Turkey's Uludag ski center boasts top-notch facilities

By Cem San and Mustafa Yilmaz

BURSA, Turkey (AA) - Uludag is synonymous to skiing in Turkey.

The ski center has maintained its old-school charm for decades with its top-notch facilities, long ski slopes and fun activities.

Alternative transportation is provided by a 9-kilometer (5.5-mile) cable car service. If accessed by road, it is 40 km (25 mi) away from the city center of Bursa.

Highways and bridges built in recent years have brought cities such as Istanbul, Kocaeli, Sakarya and Izmir closer to the ski center.

In particular, with the Istanbul-Izmir Highway, Bursa has almost become a neighbor of Istanbul.

From Istanbul's Sabiha Gokcen International Airport, the ski center can be reached in two-and-a-half hours. Similarly, it takes an-hour-and-a-half to reach the spot from Bursa's Yenisehir Airport.

Also, Uludag can be reached by ferries from Istanbul and Yalova.

- State-of-the-art facilities

As many as 17 hotels are in the vicinity with a bed capacity of 6,000.

The resort is open for skiing for an average of four months of the year.

This year, it welcomed thousands of guests amid the pandemic after taking foolproof measures.

There are 20 ski slopes, the longest of which is close to 2 kilometers (over 1.24 miles).

It also has 11 lifts, six chairlifts, and one gondola.

Apart from skiing, holidaymakers can also do snowboarding, bigfoot, ice skating, and snowmobiling.

- Picturesque

Many Yesilcam, Turkish cinema, movies were shot in the picturesque Uludag mountain.

The ski center is located at the highest point of the Marmara region with an altitude of 2,543 meters (over 1.58 miles).

The fist skiing was done in January 1993 in the region,

Later, ski tourism developed in the area with the advent of established mountaineering clubs and hotels.

Bursa cable car, the first cable car in Turkey, continues to serve tourists since Oct. 29, 1963.

It was revamped in 2014 and now carries passengers across 9 kilometers (over 5.59 miles).

Every hour, the line transports 1,500 passengers in its 144 cable cars.

The 22-minute journey gives a birds-eye view of the snowy landscape in winter and lush green forests in summer.

- Coronavirus measures

Hotel owner Mehmet Haluk Beceren told Anadolu Agency that snow came late this season and so they opened on Jan. 14.

He noted that in high season, the bed capacity can be raised to 7,000.

"All our hotels and businesses comply with COVID-19 measures. Even when skiing, people now wear masks."

Ski resort operator Mustafa Ozdemir said the landscape and equipment in Uludag are of good quality.

Business manager Batuhan Kaylan said that the cabins were disinfected after guests checked out.

Aybars Balci, a visitor from Istanbul, said that he had come to Uludag before and loved the place very much.

Balci, who has been skiing since childhood, said: "Here there are suitable tracks and equipment for skiers of all levels. I think everyone should come and do this sport when they can.”

*Writing by Merve Berker in Ankara