Palandoken ice climbing festival concludes in eastern Turkiye

By Yunus Hocaoglu

ERZURUM, Turkiye (AA) – The third edition of the Palandoken ice climbing festival ended in Turkiye's eastern Erzurum province on Wednesday.

Local athletes as well as mountaineers from the US, Italy, France, Georgia, and Iran participated in the event at an artificial ice park located at an altitude of 2,200 meters (7,200 feet).

The participants climbed a 20-meter (65-feet) high ice wall as wide as 150 meters (492 feet). They used special equipment to climb in the "iceberg" shaped wall, the first of its kind in the country.

Turkish Mountaineering Federation President Ersan Basar told Anadolu Agency that ice climbing is a very important sport for the federation, which is responsible for six winter sports.

"This climbing is important in terms of visual attraction," he said, adding that the festival was held in a pleasant atmosphere.

"We will host the Turkiye Ice Climbing Championship here tomorrow," he said, referring to the tournament which will begin on Thursday at the same location. "This festival was held prior to the tournament."

* Writing by Muhammed Enes Calli in Ankara