Ski Mount Uludag

By Pat Yale

Ski bunnies with head scarves: Schuss on Mount Uludag

You won't get world-class facilities or a ravey apres-ski nightlife, but if you need a skiing fix while in Turkey, it can be done. Winters are icily cold, especially in the far east, and you have your choice of resorts. The best equipped and easiest to reach from Istanbul is Uludag (8,343 feet) on the outskirts of Bursa, which also boasts the least extreme temperatures. There are also ski lifts on Mount Erciyes (12,848 feet) near Kayseri, and at Palandoken (6,079 feet) near faraway Eruzurum, which is guaranteed to have snow even in the mildest of winters. Erciyes stages a winter tourism festival in late March—a rare chance to sample mulled wine a la Turk while watching women in head scarves hurtling down the ski runs; contact the tourist office in Kayseri for exact dates.

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