Discovering Turkey's ‘hidden’ ski paradise

From his seat in the plane, he spotted the gleaming “white gold” – vast snow-capped peaks stretching across the southern rim of the Black Sea.

It felt like a vision of his future. He knew he had to explore further.

In 2001, Swiss mountain guide Thierry Gasser was returning home from a heli-skiing adventure in Kyrgyzstan when, through his window, he glimpsed the familiar Caucasus mountains to the north and a captivating line of gleaming peaks to the south.

Looking through “perfect blue skies,” Gasser was gazing at the Kaçkar range in northeastern Turkey.

“The first sight from the plane was perfect – massive mountains and a sprawling range. That was the green light for us to explore every valley and peak,” Gasser recalls for Dinogo Travel.

He had already been searching for the ideal location to establish his own heli-ski business, after years of guiding for other operators around the world. His requirements were simple: proximity to Europe to avoid jet lag, a vast, high-altitude mountain range, and ideally, a coastal location to guarantee more snow and a stable snowpack.

Gasser had extensive experience guiding clients in the Russian Caucasus, Uzbekistan, India, Canada, Alaska, and throughout Europe. He was now looking for a new frontier in heli-skiing.

As he studied the maps, Gasser and his Italian guiding partner Danilo Garin realized that the 75-mile (121-kilometer) stretch of the Kaçkar range, near Turkey’s border with Georgia, met all their criteria.

Exploration Mission

In the summer of 2002, Gasser dedicated a month to exploring the area, trekking through the valleys, evaluating local facilities, and taking to the skies to survey the mountains – the highest being Kaçkar Dagi, which rises over 13,000 feet (3,962 meters).

“The shape of the mountains is perfect for heli-skiing,” says Gasser, who spends his winters in Verbier. “In every valley, there’s the possibility of over 50 runs, all just five minutes from the base. It’s ideal for guests.”

He focused on the small resort of Ayder, a traditional highland village known as a ‘yayla,’ featuring wooden, pitch-roofed houses and barns, nestled among pine forests and waterfalls.

The village, nestled in a lush and narrow valley carved by the Firtina river, attracts summer visitors from both local regions and the Middle East. Tourists enjoy activities like hot springs, rafting, and hiking.

During the winter months, moisture from the Black Sea collides with cold mountain air, creating an abundance of powder snow at higher altitudes, typically from January through April.

“It’s just incredible skiing,” says Oliver Evans of Elemental Adventure, a London-based heli-skiing agency that organizes trips for small groups and private clients to over a dozen remote mountain destinations worldwide.

“You’d never expect to have such world-class, Canadian-style heli-skiing so close to Europe.”

“Up there, the villages are deserted for the winter, with thick snow covering the roofs and mosques. It’s a surreal experience to wake up and hear the call to prayer echoing outside the hotel. It’s the last place you’d expect to be skiing,” says Gasser.

Gasser started his first heli-skiing trips from Ayder in 2005, operating with a single helicopter he rented from Air Zermatt in Switzerland.

“They cleared the road and even opened one hotel just for us,” Gasser recalls.

“We had the whole village to ourselves back then. Nowadays, on weekends, visitors come to see the snow, enjoy tubing, sledging, or have a barbecue in the snow while singing and dancing. But when we began, the village was completely empty in winter,” he adds.

Soaring through the sky

Due to bureaucratic hurdles, Gasser had to suspend operations for a few years, but his determination saw him return in 2018. He secured exclusive access to nearly 2,000 square miles of terrain—enough to encompass a significant portion of the French Alps and parts of Italy—reserved for only around 20 skiers per week.

In January 2023, with the European Alps lacking snow and expectations running low, Evans flew to Istanbul, then made a short trip to the nearby Rize airport, just an hour’s drive from Ayder, to guide a heli-skiing trip for clients. Trabzon, another regional airport, is about two hours away by car.

On the first day, he recalls, the snowfall was relentless. He took his clients through the forest in a snowcat for avalanche rescue training and to evaluate their skills, before skiing back down to the village. They stopped at a small café by the trail to enjoy a cup of local Turkish tea.

“As you ski by, people are staring at you like you're from another planet—they’re not used to seeing anyone skiing there,” Evans says.

