Skiing and ballooning. Cappadocia, Turkey 2025

VERY HOT!!!

Skiing and ballooning in Cappadocia. 65 km of free slopes!!!

  🔥 HOT UPDATE 🔥 

We've added a children's holiday on top of the usual adult holidays.

So we're also going to Erciyes ski camp, see details here:

Ski holidays in Turkey cost 20% less if you book between 15.11 and 15.12.2024!

  Ski on the highest mountain in Central Anatolia! ⛷️ 🏂 We know, Turkey rhymes best with azure waters, all inclusive 🏖️ and fiery beaches.

Well... again we go against the wind and invite you for six days in the most modern ski resort in Turkey: Erciyes. Not Cappadocia as I wrote in the title, but Erciyes-Kayseri you may not have heard of yet. Although you should know that it has achieved Travelers Choice Award by TripAdvisor in 2020!

But don't despair and read on. There will be balloon rides, there will be a tour of the famous volcanic towers!  

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Skiing and ballooning

We accompany you on 65 km of slopes between 2000 and 3346 m, with 154 snow cannons and 18 lifts that open up countless options for both on and off-piste. Did we mention we're category I ski and snowboard instructors with over 25 years of piste instruction? Our enthusiasm is the same as when we started, perhaps our technique and experience have been refined since then and we are happy to put them at your disposal!

Erciyes is 3917 metres above sea level, the highest peak in Central Anatolia, the fifth highest in Turkey and of volcanic origin, making it a majestic and spectacular peak dominating the Anatolian plateau by more than 2000 metres! Near the summit, above the glacier (yes, Erciyes has permanent snows and a micro-glacier on its northern slope) is a cave used by the Sikhs in the Byzantine Empire. Ascents on touring skis are varied and the descent options are many.   In 2024 we climbed the seals and skied from the summit in an absolutely memorable 11km +685km / -1750m.

Ski resort stretches along the north face of the volcano and has slopes for all tastes, from pure carving seekers to those who are comfortable on wide, gently sloping slopes. Freeride options are wide and if the weather holds out we aim to ski from the top of the peak.

Cappadocia with the sunrise in the balloon basket only an hour away but the moonscapes, the countless traces of historical civilisations superimposed and of course, the balloon flight are worth an evening, a night and the day that follows. Which we'll ruefully break between skiing (optional). Csf. Ncsf  😊

The schedule per day is as follows:

 

2 March 2025 Flight Otopeni - Kayseri

3-7 March Skiing at Erciyes (with evening transfer to Goreme, Cappadoccia)

8 March Exploration day in Cappadoccia (balloon flight, underground cities, hiking, road trip)

9 March Flying home

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Skiing and ballooning. Well...Does it suit me?!

Yes! As I was saying, the tour satisfies off-piste adrenaline seekers, black slopes enthusiasts and those who are careful on gentle slopes. The resort has as much on offer as any medium/large resort in the Alps, with ski shops, rental centres, bars, restaurants, spa and swimming pools. With the difference that the food is much better :) Province Cappadoccia and Kayseri (important centre of Christianity in the first millennium, known as the Caesarea of Cappadocia whose successor to the throne is... but never mind, we'll tell you there!) are destinations in themselves if you want to leave the skis on the pegs and fill up with the beautiful!  

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Specifically, what do we do in the snow and with whom?

• well... skiing, right? 5 days, 5-6 hours per day, with ski / snowboard / telemark / ski touring instructor(s) in the country, in beginner to advanced groups
• optional: ski touring/off-piste for those who wish, with AGMR mountain guide and ISIA category 1 ski instructor plus a local guide
• optional: alpine ski tour on Erciyes, 3916 m, as far as the group is ready for the ascent and weather/snow stability conditions allow it
• one afternoon, one night and the day ahead we put the skis to rest and balloon over breathtaking Cappadocia. See, I told you this part of the programme was coming!
• main instructor is Mihai Mareș, ski/snowboard instructor category I since 1997, happy to help you from the first parallel turns to carv, telemark or offpiste
• for carving enthusiasts we bring the sensor and monitoring system CARV which we invite you to test and use, it's a really cool toy!

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Some more details about what we do in Cappadocia

Because you'll want to enjoy a sunset dinner but also to eliminate a 3am car transfer we'll head to Cappadocia right after one of the ski days and check in there. We sleep in an absolutely unique hotel in the heart of the rock settlements and end the evening with a refreshing tea and dinner as only Turks can prepare.

At 4 am (yep!) with a coffee in the sand in front of us we prepare to admire the sunrise from the hot air balloon, 100 m high above the valleys with the famous chimneys of Cappadocia - Pasabag (Monks), Devrent (Imagination), Zelve, Pigeon, Love.

For those who don't want to fly, we transfer them to a marvellous place with a view of the balloons taking off - the show is perhaps as unique as from the air as the sky is filled with balloons that light up one by one with the flames inside them!

As we are not on our first tours in Cappadocia we discovered places worth seeing but outside the usual tourist traps and the crowds associated with them. So we'll invite you not only among Cappadocia's famous "chimneys" but also to a complex settlement that we can explore at leisure and among the remote and magnificently spectacular canyons.

Don't want to miss a day's skiing but forgo Cappadoccia? 

Ok! You just need to let us know at least 15 days before your departure, so we can adjust your accommodation.

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What are we taking with us?

If you want to go off-piste avalanche kit (probe, shovel, transceiver) is mandatory.

An airbag backpack is recommended, but we recommend that you bring your Jetforce as both Turkish Airlines and Pegasus may squeal when flying with a tank.

For piste skiing you can either hire skis locally or bring your own kit from home. We can advise you in detail.

Minibuses have enough luggage space to fit skis and personal luggage without restrictions!

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How do we get married?

Comfortable and pleasant, in double rooms with breakfast available*, in the town of Kayseri from where we travel 20 minutes daily to the slopes. The hotel is cosy and oriental, with an 8.6 "fabulous" rating on Booking.com.

In Cappadocia we stay in the heart of Cappadocia, in a hotel carved into the rock, making the most of the scenery and the unique location.

*Breakfast is included in the cost of accommodation.

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How do we get there?

By flight Otopeni - Istanbul - Kayseri

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Optional activities

Traditional Hammam (we don't think you want :))) ), modern hammam, Kayseri city tour, Snowcat skiing, Cappadocia horseriding, Cappadocia Hot Air Balloon. Night skiing. We'll detail them all for you after registration and you can book them on the first evening of the tour.

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Available seats?

There are 12 places available, of which 4 are filled. We start with a minimum of six registered participants.

Want to perfect your skiing skills at home before your holiday in Anatolia? We look forward to seeing you at POIANA BRASOV SKI SCHOOL!