Türkiye’s eastern province of Kars has introduced 2,000 primary school students to skiing for the first time through a public initiative at a ski center in Sarıkamış, marking the close of the town’s ski season with a milestone achievement.
As part of the project, fourth-grade students from Kars city center and seven surrounding districts were brought to Sarıkamış in groups and hosted for two-day training sessions.
Many of the children, coming from villages and remote areas, had never visited the ski resort or experienced winter sports before.
Under the guidance of professional instructors, the students received both theoretical and practical training in alpine skiing, gaining their first exposure to one of the region’s most prominent sports.
The season’s closing ceremony was held after a final group of 40 students from the Akyaka district completed their training, marking the culmination of this year’s program.
Kars Governor Ziya Polat said the initiative aims to ensure equal access to local opportunities for all children in the province.
“For the past two years, we have been implementing this project to bring children, many of whom had never been to Sarıkamış, here to learn skiing. We host them for two days at our facilities and introduce them to this sport,” Polat said.
“So far, we have welcomed 2,000 children from across Kars. They have discovered Sarıkamış, enjoyed their time and learned how to ski,” he added, further expressing the province’s commitment to continuing the project next year in the region, which is famously known for its "crystal snow."
Students who took part in the program expressed excitement and enthusiasm for the sport.
Öykü Sudenaz Nar said she was happy to learn skiing and hopes to continue, while Elif Tiktaş described the experience as enjoyable. Another student, İbrahim Arımaz, encouraged other children to try skiing.
