[TRAVEL] I Never Knew You Could Ski There! Greece

You may have heard of Mount Olympus, the famous home of the Greek Gods, but did you know you could ski there? Greece may be famous for its beaches and warm sun, but what you may not realise is that Greece is a very mountainous country and it gets a lot of snow in the winter.

Greece is in fact home to more than a dozen ski resorts and has a long history of skiing, with the first centres opening nearly a century ago in the 1920s.

There’s even a Greek heli-skiing operation (heliskigreece.com), which will take you to ski on Mount Olympus. This mountain rises 2,917m straight up from the Aegean Sea making it one of the biggest vertical rises in all of Europe. The mountain has 52 summits and the snow often lies several metres deep on these. It has been known to snow at sea level, which means some serious vertical can be had here!

In terms of regular ski areas, however, Parnassos ski resort is the biggest in the country with more than a dozen lifts, 620m of vertical and 25km of runs. This is one of the most spectacular mountains in Greece, covered with fir trees. There are wonderful views from the Gulf of Corinth to the Gulf of Euboea. A combination of altitude and north-facing slopes normally ensures skiing well into April.

According to Greek mythology Mount Parnassos has rather more significance than for just skiing, as it was here that Zeus granted Deukalion’s wishes and the human race was created; so quite a heritage.

Kalavrita ski resort on the north west side of Mount Helmos is another of the leading ski areas in Greece that boasts a history dating back into mythology. At 1,700m this is one of the highest centres in Greece and is also one of the newest, established in 1988.

Ski hire, food and overnight accommodation are all available by the slopes which continue up to the 2,340m summit making it one of the country’s biggest lift-served verticals. There are 12 ski runs served by seven lifts and it is only 203km from Athens.

More mythology is to be had at Mainalo ski resort, one of the country’s oldest and long ago still home to Panas, the shepherds’ goat-legged god (who was half human and half goat), and the nymphs.

Or if you like your slopes fully modernised, consider Pigadia ski resort, Greece’s only centre with 100% snowmaking coverage and the one with the reputation as the best organised ski resort in the country, boasting modern, up-to-date facilities as well as some of the steepest terrain.

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