The Kaçkar Mountains in northern Turkey's Rize have become a major draw for adrenaline junkies from home and around the world.
Crowds of extreme sports enthusiasts are flocking to mountain peaks towering above the Black Sea coast to get their hearts racing with heli-skiing.
Since 2005, the Kaçkar Mountains have offered a prime spot for heli-skiing lovers and snowboarders from all over the world, and the three-month winter season has now begun.
Going higher than any ski lift could ever reach, skiers or heli-skiing enthusiasts jump from helicopters onto steep mountain slopes, pushing their physical, mental and high-alpine skiing skills to the limit.
After the skiers get down to their destination, helicopters can ferry them back up to the mountain top for another go.
Roland Brunner, who has worked as a ski guide and pilot for nine years, said this region has become a favorite among winter sports lovers thanks to the quality of the snow.
The snow in Canada is of similar quality, he explained, but North America is much farther away from Europe than Turkey – just a few hours away by plane.
"The tracks in Switzerland are also very short,” he added. “But, here you can ski at least 10 or 15 times a day."
The first heli-skiing of the season, with a group of 16 skiers from Switzerland and France, was short-lived due to cloudy weather, but the mountains offer many more opportunities.
The high-altitude ski runs, organized by Ayder Heliski on the Kaçkar Mountains, are expected to run until the end of March, attracting some 370 adventurous skiers.
