Erciyes Off-piste Guide
Your heart pounds with excitement as you pick up your skis and take your first hesitant steps on this unknown land
The air is crisp and cold as you step out onto the powdery snow. Your heart pounds with excitement as you pick up your snowboard and take your first steps on this unknown land. The wind rushes past your ears as you carve your way through the untouched powder, feeling it rush beneath your feet as you gracefully glide down the mountain.
But the thrill of racing down these untouched slopes soon gives way to fear as you encounter one of Erciyes' many hidden dangers - steep chasms that cut through the mountains like jagged scars. You must be careful here; one wrong move could send you hurtling into oblivion. But with each slip and stumble, you find new strength within yourself, rising up stronger than before as you plunge deeper into Erciyes' wild heart.
We discovered most of the off-piste routes over the years. Some give you an adrenaline rush, while others unleash the worst fear inside you. Here we gathered the ultimate off-piste footage of Erciyes for you!
Ottoman - Divan Off Piste Area
Let’s start with one of our favorite off-piste routes. In this route, a moment of pure magic reminds you why you came here in the first place - to conquer this wild and untamed land and savor its unbridled beauty.
After you leave the chair lift, you can either make a sharp U-turn and go under the chairlift route, or if you want to play safe, follow the track, and then go left as the track u-turns. It is shown in the video. Actually, the best option is, if the ski patrols are not watching you, turn right when you leave the chair lift (number 17 - the route is officially closed) and enjoy your ride to Karakulak lift. There are multiple alternatives that you can play around.
When you reach Divan station, go directly under the chair lift route. There are two fantastic options as you move forward. In the video, 0:37, we kept straight once we saw the red safety nets in our right hand. However, starting at 0:44, we sharply turned left and ended up in the parallel valley. Both of them are cool, and they converge at the end.
Karakulak Off Piste Area
When you have a pow-pow day, this off-piste is a must-ride area! There are two options to reach this area:
- You leave the Divan chair lift, take off your skies and start walking approximately 300-400m straight. Ottoman lift is on your right hand while you walk.
- As mentioned above, if you take the Ottoman lift, then you avoid unnecessary walking part. But due to weather conditions, sometimes the Ottoman lift is closed, so you need to execute option number 1.
Hitit - Yediağaç Off Piste Area
OMG! Can it be the longest and best off-piste of the mountain? Yes, yes, and yes! If you are an absolute off-piste junkie, you can’t pass on this one. By far, this is the best experience you can have in the mountain. However, there is one small caveat :) Once you take this 10km long route, you end up in a village called Yediağaç. There is no lift at the end of the route. Chalet Kaiser organizes transportation for this route. So contact us if you would like to try this route.
Hacılar Off Piste Area
After a snowy night, get up early and be the first one to ride this route. This is one of the most accessible off-piste yet super playful. Once you leave the Hacılar gondola, just turn left and take the official route. Then go stay on the right side to go off-piste as you descend. Voila!
Koç Mountain Off Piste Area
This is another gem of the mountain. As there is no ski lift on this side of the mountain, untouched slopes offer pure magic! DAS 3917 offers Skidoos to reach this area. The video footage is from 2022 end of the season event. Also, DAS 3917 has professional photo and videographers who can turn your off-piste adventure into unforgettable memories.
