Guide
The Zigana winter sports centre lies close to the highway that links the Black Sea region with Eastern Anatolia, 40 km from Gümüşhane and 55 km from Trabzon Airport. Its ski areas, between 1,900 and 2,500 m, are alpine meadows ringed by forest. The season begins in December and runs until April, with 100–150 cm of snow on the ground.
Uphill transport is by a surface lift (teleski) and a beginners' lift. The run is 100–200 m wide with an average gradient of 20 per cent, and there is a ski lodge for overnight stays.
When to go
- Climate
- Across Gümüşhane as a whole, monthly mean temperatures run from -1.7 °C in January to 20.3 °C in August; the mean stays between 15 and 25 °C in June, July, August and September; rainfall is heaviest in May (70 mm) and lightest in August (14 mm). Long-term means for 1961-2025 from the Turkish State Meteorological Service (MGM).
