Hesarek: Off-beat ski destination for semester break
A boy enjoys his time skiing during semester break.


Hesarek Ski Resort in Turkey's Bingöl province has attracted the attention of families over the semester break.

Built on Hesarek Mountain by the Youth and Sports Ministry, Hesarek Ski Resort hosts local tourists who want to spend the semester holiday skiing.

After receiving quick lessons on the ski resort's slopes, which span 600 meters, visitors can enjoy skiing on the peak, accessed by chairlift or ski lift.

Welcoming its guests from nearby cities, the resort offers accommodation options with its 70-bed capacity. In the resort, which presents a quality ski experience, sportsmen can prepare for national and international competitions, as well.

There are also opportunities for paragliding and catching a bird's-eye view of Hesarek Mountain.

Eleventh grade high school student Ömer Faruk Öndeş said the center is good to blow off steam and that he is happy to ski here. Fifth grade primary school student, 10-year-old Tuana Özkan, who came to Hesarek from Gaziantep province with her family to ski during the semester holiday, said: "I learned how to ski in this resort, which I'm visiting for the first time. Skiing is super fun, but you should learn how first, or else you will hurt yourself when you fall." Hamza Gül, 9, also mentioned that his family brought him to the resort as a report card gift, and he had so much fun. Cemre Korluelçi, 10, was also among the students who came to the resort as a gift from their parents. She said: "I like skiing. I did not know how to ski before. I got used to it by trying. You should trust yourself."

Ski instructor Tülin Aslanboğa, who trains children at the resort, said the slopes were crowded because of the semester holiday.

Instructor Aydın Bulşu stressed that they came to the resort with 35 sportsmen and continued: "We are preparing for stage competitions. The slopes are good. We hope the weather will continue to be sunny. We are currently super busy because of the semester break. Nearly 500 more people than we expected have attended the courses we opened."