Palandöken: Erzurum’s High-Altitude Ski Mountain

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1. What is Palandöken?
2. How do you get to Palandöken?
3. When is the best time to visit Palandöken?
4. What is the history of Palandöken?
5. What is Palandöken famous for?
6. What can you do at Palandöken?
7. Frequently asked questions about Palandöken
8. What do the official records say about Palandöken?

What is Palandöken?

Palandöken is the mountain range that rises directly behind Erzurum, and the name of the ski area on its northern slopes. Because the base already sits above 2,000 m in a dry continental climate, the snow is cold and powdery, and the season is one of the longest in Türkiye. Hotels stand right on the slopes, yet the city centre and its airport are only a short drive away.

In 2011 Palandöken was one of the venues of the Winter Universiade, the World University Games, held in Erzurum from 27 January to 6 February. The Konaklı ski centre, a separate resort built for the games, lies further along the same range.

How do you get to Palandöken?

The ski area is about 5 km from Erzurum city centre and around half an hour by road from Erzurum Airport. Taxis are the usual way up, and the 2002 inventory records municipal buses running to the slopes on holidays. If you drive, carry chains and check whether the upper road has been cleared after heavy snow.

Most visitors fly into Erzurum from Istanbul or Ankara and are on the slopes the same afternoon.

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When is the best time to visit Palandöken?

The ski season normally runs from December to April, and in good years lifts keep turning into May. The inventory gives 10 December to 10 May as the best period and an average season of about 150 days. January and February bring the coldest, driest snow, while March offers longer days and softer conditions.

The Turkish school mid-term holiday in late January and early February is the busiest time, when hotels fill and lift queues grow. In summer the slopes are used for walking; the inventory notes that mountain walks are made on the Palandöken range south of the city.

What is the history of Palandöken?

Palandöken was declared a winter sports tourism centre by a decision of the Council of Ministers on 17 October 1993. At the time of the 2002 inventory it already had a gondola about 3 km long, three chairlifts and a drag lift, with hotels at the foot of the slopes.

The decisive investment came with the 2011 Winter Universiade. New lifts, runs and hotels were built across the range, including the separate Konaklı resort, and Erzurum became one of the main ski destinations in eastern Türkiye. The inventory places Palandöken in a larger picture: Türkiye lies on the Alpine–Himalayan mountain chain, and about 55 per cent of its land is mountainous country between 1,500 and 3,000 m, covered in snow for four to six months a year.

What is Palandöken famous for?

• Powder snow. Thanks to the continental climate, the inventory notes, skiing is done on powder snow throughout the season, and normal winters bring 2–3 m of snowfall.
• Altitude. With its top lifts above 3,100 m, it is among the highest ski areas in the country.
• Varied terrain. The inventory lists competition and free-ski runs, and says guides can be arranged for alpine skiing, ski touring and heli-skiing.
• City access. Few ski areas anywhere sit this close to a major city with an airport and a medieval centre.

What can you do at Palandöken?

Ski and snowboard. Blue, red and black runs drop from the upper lifts towards the hotels. Ski touring and heli-skiing are possible with a guide; off the marked runs, avalanche risk is real.

Learn to ski. Equipment rental and lessons are available at the resort, and the lower slopes are the place to start.

Combine with the city. Spend the mornings skiing and the late afternoons at the Yakutiye and Double Minaret madrasas, then go down for cağ kebabı in town.

Walk in summer. From June to September the range is open for day hikes with wide views over the Erzurum plain.

Visit Tortum in spring. In May and June, when the late snow is melting, Tortum Waterfall north of the city is at its fullest.

Frequently asked questions about Palandöken

What do the official records say about Palandöken?

It lies in the Eastern Anatolia Region, southwest of the city of Erzurum, 5 km from the city centre, on the northern slopes of Palandöken Mountain. The ski centre is 10 minutes from the city centre and 20 minutes from the airport by private car or bus. It has a ski season lasting 150 days a year; the period between 10 December and 10 May is the most suitable time for skiing.

The ski area lies in the altitude band between 2,200 and 3,176 m. Under normal winter conditions it receives 2–3 m of snowfall. Because of the continental climate, skiing is done on powder snow throughout the season. It has competition and free-ski runs of sufficient number and quality. Alpine skiing, ski touring and heli-skiing are possible, and guides can be arranged for these activities. (Ministry of Culture and Tourism, Erzurum Provincial Tourism Inventory, 2002)