its most fashionable and there are plans to upgrade its fragmented lift system. Featured in British tour operator brochures in the 1980s and ‘90s, it is only 140km from capital Istanbul it is filled by snow fans from the Turkish capital each weekend in the winter.

However the big success story in Turkish skiing of the past decade has been Mt Palandöken to the East above the ancient city of Erzurum. This installed modern chairlifts and a gondola around 2000 and looked set to make it big in the Western European market thanks to low prices and a big vertical with runs up to 17km long. But then Gulf War 2 began and the Western Corporations pulled out. However Mt Palandöken is now enjoying something of a peace dividend and hosted the University Winter Games – a prestigious global winter sports contest, in 2011.