Ski touring trip to Turkey | Between the Orient and the high mountains with a Swiss mountain guide

• Procedure and meeting place

  • Meeting point & Day 1

    10.00 am, Zurich Airport

    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: 11.05 am
    Arrival in Erzurum: 7.55 pm
    Stopover in Istanbul, 4-hour layover

  • Days 2–5: The abandoned mountain village of Yaylalar

    Our journey takes us deep into the wintry heart of Eastern Anatolia. From Erzurum, the route winds its way for around four hours through imposing gorges and snow-covered valleys to the remote mountain village of Yaylalar. At an altitude of just under 2,000 metres, time seems to stand still: no large hotels, no mass tourism – just the tranquillity of nature and the genuine hospitality of the local villagers. As soon as you arrive, you sense the enormous potential of this region. Depending on when we arrive, we’ll strap on our skis straight away for a short introductory run to test the glistening blanket of snow and clear our minds completely for the adventure ahead.

    The next three days are all about absolute freedom in the snow. The Kaçkar Mountains are a paradise for ski tourers: wild cirques, spectacular gullies and vast, gently sloping powder slopes are just waiting to be explored. Flexible and adapting to the snow, weather and avalanche conditions, we choose the perfect destination anew each day. On the solitary ascents, we are often accompanied only by the sound of our own breathing and the magnificent view across a seemingly endless chain of three-thousand-metre-high peaks. After long, dreamlike descents, we round off the evenings cosily in the village, where traditional cuisine, with steaming tea and hearty specialities, restores our strength.

    On the afternoon of the fourth day, it’s time to bid farewell to this enchanted world. We return to Erzurum, the region’s historic centre. Here, we immerse ourselves in the city’s vibrant life, explore impressive cultural monuments from the Seljuk period and, at the foot of the Palandöken Mountains, get in the mood for the next highlights of our journey.

  • Day 6: Freetouring & Freeriding in Palandöken

    Today promises a day of freetouring with plenty of fun on the slopes! The Palandöken Mountains are a real freetouring gem: thanks to modern cable cars, we can make our way up to the heights in comfort. Once at the top, a magnificent panorama of the East Bohemian Highlands unfolds before us. Just a few steps from the mountain stations, we’re already leaving our first tracks in untracked slopes, small gullies and wide deep-snow slopes.

    The combination of ski lifts and short sections on fur allows us to enjoy fantastic, seemingly endless descents with breathtaking views. After this day focused on skiing, the journey continues south-east. The route takes us through ever-changing landscapes towards the next great highlight of our trip: in the evening, we reach Tatvan on the shores of the shimmering Lake Van, where the mysterious atmosphere of the majestic volcanoes already awaits us.

  • Days 7–9: Volcanic magic & dreams of summits above Lake Van

    The final days of our journey take us to a setting of almost incomprehensible beauty. The region surrounding the vast, deep-blue Lake Van is a paradise that could scarcely be more spectacular: mighty, solitary volcanoes and imposing mountain ranges tower over the glistening water. From our base at the hotel in Tatvan, we set off daily for the most rewarding destinations. Occasionally, we use small, local ski lifts to help us gain altitude quickly before immersing ourselves fully in the tranquillity of this majestic landscape.

    Whether it’s the gigantic crater rim of Mount Nemrut, the imposing flanks of Mount Güreşçi, the steep gullies of Mount Artos or the awe-inspiring giant Süphan Dağı (4,058 m) – every mountain has its own unique character. The feeling of standing on a snow-capped volcanic summit after a gruelling ascent and letting your gaze wander far across the „Anatolian Sea“ is simply unforgettable. The descents offer a wealth of variety: from wide, untracked powder slopes to thrilling gullies, we carve our way towards the eastern shore. A fitting, magical finale to an extraordinary ski-touring adventure between sky and water.

    After our final tour, we’ll carry on to Van and spend the night in a hotel in the town. Here we’ll enjoy one last feast before setting off on our journey home on Sunday.

  • Day 10: Journey home

    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.

• 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.

  In Tatvan, we’re staying in a cosy, authentic hotel.

• 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 2990.-
  • Small group with 5 - 6 guests per mountain guide.
  • Professional planning, implementation and organisation with Swiss mountain guides
  • Includes 3 nights’ accommodation in Yalalar and full board in Yalalar; alcoholic drinks are not included.
  • Includes 2 nights’ accommodation at a hotel in Erzurum, including breakfast, but excluding dinner at a restaurant
  • Includes 3 nights’ accommodation at a hotel in Tatvan, including breakfast, but excluding dinner at a restaurant
  • Includes 1 night’s accommodation at a hotel in Van, including breakfast, but excluding dinner at a restaurant
  • Includes transport provided by locals in a 4×4 minivan.
  • The price for the flight from Zurich via Istanbul to Erzurum and back from Van is exclusive. The flight costs around CHF 300, including ski luggage (as at September 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.

Highlights: Ski touring holiday in Turkey