10.55 am, Zurich Airport
Ski touring trip to Turkey | Between the Orient and the high mountains with a Swiss mountain guide
Travelling between the Kaçkar Mountains and the Anatolian Highlands.
Technics
Endurance
Kaçkar & Erzurum, Turkey
Turkey offers a fascinating world of ski touring. In the remote Kaçkar Mountains, secluded peaks, unspoilt mountain villages and pristine powder slopes await us. We then explore the diverse mountain landscape of the Palandöken Mountains around Erzurum. This remote mountain region in north-eastern Turkey lies far from the current conflict zones and offers ideal conditions for an extraordinary ski touring trip, combining the charm of the Orient with high-altitude mountain scenery.
Highlights
Anyone who thinks of Turkey as nothing but sun and sea is in for a surprise. In the east of the country rise the Kaçkar Mountains, with peaks exceeding 3,900 metres. This region is considered an insider’s tip amongst ski tourers, as north-eastern Turkey offers plenty of snowfall and a remote, wild mountain landscape! Our trip combines two completely different ski touring areas. Around the mountain village of Yaylalar, we’ll discover secluded peaks, sweeping slopes and unspoilt mountain landscapes, where we’ll often go the whole day without seeing a soul. To round off the trip, we’ll head to Erzurum in the Palandöken Mountains. Thanks to the mountain cable cars, we can quickly reach the starting points of our tours and combine long descents with peaks offering spectacular views. Alongside the ski tours, we’ll experience Turkey’s warm hospitality, enjoy the local cuisine and immerse ourselves in a culture that remains completely unknown to many.
Ski touring trip
Our journey begins in Erzurum, the largest city in Eastern Anatolia. From here, we drive for around four hours to the remote mountain village of Yaylalar, which lies at just under 2,000 metres in the heart of the Kaçkar Mountains. Over the next few days, we’ll explore the surrounding peaks, choosing our daily tour destinations based on snow, weather and avalanche conditions. The possibilities are almost endless: wide powder slopes, secluded cirques and peaks offering spectacular views make every day a new adventure. After three full days of touring, we return to Erzurum. In the modern Palandöken ski resort, we make strategic use of the ski lifts to aid our ascent and combine them with scenic ski tours to the surrounding peaks. In this way, we get to experience yet another side of the Turkish mountains. This combination of unspoilt ski tours, convenient logistics and oriental hospitality makes the trip truly unique.
Procedure and meeting place
We’ll meet at Zurich Airport, right by the gate for our flight to Erzurum via Istanbul. The flight is good value and involves a straightforward change in Istanbul. We’ll arrive in Erzurum late in the evening and enjoy immersing ourselves in Turkish culture.
Scheduled flight:
Departure from Zurich: 10.55 am
Arrival in Erzurum: 9.35 pm
Stopover in Istanbul, 4-hour layoverJourney to the mountain village of Yaylalar at an altitude of around 2,000 metres (approx. 4 hours). Depending on our arrival time, we’ll go on a short introductory ski tour to get us in the mood for the days ahead.
Three varied days of ski touring around Yaylalar. Depending on the conditions, we’ll choose the region’s most beautiful peaks and descents each day.
Return journey to Erzurum and overnight stay near the Palandöken Mountains. City and cultural tour of Erzurum.Ski touring around the Palandöken Mountains. Thanks to the strategic use of mountain cable cars, we’ll reach peaks offering stunning views and enjoy long descents. In the evening, we’ll continue towards the Black Sea and spend the night near Ovit Dağı, a high mountain pass just before the Black Sea. Here, we’ll plan our tour for the following day.
Today we’ll enjoy our final ski tour starting from the mountain pass. Depending on the situation, we can either set off from here with the help of the cable car, or – if conditions are excellent and the group is keen – take a helicopter up to the summit. After our tour, we’ll continue on to the Black Sea, to the city where the Silk Road begins. Here we’ll learn more about the local culture and enjoy a festive meal. We’ll spend the night in a hotel so we can fly straight back the next morning. Of course, a short guided tour of the town to see the sights and experience the local culture is a must, as is a quick dip in the Black Sea!
We’ll travel to the airport together and fly back to Switzerland. Once again, it’ll be a comfortable flight with a stopover in Istanbul.
The planned connection is:
Departure: 08:45 Trabzon, Turkey
Arrival: 1.50 pm in Zurich
with a stopover in Istanbul (3 hours)Depending on our return journey, we’ll say our goodbyes either in Turkey or at Zurich Airport. With a wealth of new experiences and memories to take home with us, we’ll enjoy arriving back in Switzerland.
Accommodation
During our stay in the Kaçkar Mountains, we’ll be staying at the family-run Çamyuva Guesthouse in the mountain village of Yaylalar. This simple, cosy accommodation is the ideal base for our daily ski tours. Our hosts will treat us to traditional Turkish cuisine and offer fascinating insights into life in the region.
In Erzurum, we’ll be staying in a comfortable hotel right next to the Palandöken Mountains. This means we can reach the starting points for our tours in no time at all.
Requirements
- Mastering the ski touring technique with its basics (skins, hairpin bends). These are often normal ski tours, as we know them from Switzerland. If possible, we also include tours with passages where we tie on the skis or a foot ascent is included.
- Safe downhill technique in open terrain and in different types of snow. We often find the most beautiful powder snow. But like everywhere else, the weather can do what it wants.
- Stamina for around 1000 metres of ascent at a normal pace over a week. Sometimes we will do less than 1000 metres and sometimes more. We divide the tours so that we have enough energy for all days!
- Splitboarders are welcome, provided they are experienced.
Price and services
- CHF 2,790.00
- Small group with 5 - 6 guests per mountain guide.
- Professional planning, implementation and organisation with Swiss mountain guides
- Including full board, excluding alcoholic drinks.
- Includes transport provided by locals in a 4×4 minivan.
- The price for the flight from Zurich via Istanbul to Erzurum is exclusive. The flight costs around CHF 350 plus ski luggage (as at August 2026)
- As we have high fixed costs, special cancellation fees apply for this trip. Travel insurance is recommended.
- Cancellation up to 180 days before departure: CHF 1500.-
- Cancellation up to 60 days before departure: 80 % of the tour price
- Cancellation 59 to 0 days before departure: full tour price
Material and equipment
- For this tour you need the material from this PDF. We carry our equipment with us the whole time. Only pack the essentials.
- General material and packing tips we have also put together for you.
Bergschaft tours and courses are conducted in German as standard. However, our mountain guides speak good English, as do many of the participants. If you speak English, you are of course very welcome. Depending on the tour, it may be worth asking us in advance whether the guide and the group are comfortable speaking English.
If you have any questions, please feel free to contact us, preferably via the Contact form.
Here’s how you can join us on our ski touring trip to Turkey:
- 27 February – 7 March 2027, Saturday – Sunday, 9 daysNur noch 5 freie Plätze
Mountain guideCHF 2,790.00
As Private Tour on your desired date with your group:
As Voucher give your favourite as a gift:
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