Snowfall that intensified over the week and Friday brought smiles to the faces of tourism professionals in the Palandöken ski resort in Türkiye’s eastern Erzurum province, as they are expecting to welcome more local and international visitors to one of the most famous winter sports centers in the country.
Palandöken Ski resort, located at the base of a mountain bearing the same name, opened its winter season on Dec. 15 with artificial snow due to the dry season and lack of snowfall. However, with the arrival of seasonal flurries and snow depths exceeding 80 centimeters (31 inches) in places, tourism representatives are more than happy to welcome guests at the center.
The resort, which offers its guests with skiing, snowboarding, sledding, an ice wall, a snow park, a giant swing, a zipline, a human slingshot and night skiing opportunities, stands out with its technical infrastructure, five-star hotels, bungalows, long tracks as per international standards, snow quality and exceptional nature.
Positioned only 20 kilometers (12.43 miles) from the airport and 4 kilometers from the city center, the ski resort offers easy transportation and accommodation to its visitors.
Nuh Şenol, the president of the Turkish Travel Agencies Association (TÜRSAB’s) northeast Anatolia region, noted that Palandöken is preferred by national and international ski lovers, pointing out that it was the first center in the country to open and the last one that marks the close of the ski season.
"Of course, the snowfall as of yesterday made us even more happy. Currently, Palandöken sits as the first place as the ski resort with the deepest snow in Türkiye, and this makes us tourism professionals very contented,'' Şenol said.
Noting that the snow depths in Palandöken can vary from 80 centimeters to 4 meters in places, according to meteorological data, the TÜRSAB representative highlighted the infrastructure of the center as a ''center with state-of-the-art and modern facilities.''
"All our ski slopes are open now. The snowfall as of last night gave us hope. At the same time, it means that our season will be extended. All our ski lovers will have the opportunity to ski better with more quality snow,'' Şenol added.
Expressing that the second week of the semester vacation is well underway, and there is a bustling crowd at the center, he noted that the Palandöken tourism facilities "are consistently occupied" while they continue to accept more reservations.
Meanwhile, Ömer Akça, the general manager of a hotel in Palandöken, stated that the slopes have been open for a month and a half with artificial and occasional natural snow.
Referring to the contribution of heavy snowfall to the season, Akça said the atmosphere on the tracks and overall in the resort is very pleasant at the moment.
"The snow depths are nearly 1.5 meters. All our tracks are also open. Hopefully, our reservations will progress further from today because no matter how good and true it is, people had a question mark when it came to artificial snow. Now that apprehension is over, and we are expecting more tourists," Akça noted.
With a total slope length of 28 kilometers and the longest track of 12 kilometers, Palandöken offers guests an uninterrupted skiing experience, as well as many other outdoor sporting activity options.