Snow Transforms Mountaintop Watchtower Into Massive Sculpture Resembling Swan On Ice

These images show how heavy snow transformed a mountaintop watchtower used to detect fires into a massive ice sculpture resembling a “huge swan on ice”.

The incident took place at the top of the Uludaz Plateau on Cimen Mountain, which is located in Kahramanmaras Province in south-central Turkey, after the area was affected by heavy snowfall last week.

Roads and villages were reportedly closed, but this did not stop photographer Soner Yalcin from scaling the mountain, which allowed him to take this incredible photograph.

A watchtower in Uludaz Plateau which Soner Yalcin photographed during summer in Kahramanmaras, Turkey. (Soner Yalcin/Newsflash)

Soner, who was unaware of the sight that was about to greet him as he reached the top, told Newsflash in an exclusive interview that he thought the snow-covered watchtower looked like “a huge swan on ice”.

He said that it was not abnormal for there to be snow on the mountain, and despite Turkey’s reputation as a warm-weather destination, there are numerous mountains in the country.

Soner said that the climate in the area is a Black Sea climate, adding that it was normal to have a bit of snow in winter.

But he added that it was quite uncommon for it to have snowed quite that much, which is what gave the watchtower its new look, according to him.

He said: “It snowed, then frost hit, and it snowed on it again and again. Then it turned into this when the sun and wind blew.”

Soner said he had not always been a photographer or a mountaineer. He said that a few years ago, he had joined a small photography community, but he “felt that they were boring and didn’t do much activity, so I started doing mountaineering and photography together”.

Soner, who said that being a mountaineer requires discipline, self-confidence, courage and adrenaline, along with health first and foremost, explained that the watchtower was no longer in use.

Speaking about his experiences on top of the Cimen Mountain, he said: “Every season is wonderful. For example, when you camp in the extreme heat of summer months, you experience the winter season after the sun goes down. Since the lower part of the tower is forested, it is covered with various wonderful trees.”

He added: “Also, at the summit of Cimen Mountain in the Uludaz Plateau, there is a ladybug festival in the summer. It is possible to see ladybugs almost everywhere.”


To find out more about the author, editor or agency that supplied this story – please click below.
Story By: Joseph Golder, Sub-Editor: William McGee, Agency: Newsflash

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