Hello everyone! Uludağ is probably the first place that comes to mind when Turkey and skiing are mentioned in the same sentence, and for exactly that reason the information circulating about it is very scattered. On this page I have gathered the measurable part — the figures above are live, and below I share what the figures cannot tell you.
Let us set expectations properly first: Uludağ’s strength is not vertical drop but access and capacity. The difference we measured between base and summit is 359 metres; at Erciyes it is 1,245 metres. So if you are looking for long, steep descents, Uludağ is not that resort. In return it is the country’s densest resort in terms of mapped lifts, and the hotel area sits directly among the pistes.
How to Get There
It is about 35 km from the centre of Bursa, 40 minutes by car. What sets Uludağ apart from the other resorts is the cable car: the line leaving from Teferrüç takes you up via Sarıalan to the Hotels Area, and it is counted among the longest cable car lines in the world. If you would rather not set off without winter tyres and chains, it is a genuine alternative.
A day trip from Istanbul and back is possible, but on busy weekends the return journey stretches out; it pays to leave early.
Pistes and Who They’re For
The spread of pistes is mostly easy and intermediate: there are 17 easy, 7 intermediate and 7 difficult runs. That spread makes Uludağ one of the most comfortable resorts in the country for beginners and families. For an experienced skier, on the other hand, the day can start repeating itself quickly.
The hotel area being among the pistes is a practical advantage: you do not walk long distances with your equipment, and taking a break to go up to your room is easy.
When to Go
The season usually opens in December and runs until March. Because Uludağ’s elevation is lower than the other large resorts, snow quality can deteriorate more quickly at the start and end of the season — I would not set off without looking at the measured snow depth above.
The mid-term school holiday is genuinely crowded here. If you can go on a weekday, you will ski far more for the same money.
Things to Know Before You Go
The elevation is low and the moisture coming off the Marmara often closes visibility. The wind and temperature values above do not say this directly, but on humid days when the base temperature is close to zero the chance of fog is high.
Uludağ is not a resort but a cluster of hotels. For that reason there is no single source you could call the “official piste status”; the information varies from hotel to hotel.
There are 359 metres between base and summit, which means if it is raining below it is most likely raining above too. The “I’ll find snow if I go higher” logic that works at Erciyes or Palandöken does not apply here.