Turkey: Kartalkaya ski resort gains visitors’ attention

By Mehmet Emin Gurbuz

BOLU, Turkey

Kartalkaya, one of Turkey’s most popular ski tourism centers in northwestern region, attracts thousands of local and foreign tourists.

Kartalkaya ski resort, with the total area of 70 kilometers (43 miles) and 25 different tracks, lies at Koroglu Mountains in northern Black Sea region of Bolu province.

The resort -- which is located at around 45 kilometers (28 miles) from the city center of Bolu, 186 kilometers (115 miles) from the capital Ankara and 263 kilometers (163 miles) from Istanbul -- is in the summit of Koroglu Mountains, with an elevation of 2,200 meters (7,218 feet).

The holidaymakers, who travel to the resort using Anadolu motorway and D-100 highway, can catch a chance to witness mesmerizing natural beauty of Kindira village and snow-covered forest.

Sarialan Plateau in foothills of the ski resort charms visitors with its houses and natural beauty. Five hotels with 2,000 beds offer comfortable fun holiday.

A total of 113,489 visitors, including foreigners, visited the ski resort in 2016.

The tourists can enjoy skiing and snowboarding there, while those who don’t bring their equipment with them can rent it from hotels.

The visitors can also take skiing lessons from instructors.

The hotels also provide night skiing to the tourists. They also offer live music, animations, and various attractions for holidaymakers who prefer to stay in hotels instead of skiing.

The hotels also offer various activities for children. In the resort, there are many tracks and playground for children. They can also take skiing lessons from the trainers.

Gendarmerie search and rescue teams (JAK) from Kartalkaya Gendarmerie Station are always active to cope with any untoward incident as a result of fog and heavy snowfall.

If tourists slide off the tracks, they can press emergency buttons installed on different trees.

A computer system in the police office receives a signal via radio frequency and then Gendarmerie search and rescue teams locate the tourists and rescue them using motorcycles.