Turkiye's Palandoken ski resort attracting tourists from all over world

By Yunus Hocaoglu

ERZURUM, Turkey (AA) - Turkiye's Palandoken ski resort has been attracting tourists from around the globe with its options for winter sports.

In eastern Erzurum province, Palandoken offers guests 15 kilometers (9.3 miles) of uninterrupted skiing, as it is the world's few and Turkiye's longest ski track which stands out with its easy transportation, comfortable accommodation and outdoor sports options.

Both professionals and beginners can enjoy skiing at the 3200-altitude Ejder Peak which attracts adrenaline enthusiasts every year domestically and from abroad.

The center, which is 15 minutes away from Erzurum Airport, has a CAT 3A system providing safe landing and take-off of aircraft.

Palandoken welcomes tourists from the US, Ukraine, Norway and Russia, who come in groups these days.

Those who come to the center where there are many activities such as ice climbing and mountain skiing can have fun accompanied by live music and can also do night skiing on the illuminated tracks.

Elizabeth Kimmel from the US told Anadolu Agency that it was her second time in Palandoken and that when she first came here, she stayed for a week, but this time, she said she would stay for two weeks.

"It is very easy to rent equipment here, so I chose this place. I get up in the morning and ski right away, then I have breakfast and spend time in the hotel cafe. I ski in the afternoon. I love Erzurum and its ski resort. I've never done night skiing, but I'm thinking of doing it," she said.

Victoria Karaoz from Russia said it was her first time in the resort, adding that the instructors spoke Russian and the tracks were very suitable to ski.

"There are tracks for every ski level, separated as blue, black and red. I've been to the big centers of Ukraine and Russia, but they're not as big as here. The altitude here is also very high. I especially love the difficult tracks," Dimitry Zvyagintsev from Ukraine said.

Odd Roar Olsen from Norway also said that the ski resorts in Norway are small in size and there are fewer people. He noted that things like service and restaurant were advanced in Palandoken.