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The Ergan Mountain Winter Sports and Nature Tourism Center, home to one of Türkiye’s longest ski runs, is getting ready for the new season with infrastructure projects, a high-altitude camp center, and slope renovations.
Located on the foothills of the Munzur Mountains, the center has a summit height of 3,258 meters, an elevation difference of 1,300 meters, and more than 30 kilometers of slopes. It is 12 minutes from the airport and only 10 kilometers from the city center.
The center hosted about 2 million visitors last season and aims to host more than 2 million this year. It is backed by a 12-month tourism vision, water sports, trekking routes and a snow season extended through grassing.
Mehmet Emre Canpolat, secretary general of the Provincial Special Administration and deputy governor, said that work on the shortcomings for the next period began as soon as the last season ended.
Canpolat said the ski lodge of about 4,000 square meters, the High Altitude Camp Center, the hotel, the day-use facilities, and the grassing work on the slopes will increase snow retention time and offer ski enthusiasts a pleasant environment.
“When snow meets soil and mud, it starts to melt very quickly,” he said. “With this grassing, we create a natural cushion between the soil and the snow layer and extend the time the snow stays on the ground.” He added that the aim is to carry the practice up to the summit in stages.
Canpolat said the elevation difference of about 1,300 meters means most runs are red and black, making Ergan Mountain a choice for advanced skiers.
Canpolat said they do not want the center limited to a winter period of 100 to 150 days and have made uninterrupted 12-month tourism the focus of their investments.
He said the lake is used for water sports in summer, while the higher parts of the mountain host traditional highland pasture life, livestock farming and trekking routes.
“In fact, in some seasons our summer visitor numbers can exceed those of the winter months,” he said. “Ergan Mountain is now a four-season attraction for Erzincan.”
Canpolat said interest in the center is growing every day and new investors have put the region on their radar.
He said the High Altitude Camp Center, which is under construction under the auspices of the Ministry of Youth and Sports, is critical for the sports community. Major sports clubs will choose it for preseason training camps when it is finished, he added.
“Reaching this number in Erzincan will give a very strong boost to both our city and the economy of the Eastern Anatolia Region,” he said of the 2 million target.
Canpolat added that the center is planning race calendars with the Turkish Ski Federation and is in contact with the International Ski and Snowboard Federation (FIS) to bring international races to the city.
“We are one of the rare centers in the world where you can reach the slopes in just 12 minutes from the airport, and we invite all ski and nature enthusiasts to Erzincan,” he said.
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