Fog, Whiteout and Loss of Visibility: Making Safe Decisions in the Mountains
A whiteout, as defined by the American Meteorological Society, is an optical phenomenon in which the observer appears to be engulfed in a uniformly white glow: over unbroken snow cover under a uniformly overcast sky, shadows, the horizon and clouds disappear, and the sense of depth and direction is lost. According to the UK Met Office, the risk increases when fog or mist combines with widespread snow cover. When skiing, this means not being able to see the gradient, the bumps or the edge of the slope. When visibility worsens, slow down, stay on the marked slope near the markers along its edge, and switch to a slope one level easier; if visibility is very poor, ski down to the nearest lift station and call it a day.
As defined by the American Meteorological Society (AMS), a whiteout is an optical phenomenon in which the observer appears to be engulfed in a uniformly white glow. When unbroken snow cover and a uniformly overcast sky come together, shadows, the horizon and clouds disappear; the sense of depth and direction is lost. According to the UK Met Office's mountain forecasts, this risk increases when fog or mist combines with widespread snow cover, and visibility drops to almost zero; ground and sky become impossible to tell apart.
Its milder form is known among skiers as flat light: visibility is not lost completely, but the bumps and dips on the snow surface cast no shadows and so become invisible. The skier suddenly hits a bump or does not notice that the gradient has changed.
Why is it dangerous?
Depth perception is lost: You cannot see how steep the slope is, or the bump or dip in front of you.
Loss of direction: You may not notice where the slope ends or which way you are heading.
Avalanche risk: According to the bulletins of the Mount Washington Avalanche Center in the US, it becomes harder to assess wind loading on slopes in low visibility; off-piste is even more dangerous in this kind of weather.
An example from Turkey: in February 2021, around 100 people were stranded on the slopes in Erciyes because of snow, blizzard and fog, and were rescued.
When visibility worsens: 6 rules
Slow down: Do not ski faster than you can stop; because you cannot see the gradient, your reaction time is shorter.
Stay on the marked slope: The markers and trees along the edge of the slope are the best visual reference in flat light. Stay near the markers, but inside the slope.
Switch to a slope one level easier: A red run you normally ski comfortably can behave like a black one in fog.
Keep your knees soft: Your legs absorb the bumps you cannot see; a stiff stance leads to falls.
Stay with the group: The colour and movement of the person in front of you are your best guide; keep the distance short, but not so short that you could collide.
Call it a day if you need to: If visibility is very poor, ski down to the nearest lift station without leaving the marked slope and call it a day. Never go off-piste.
Choosing a lens
In overcast and foggy weather, a light-coloured lens with high light transmission (category 1, in some cases 0) increases contrast; a dark lens (category 3) made for sunny weather reduces visibility even further. Interchangeable or photochromic lenses are handy for changeable days like these. For lens categories, see our guide Choosing Ski Goggles.
Plan your day around the weather
Check the forecast in the morning: The Turkish State Meteorological Service's (MGM) ski resort page gives a daily forecast; the resort's live information board shows which lifts and slopes are open.
Choose tree-lined slopes: On slopes through forest, the trees provide a visual reference; Sarıkamış's slopes, for example, run down through Scots pine forests.
Skiing alone in fog and flat light makes losing your way and accidents riskier. On an activity holiday, the group leader decides on the day's open slopes and meeting points, and when visibility worsens, everyone in the group can see each other. On Doğadayız winter programmes, an alternative programme may be run if the weather in the mountains turns bad; on a social adventure holiday spent with a group, even a bad-weather day is enjoyable.
Doğadayız Packages
Doğadayız packages for your level
Winter activity holidays with accommodation, ski pass and equipment included, shared with a group.
The easiest way to learn to ski: a winter activity holiday
An activity holiday puts a sport at the heart of your trip: transport, accommodation and meals are planned, so you can focus on learning on the slopes. On Doğadayız winter activity holidays, accommodation, ski pass and ski or snowboard equipment are included in every package; course packages include basic lessons with instructors affiliated with the Turkish Ski Federation, while experience packages let you practise on the slopes at your own level.
What makes the programme different is the group: sharing the slopes with people at a similar level, dinners and nights out together, and a group leader by your side at all times. Solo travellers become part of this social adventure holiday from day one. That is why we describe our programmes as a social adventure holiday.
An optical phenomenon in which, over unbroken snow cover under a uniformly overcast sky, shadows, the horizon and clouds disappear and the observer appears to be engulfed in a uniformly white glow. The sense of depth and direction is lost.
Can you ski in fog?
You can, with care: slow down, stay on the marked slope near the markers, switch to a slope one level easier and ski with a group. If visibility is very poor, ski down to the nearest lift station without leaving the marked slope and call it a day.
Which goggle lens should you use in fog?
A light-coloured lens with high light transmission (category 1, sometimes 0). Dark lenses made for sunny weather reduce visibility even further in fog.
Wind chill is when the temperature you feel is lower than the actual air temperature because the wind quickly carries heat away from exposed skin. According to an information card from Turkey's Ministry of Labour and Social Security, at −5 °C a 30 km/h wind feels like −13 °C. According to Environment and Climate Change Canada, when the wind chill is between −28 °C and −39 °C, exposed skin can freeze in 10–30 minutes; at lower values this drops to a few minutes. When skiing, you create part of the wind yourself: skin cools very quickly when you are coming down fast and especially when you are sitting facing into the wind on a chairlift.
Marked and open slopes are secured against avalanches; off-piste terrain is not, and skiing there is entirely at your own risk. Even in Türkiye, skiers who went off-piste have lost their lives in avalanches: at Erciyes in 2022 and at Palandöken in 2024. If you are thinking of going off-piste, there are three conditions: reading the avalanche bulletin (on the European scale of 1–5; about half of deaths happen at level 3), everyone in the group carrying a transceiver, probe and shovel, and having learned to use them through training. A buried person's chance of survival is above 90% in the first 10–18 minutes but drops sharply after that; the rescue is up to the friends you are with.
Ski goggles protect your eyes from wind, snow and reflected sunlight. According to the World Health Organization, fresh snow reflects up to 80% of UV radiation, and the UV level rises by about 10% with every 1,000 metres; so if you do not protect your eyes in the mountains, there is a risk of snow blindness. When choosing a lens, look at the filter category: categories 0–1 (clear lens) are for overcast and foggy weather, category 2 for changeable weather and category 3 for sunny weather; category 4 is for very intense light and is not suitable for driving. Goggles should fit your helmet without leaving a gap. The international standard for ski and snowboard goggles is ISO 18527-1.
