Update: We have had some feedback from a KTLN member.  It seems that since our reporter visited, there are some signs of life at the ski resort.  We will find out more and report back.

With the Winter Olympics still fresh in our minds, our thoughts turned to the Seki ski resort, close to Fethiye.

Rumours of its existence abound, but do you know anyone who has actually had an 'on piste' experience? 

No, neither do we.  So we sent our intrepid winter sports reporter to find out what is going on.

The search for the Seki Ski Resort.
by our winter sports correspondent, Roslyn Lockhart

Even though it is early March, from my bedroom window in Kalkan, I can see the distant snow covered peaks of the Taurus Mountains. Winter is still with us intermittently and as a change from lying in the sun with a good book, I think of activities which will increase my heart rate and decrease the rate at which my waist is expanding after over indulging during Christmas and New Year.

Snow and mountains must mean ski slopes.  There have been a number of articles in the local press over the past few years about the new ski resort ‘nearing completion’ at Seki, a village high in the Taurus range,  which by car is just about an hour and a half away from Kalkan.  So we find the ski jackets, pants and boots, not used since we moved to Kalkan.

We decide to leave the skis behind as we are unsure how much snow there will be, probably not enough for good skiing, but certainly enough for an invigorating walk through the resort, followed by lunch in a charming, small pansiyon catering to the needs of local ski enthusiasts.

The drive is easy, straight towards Fethiye for forty five minutes, the road almost empty of traffic, right at the first major roundabout – signposted Antalya, then a steep climb on a magnificent highway which brings increasingly spectacular views with each curve of the road. After about half an hour, climbing constantly, we spot the sign for the Seki Ski Resort, admittedly not in English, so perhaps as yet they are not expecting many foreign visitors.

There is an abundance of snow on the higher reaches of the mountains. We begin to regret leaving the skis behind. The countryside unfolds in ever more breathtaking vistas, the snow sparkling in the bright winter sun. When we left Kalkan at ten in the morning, the temperature was 15 degrees.  Here, even in the sun, it has fallen dramatically to 4 degrees.  We start thinking about a glass of hot, spiced red wine to warm us up.

A wide road leads from the main highway. This is encouraging. Obviously the infra-structure has been well planned. We travel in the direction of Seki village.  About five hundred metres from the junction, there is another signpost, the ski resort is twelve kilometres along here on the right.  This right hand turn looks rather unused, grass pokes through the middle of the concrete surface. This is not quite the road we had expected but we are encouraged by the road signs, so head off. The road climbs steeply, we get closer and closer to the snowline, the views are breathtaking.

We pass men huddled into every item of clothing they own as they tend their goats, chop firewood and sit outside a small tea house. None of them look much like ski-ing enthusiasts. Icicles hang from the eaves of traditional wooden houses, the inhabitants smile and wave as we pass.

Then something strange happens, the road which has been heading up the mountain begins to descend sharply.  The snowline recedes, we see early signs of spring - blossom on the trees, wild flowers in the fields. We wonder why the ski resort is apparently located in a valley.  But the descending road does not take us to the Seki Ski Resort. It does not take us anywhere. It is a circular road, which joins the main road again, just outside Seki Village.

Undaunted, we turn the car around and head back the way we had come. Convinced we had somehow missed the turning, we stop at a local shop and ask the way. The shop owner is amused, ‘The ski resort’ he says, ‘up there of course’ pointing towards the top of the mountain. We head off again up a steep, muddy track, not quite the infra-structure we had anticipated. The steep, muddy track becomes a steep, muddy, impassable field, a field which has been recently ploughed. Even a four wheel drive couldn’t get through here.

With considerable difficulty we turn the car round, find another track leading upwards, repeat the process, get stuck again. An hour later we admit defeat. There is no way up the mountain by car.

We return to the main road and take the turning into Seki village.  It’s not quite a ski resort but it does have a busy small restaurant , so we go there for lunch. As mulled wine is not on the menu, we settle for Ayran instead. Our food is magnificent, soup, meatballs with all the trimmings, beans, salad, and sutlaç.  All for six lira a head.

We ask the owner about the ski resort.  He looks a little red in the face; he shuffles, and stares at a distant point in the landscape. ‘Well’ he  admits, ‘it’s not exactly open at the moment’ ‘When will it open?’ we ask. ‘When they have built it ‘ he replies, ‘They plan to start later this year, after the snow. It should be ready in a couple of years’

Even though there is no ski resort, we still had a great day out.  If you are planning a trip to Kalkan for Easter and want to do something different, Seki is well worth a visit, the scenery is magnificent, there will be an abundance of wildflowers on the lower mountain slopes and snow at the highest points of the peaks.

The welcome from everyone we met in the village couldn’t have been warmer – but they may look at you rather strangely if you are on skis.

Below: This is a ski resort in Andorra.  One day, maybe we will get something like this in our part of the world.