Barely an hour after taking off from Istanbul's Atatürk airport, the picture on the other side of the plane's window turns white; very white. It could just be a cloud, but no: they are the snowy mountains that abound in the east of Turkey and that give, already from the air, the most fascinating of landscapes.
Suddenly, in the middle of the immensity, a gray line can be sensed that only takes a few minutes to transform into a landing strip. We land, we have reached Erzurum: let the adventure begin.
Paragliding in the ski resort of Palandöken.
START THE ADVENTURE
To this Turkish city, the largest in eastern Anatolia, nestled between mountains 1,970 meters high and a few hundred kilometers from the border with neighboring Georgia, You can come for many things: to learn about its historical importance throughout the centuries, to explore its surroundings full of natural attractions... or to enjoy the snow. In fact, Erzurum has one of the most important ski resorts in the entire country. Write down the name well, because it brings them: Palandöken Ski Resort.
Only six kilometers separate the heart of the city from the entrance to the park, a pleasant journey that already allows you to discover the uniqueness of this remote place. When we least expect it, they appear before us giant letters announcing the entrance: who resists not uploading the photo on duty to Instagram? Around, a good handful of hotels of various stars allow you to have breakfast or sleep with one foot on the slopes. No excuses for not taking advantage of the time.
Once installed, the moment of truth arrives. So, after making a brief incursion to the snow equipment rental office, We left absolutely dressed. Click, click: boots on, we're ready to go.
Sign in Palandöken.
WITH A VIEW AND GO CRAZY
It may seem that we are exaggerating, but nothing is further from the truth: snow geeks, hold on, because Palandöken has no less than eight months of snow per year. That is to say, from October until well into May, its endless tracks —22 in total, some of which are among the steepest and longest in the world, accumulating 57 kilometers for the enjoyment- they find out fully animated with skiers from all corners of Turkey, but also from other parts of the globe.
While professional monitors strive to enlighten new pupils in the art of balance and wedge legs, the most pro queue to go up, snowboard or skis in hand, where the clouds do –only sometimes– their mischief hiding the highest peaks, such as Ejder, at 3,271 m.a.s.l. The curious are also encouraged to bundle up and reach the top by cable car: thermometers reach -11 degrees below zero during the day, -22 at night, but the views are well worth going through.
Palandöken Mountain.
The spectacle of observing – let alone enjoying – the delight it produces slide down snow of such quality like the one found in this corner of the world is full stop. Especially when what is seen below, in the distance, is the panorama of Erzurum sprouting from the plateau that is embraced by mountain ranges dazzlingly white: it is not difficult to imagine how, centuries ago, The caravans that followed the Silk Road passed through it.
But let's go back to the heights, it's not bad here. And if the cold takes its toll, there's nothing like taking the opportunity to get to know the gastronomic offer of the star restaurant of the station: an immense hemisphere that emerges from the snow. Is about The Kure, the first restaurant at 2,700 meters above sea level, divided into different spaces: firstly its more informal cafeteria, where you can have a snack or warm up with a delicious salep, a traditional Ottoman drink prepared from flour obtained from orchid tuber and milk. On the bottom, a much fancier restaurant with views of the ski slopes. And outside, the occasional table to enjoy the music and the coolness of the mountain without taking off your coat: the après-ski, here, it usually succeeds.
For those who are even more curious, from the last of the cable car stops, At the height of the Kiremitlik peak, the Sky Jump Towers can be seen: two huge towers from which professional skiers showed off with impossible jumps during the Erzurum Winter University Games in 2011.
WHO SAID FEAR?
Exactly: out fears and up self-confidence. because if there is a winter paradise in which to dare to practice all kinds of activities related to snow, is this. And it is that Palandöken is not only focused on skiing and snowboarding, what is it: the catalog of proposals is such that non-skiers will have no excuse not to get bored.
One of them, perhaps the most lucid, is climbing: it's time to put on snow boots and crampons, let the harnesses fit well and make fun of vertigo. In the middle of one of the busiest ski slopes stands Ice Park, an imposing artificial ice wall 150 meters wide to which even elite mountaineers and climbers come to practice.
Controlled the basic notions, you have to grab the pikes and start climbing: the crunch of the ice with each kick to hold the crampon well, the infinite effort to nail the ice axes correctly will not take long to warm us up. And, although reaching the top at a height of 20 meters is not easy at all, the mere fact of trying it will already be an achievement: the next day's soreness, yes, will be another matter.
Ice climbing.
Something the lighter the paraglider. Take a run, jump, and feel how the initial adrenaline rush turns into relative calm when you see how The soft winds take us for a walk in the sky, It is something that you definitely have to experience – from the hand of one of the experienced monitors, of course. underfoot, a paradise of mountainous landscapes that unfold as far as Erzurum.
But there is still more: try the Human Sling –being launched with elastic bands at a height of 11 meters–, the Giant Swing –a huge swing with which you can feel what free fall is like for seconds–, routes on foot with snowshoes or the fun to rent a sled and slide down the gentle hills of Palandoken enabled for it will ensure fun. Although nothing like the final surprise: some days a week, at nightfall, the spotlights turn on and the slopes are lit up for those who refuse to take off their skis. A unique and tempting proposal.
Ski slopes illuminated at night.
ROOM WITH VIEWS
We already said it at the beginning: the hotel offer of the ski resort is diverse and very attractive, Who wouldn't fall for bedrooms from which to watch skiers in action? Though the elegance of Sway Hotel and its well-deserved five stars dwarf the other options, and not only because it has large bedrooms in which every detail has been exquisitely cared for: also In its coquettish rooms with soft armchairs and fireplaces everywhere, its wide gastronomic offer based on local flavors but with a touch of modernity, and its spa area with a multitude of treatments and massages with which to recover after an intense day in the snow, make it an incomparable proposal.
Outside of the hotel.
In addition, to top it off, it has a ski and snowboard equipment rental service and direct access on foot to the fun of the slopes. Although, we tell you the best? Its après-ski area, where you can dance to the rhythm of the latest in Turkish music and savor tasty cocktails until the body can bear it. And tomorrow… tomorrow will be another day.