Hilmi Tunahan Karakaya
19 January 2021•Update: 18 February 2021
ERZURUM, Turkey
Turkey’s winter wonderland ski resort offers a different experience to domestic and foreign tourists with night skiing.
With an artificial snowmaking system, Palandoken, on the slopes of Mount Palandoken in eastern Erzurum province, is ready for the winter season even before December.
The ski resort offers a safe holiday to ski lovers amid the coronavirus pandemic with natural beauties and kilometers of ski tracks.
Turkish Travel Agencies Association Board Chairman Kursat Ozeken told Anadolu Agency that most vacationers have an interest in night skiing.
He said guests want to continue night skiing until late but it is not allowed because of the pandemic.
"The feature that distinguishes this place from other ski centers is that we have night lighting up to 3,200 meters (2 miles). On the skiing track where we are now, our guests can enjoy night skiing among pine trees, over 2,000 meters (1.2 miles)," he said.
He also noted that as a result of planting in Erzurum, vacationers can enjoy night skiing among pine trees.
"When our guests from Europe compare the Palandoken with ski centers in Europe and America, they say that the ski tracks here are much enlightened," according to Ozeken, who said Palandoken is the capital of winter tourism in Turkey.
The director of Sway Hotels in Palandoken, Omer Akca, told Anadolu Agency that although most of the tracks around the world allow skiers to enjoy the activity until 5 p.m., Palandoken provides the opportunity to enjoy the activity until 8 p.m. with professional lightening systems.
"Our guests who come here can ski for 12 hours a day. This puts Palandoken one step ahead of other ski resorts,” he added. “The total length of professional lighting in facilities belonging to both the private sector and the metropolitan municipality is approximately 6.5 kilometers (4 miles)."
