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YOUR DAILY DOSE OF SCIENCE 17

The lake is Turkey’s second facilities for a day of skiing though, that are also good visitors wanting a nature ment rental facilities.
biggest, measuring 123 or snowboarding and for beginner and interme- escape. In winter, though,
square kilometers. full rental facilities for ski diate skiers and snow- photographers flock here KARTEPE
equipment. boarders, and facilities for to capture snaps of the
During the winter months, families such as a tobog- winter wonderland vistas
Lake Çıldır freezes solid From the resort area, there gan park. on strolls around the lake.
and is surrounded by a are 28 kilometers of pistes During the depths of this
landscape of snowy moun- ranging from beginner to If skiing isn’t enough, season, the entire lake
tains. Locals run horse- experienced skier levels, Palandöken is also where surface freezes, and the
sleigh trips and ice-fishing with 16 lifts available for you come for winter tan- pine trees are frozen white,
trips out onto the lake transport to the various dem paragliding. turning the lake area into a
throughout the depths of slopes. sublime snowy panorama.
winter. It’s a highly popu- Due to the resort’s high
lar way to experience this For those who want a ski altitude, the ski season Sitting roughly halfway be- Kartepe, one of the top ski
fantastical snow-blanketed break, rather than just a here tends to be longer tween Istanbul and Ankara, resorts in Turkey, especially
landscape, which seems to day trip, there are 27 hotels than at other Turkish ski this one of Turkey’s most a favorite among Istanbu-
have dropped straight out in the resort area. centers, with skiing possible accessible destinations to lites for its proximity to the
of a storybook. usually for around 150 days seek out Turkey’s wintry city.
The ski season here runs annually from December vistas.
Sleighing tours often from late-December to through to April. Located in Kocaeli prov-
include a visit to one of early-March but is general- SKIING AT SARIKAMIS ince -- 100 kilometers (60
the ice-fishing sites on the ly at its best during January Regular public transport miles) east of Istanbul
lake, where local villagers and February. from Erzurum to the resort -- the 1,640-meter high
demonstrate their tradi- area means that ski day winter destination offers
tional winter fishing skills. PALANDÖKEN SKIING trips are easy. The ski mesmerizing views of both
center itself has plenty of the Gulf of Izmit, Sapan-
As well as the traditional hotel accommodation as ca Lake, and forests for
sleighing activities, snow well as cafés, restaurants, amateur and professional
mobile rental and other and spa facilities. skiers alike.
more modern transport
methods are available on Come on a weekday if you And for those who are not
the lake. can because on the week- It may not be as popular as that into sports involving
ends, the main ski runs can Turkey’s other ski centers, snow and ice and cold,
On winter weekends, the get packed. but Sarıkamıs is something Kartepe features various
lake gets very busy with of an in-the-know secret outdoor activities, includ-
visitors, so try to come DISCOVER LAKE ABANT among winter sports ing natural hiking, bird
midweek. Palandöken Ski Center lovers. watching, paragliding, and
(also known as Ejder 3200) horseback riding.
SKIING AT ULUDAĞ sits on the slopes of Mount Sitting 55 kilometers south-
Palandöken, seven kilom- west of Kars, Sarıkamıs is Visitors may also partici-
eters from the city of Erzu- particularly revered among pate in zip-lining, mountain
rum in Turkey’s northeast. its fans for its excellent biking, paintball, and safari
powder snow, which skiers tour activities just outside
This ski resort is generally here claim are the best the resort.
thought to be Turkey’s snow conditions in Turkey.
best with excellent facilities Kartepe’s 21 ski pistes
combined with 43 kilome- The long season skiing stretch for 17 kilometers
ters of slopes (making up Surrounded by thick pine opportunities, usually from (10 miles) with three ski lifts
22 pistes). There are 13 ski tree forest, Lake Abant is a early December through and two teleskis.
lifts, including a main cable freshwater lake in north- to April, also make it a
Uludağ is Turkey’s busi- car, connecting the ski runs. west Turkey, 39 kilometers favorite destination with Last season, a total of
est ski center, thanks to it south of the city of Bolu. winter visitors. 100,000 people, including
being within easy reach of With the resort area sitting The lake sits at the center some 15,000 foreigners
Istanbul. at 2,200 meters, this is of a national park at There are four long pistes, visited the facilities.
Turkey’s highest altitude around 1,200 meters high surrounded by thick pine
Reached by either road ski center and so attracts and covers an area of just forest, and three connect- And when is it not covered
from the city of Bursa, 36 plenty of adventurous, over 1.2 square kilometers. ing lifts. with snow and ice, Kartepe
kilometers to the north, experienced skiers, who hosts football clubs for
or by the Bursa Teleferik, want to ski off-piste down With walking trails loop- Skiing and snowboarding summer training camps, of-
which is the longest ca- the treeless high-altitude ing around the lake and here is good for beginners fering natural grass pitches
ble-car ride in the world, slopes. both bike and horse riding through to advanced ski- and two fitness facilities at
the ski resort area on available on the trails, it’s a ers, and the resort area has FIFA standards.
the slopes here offers full There are trails here, year-round destination for five hotels and full equip-