The snow of Palandöken has a will of its own. Gathering up a handful, I pressed and turned it to form a ball, but it was hopeless. Powder snow was certainly not the stuff for making snowballs, but as I was to discover is the perfect surface for skiing. The mountain air here is low in humidity and the snow is dry. Skis skim over the powder snow, and even through it when fresh. Although there are other reasons to come to Palandöken, skiing and more skiing is what it is really all about. Erzurum Airport is a five-minute drive from the city and 15 minutes from the ski resort. So you can be out on the snow three hours after leaving Istanbul if you are too impatient to unpack. Palandöken rises to an altitude of 3176 metres at the summit, and its ski runs are among the longest in the world. Seven of the twenty runs are beginner grade, eight intermediate, and two advanced. The remaining four are natural. One of the most agreeable things is that skiers of all levels go to the top together, set out in different directions, and meet again at the bottom.

The gently sloping run for beginners behind the mountain extends for 12 kilometres to the Dedeman lift, and from there you can carry on for a further two kilometres to 'Point Zero' where the gondola lift is located. In other words, you can ski for 14 kilometres without any mechanical aid. Advanced skiers and experts prefer the north and south runs, which are registered by the International Skiing Federation (FIS). The FIS evaluates runs suitable for international competition according to factors like gradient, length, altitude drop between starting and finishing points, convexity and concavity, and these pistes at Palandöken have got full marks from the federation. This means that they are up to Winter Olympics standard, although at present the only international event held here is the International Palandöken Berna Dedeman Skiing Cup held in March. Palandöken ski resort has ten lifts, five of which are run by the Dedeman Hotel. The gondola is the first of its kind in Turkey, carrying four people in each cabin.

They were a group of Turkish Airlines pilots and air hostesses, who stayed here with the late Hami Kaptan and his team. Home cooked local food was brought up the mountain for them, and they ate and skiied together with their instructors. Palandöken is the first ski resort in Turkey to be developed according to a master plan. Field studies identified three areas in the Palandöken Mountains suitable for skiing. The first of these is Erzurum Hinis Bogazi, where today there are hotels with 2400 beds and lifts. The second is Konakli Yaylasi 22 kilometres from Erzurum on the road to Çat. When the facilities here are completed, 14,000 people will be able to the ski simultaneously on the 16 planned pistes, which will all converge at the same point, so eradicating any risk of skiers becoming lost. The third ski centre is Namliklar or Gez Yaylasi 5 kilometres from Erzurum. When all these projects are completed, 32,000 people will be able to ski every day in the Palandöken Mountains. Avalanches are not a risk here, since the Gaz-ex system used at other ski resorts around the world ensures controlled avalanche fall.

As a precaution against the unlikely event of there being insufficient snow, there is also an artificial snow system. Snow begins to fall in October and lies on the upper slopes until July, and the skiing season lasts from December to May. Ski touring is a new branch of off-piste skiing for which synthetic sealskin is attached to the base of the skis, preventing backsliding. This way skiiers can enjoy exploring the mountain scenery. Ski touring has a longer season than piste skiing, extending to seven or eight months in the Palandöken Mountains. Accompanied by a local guide ski touring trips can be made to Konakli and Gez. Another sport that is becoming popular here in winter as well as summer is hang gliding, and under the guidance of experienced pilots beginners can enjoy hang gliding at Ejder Tepesi. Then of course you can put away your skis and snowboard, and try mountain climbing. Although temperatures here are so low, the dry cold is not penetrating.