"Martian-like landscapes" welcomed skiers in Sochi over the weekend as a sandstorm from the Sahara desert turned the slopes orange.

Meteorologists have said that the phenomenon was likely caused by sand from Sahara mixing with snow.

The eerie photographs were captured last Friday (March 23) at the Rosa Khutor Resort, an alpine ski resort in Krasnodar Krai near Sochi.

It hosted the alpine skiing events for the 2014 Winter Olympics and Paralympics in Sochi.

The photographer wrote: "Martian landscapes, an apocalypse on the mountain today! The yellow sand on top of the wet snow - the spectacle is unusual but very sad."

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Марсианские пейзажи, апокалипсис на горе сегодня! Я думала, что такое бывает только вблизи Африки, на Лансароте-Тенерифе или ещё где-то там, этот ветер горячий, который несёт песок из пустыни. Но в Поляне тоже произошло что-то невероятное, хотя пустыни довольно далеко. Если честно, жёлтый песок сверху мокрого снега, - зрелище необычное, но очень грустное.
Сезон, и без того короткий, с каждым днём оставляет все меньше надежд на продолжение.

Martian landscapes, apocalypse on the mountain today! I thought that this happens only near Africa, in Lanzarote-Tenerife or somewhere else, this wind is hot, which carries sand from the desert. But in Polyana, too, something incredible happened, although the desert is quite far away. To be honest, the yellow sand on top of the wet snow - the spectacle is unusual, but very sad.
The season, already short, with every day leaves ever less hope for continuation.