The next morning, the skies cleared, and Evans, along with one of the clients and guides Georg and Yann, boarded a helicopter right outside their hotel, the three-star Hasimoglu in Ayder.

Swiss pilot Dany lifted the helicopter above the frosted trees and out of the valley, revealing a stunning view of untouched peaks with the Black Sea glistening to the north. Moments later, he set them down at the top of a slope known as Home Run.

“It was a perfect bluebird day, not a cloud in the sky, with 70-80 centimeters (28-31 inches) of fresh snow at the base. Just unbelievable,” Evans describes.

They waited as the helicopter blades faded into the distance, the hum of the engine slowly dissipating. A brief silence followed, allowing them to take in the untouched slopes below. Then, the guides calmly laid out their plan—no chaos, no rush, just pure anticipation of a perfect powder day, far from the frenzy of crowded resort runs.

“My first turns of the season, and it was thigh-deep, waist-deep, light, and perfect cold-smoke powder,” Evans says, recalling the experience with excitement.

“The client and I were both giggling like school kids, we couldn’t believe our luck—getting such amazing conditions on the first day of the season. Even the guides knew this was truly off the charts,” Evans reflects.

There was a lot of whooping and high-fiving, it felt like something straight out of an American ski movie. In the first hour and a half, I probably skied more untracked powder than I’ve seen in the last decade.”

After an exhilarating morning of carving through deep powder, they landed on a ridge for lunch, savoring sandwiches, hot soup, chocolate, fruit, nuts, and a selection of drinks from the helicopter’s cooler.

“We were outside this tiny, abandoned village, surrounded by snow-covered shepherd huts, with a minaret of the mosque towering above. It was a stark reminder that we were in Turkey, not British Columbia,” Evans recalls. “That day was probably my best day of skiing ever.”

The Powder Experience

A typical run in Ayder spans around 900 vertical meters (nearly 3,000 feet), and guests can expect to enjoy 11-15 runs per day. Safety and professionalism are top priorities, with guides continually assessing avalanche risks to ensure a secure experience.

“There’s a misconception that heli-skiing is all about extreme thrills, but that’s not the case,” Evans explains. “You’re not leaping out of helicopters; you’re carefully stepping out, slow and steady. There’s a saying, ‘slow is fast.’ A few women are already doing it, but there’s no reason there couldn’t be more.”

Apres-ski at the Hasimoglu, renovated in 2016, is laid-back and relaxing. Guests unwind in natural hot springs, enjoy Turkish coffee or bar drinks, engage in table tennis, or treat themselves to a massage from the on-site therapists.

Dinner is served buffet-style with a selection of fresh salads, hummus, pita bread, falafel, kofte, grilled vegetables, and meats. Local specialties include hamsi kusu (Black Sea anchovies) and muhlama, a rich dish made with corn flour, butter, and cheese.

Gasser’s team of guides is a diverse and international group, hailing from countries such as Switzerland, France, Italy, Germany, Austria, Sweden, New Zealand, Canada, and the USA. Alongside local Turkish staff, this creates a truly global blend of expertise.

“The Turkish people are incredibly kind, hospitable, and open. They offer us a lot of help, and it’s a real pleasure working with them,” he shares.

On days with unfavorable weather, guests can enjoy alternative activities such as snowcat skiing, snowshoeing, or ski touring. They can also explore a tea plantation, visit local honey producers and craft centers, or unwind at nearby restaurants.

During a stay from renowned American snowboarder Jeremy Jones, some of the village's older residents shared that they'd been riding on traditional wooden boards with rope handles and sticks for steering for over six decades.

"Maybe snowboarding actually began here, in this small village in the Kaçkar mountains, not in the USA," Gasser chuckles. "It's an amazing story."

Change is on the horizon in Ayder, with the Turkish government looking into plans to build a full-fledged resort complete with ski lifts. In 2020, Turkish President Recep Tayyip Erdoğan, a native of Rize, visited the region to support winter tourism initiatives.

The Kaçkar mountains could soon be a prominent destination on the global ski map, offering more than just heli-skiing.

"We would be delighted if, one day, Ayder is home to a ski resort," says Gasser.