Ergan ski-mountaineering race, Turkey

Ergan ski-mountaineering race in Turkey was an evaluation world cup race. The mountain is located near the town of Erzincan, deep in the eastern part of the country. I wanted to make this race, and the generous offer from organizers to cover for accommodations and some of the transportation sealed the deal.




At frst I planned to take the two day scenic train ride. But ongoing rail construction between Istanbul and Ankara, and the tight schedules of other racers changed plans to flying. So Tervel, Ivona and I took a 10h bus ride from Sofia to Istanbul, and then the Turkish Airline's flight to Erzincan. 

The bus ride was inexpensive (€55 roundtrip). There is a convenient subway connection between the central bus station (Otogar) and Ataturk International Airport. But the metro runs from 6am-12 midnight, and we arrived a couple of hours past midnight. Not a problem. We fit four people (not counting the driver) and all gear in a tiny cab and split the 20 bucks bill. 

Turkish Airlines

Traveling with skis has become somewhat of a hassle. Most European and North American airlines charge extra that is in the order of the ticket itself. But the lady on the counter smiled as we piled three ski bags and prepared to argue. We then piled few more large bags and got more smiles. And the food on the plane was real and delicious.

East Side

At Erzincan airport, I was shocked by the view that matched that of Mammoth airport (CA). A desert merging into sharply rising snowy mountains. Aytekin and his wife welcomed us at the airport. As we drove through town I couldn't help but think of Bishop, CA. Its Bishop with a dozen mosques!

Ergan is 3300m high

The Race

It started off with a reasonable pace and I found my spot in forth position behind Tervel. Up front were the two Italians: Mirko, team-race world champion from 2004 with the legendary Giacomelli, and Dino -- veteran racer of Pierra Menta. Mirko opened up a gap on the first ascent and disappeared. As the grade steepened I closed up on Tervel. 
At some point I got in third position with hopes to chaise Dino. My hopes were short lived. While I fiddled with the stashed bottle of GU in my pocket, Tervel opened a gap and kept it until the end. The gu-in-the bottle strategy turned out to be a failure as most of it ended up on my skin suit...

On the second and third uphills the weather changed. The wind picked up and temperature dropped. I noticed with regret that I had forgotten my goggles. My sunglasses turned into a critical survival tool. The severe lack of visibility and a bunch of alternating ice fins and pockets of windblown powder made the descents sketchy and tedious. 

The final climb was a test of character. Dense fog, freezing cold, and the large spacing between racers induced persistent and demoralizing feel of hopeless loneliness. Low in motivation, I stopped several times to warm up my face. About half the way up I noticed someone in red in the distance behind me. By the time I got to the transition zone I noticed that he had closed on me. 

Surprisingly, it was one of the young Turks. At this point it didn't seem likely he can catch up on the downhill, so I proceeded with a cautious descent. 
At lower elevation the fog cleared and I joined the ski track. I was going down casually but still fast when I heard some shouting and I saw the racer in red speeding past me in total kamikaze style. Wow, I tried to catch up but it was hopeless. He crossed the finish some seconds before me. That settled the fourth and fifth position. Impressive performance by the young man, who turned out to be an accomplished ultra runner.

Despite the bad luck with the weather the race was solid, and the mountain has potential for excellent ski-mountaineering. People's hospitality, the organization , and the food were outstanding. I would love to visit Turkey again, and I hope the race will become an annual event.