Erciyes Ski Resort: Runs, Lifts and Training Areas

Erciyes at a glance

In Erciyes A.Ş. promotional material, the total length of the runs is given as 112 km; adding up the lengths of the 41 runs in the official run table gives about 65 km. According to information from Erciyes A.Ş., the resort produces artificial snow with 154 snow cannons.

The four gates: which one suits whom?

Lifts

Magic carpets: Hacılar (200 m), Tekir (140 m), Hisarcık (130 m and 50 m) and Develi BabyLift (150 m). You get into a gondola cabin with your skis in your hand or in the rack outside; on a chairlift you ride up seated, and on a drag lift you keep gliding on your skis. For first-timers, the easiest is the magic carpet.

Run difficulty

Erciyes A.Ş. classifies its runs in three colours: blue for easy (0–25° gradient), red for intermediate (25–40°) and black for difficult (40° and above). The colour shows the relative difficulty of runs within the same resort; for details, see run colours.

Training areas for beginners

For someone who has never skied, the right order in Erciyes is:

1. The first hours: a beginner area with a magic carpet. There are beginner areas at the Hacılar, Tekir and Hisarcık gates, and the BabyLift carpet at Develi. Here you learn to glide on flat ground, stop with the snowplough and ride the carpet.
2. End of day one: the Hisarcık training area. The training area at the Hisarcık gate has the T-bar drag lift and the 11a training run (640 m, easy). This is where the first turns are tried on a short, manageable slope.
3. Day two: long easy runs. Once you can stop with the snowplough, you move on to the 16 and 19 series at Develi, runs 6 and 7 at Hisarcık or the easy run 13 at Tekir.
4. Moving on to red runs: Until you have started parallel turns, you don't go up to the red and black runs in the upper Hacılar area and at the summit.

For intermediate and advanced skiers

• Summit area (Hisarcık): The Ottoman lift takes you up to 3,346 metres; from here run 14 (4,210 m), the longest in the resort, and run 17 come down. Both are black.
• Upper Hacılar area: The black run 1, which comes down from the Hitit lift, and the red runs 1a, 2, 2a and 2b; the FIS-accredited race run is also in this area.
• Develi–Tekir line: The 15 series and the red run 12, coming down from the Kültepe and Zümrüt lifts.

Night skiing, snowpark and non-skiing areas

• Night skiing: Run 13 at the Tekir gate is floodlit. According to Erciyes A.Ş., night skiing takes place every evening during the Turkish mid-year school holiday and on Friday and Saturday evenings during the winter season; the schedule may vary from season to season.
• Snowpark and snowkite: These are at the Develi gate. Before trying the snowpark features, you need to be able to stop under control on an easy run.
• Non-skiing: Sledging areas (Hacılar, Tekir, Hisarcık), children's play areas (Hacılar, Tekir), a snowmobile safari at Tekir and a cross-country skiing (Nordic discipline) area.

Practical information

• Lift hours: The official table gives 09:00–16:00 for the gondolas and main lifts; hours may vary by lift, weather and season. The lifts open on any given day are published on Erciyes A.Ş.'s “Pist ve Teleferik Bilgisi” (run and lift information) page.
• Ski pass: You need a ski pass to use the lifts; prices and pass types are renewed every season.
• Altitude and weather: The ski area rises to 3,346 metres. At altitude, UV radiation is strong and the weather changes quickly; goggles, sunscreen and layered clothing are essential. For clothing, see What to Wear Skiing and Snowboarding; for behaviour on the slopes, see The FIS 10 Rules for Conduct on the Slopes.

A winter activity holiday in Erciyes

With its training areas and its proximity to Cappadocia, Erciyes is one of the best resorts in Türkiye for a winter activity holiday. Doğadayız Erciyes programmes combine equipment, ski pass and accommodation in a cave hotel in Cappadocia in a single package; on the course packages, basic lessons are given by instructors affiliated with the Turkish Ski Federation (TKF), and on the experience packages you practise on the slopes. Evenings spent with the group in Cappadocia turn the programme into a social adventure holiday. You can find the 2-night, 3-day basic course, the 4-night, 5-day course and, for those who can already ski, the experience packages on our ski and snowboard courses page.