This time, however, it\u2019s a revolution in tourism; Cretans are ready to pick up their ski poles and their skis and show the world that there\u2019s still an unspoiled Crete \u2013 far from the tour operators and the all-inclusive seaside resorts \u2013 in the heart of the island where shepherds still keep their flocks and make cheese, and where farmers grow fruit and vegetables to supply Greece and the rest of the world.<\/p>\n
The trailblazers of this \u201ctourism revolution<\/strong>\u201d are a group of mountaineers who\u2019ve been organizing Europe\u2019s southernmost ski mountaineering event, Pierra Creta, for the last five years.<\/p>\n \u201cIt\u2019s barely 30 years since the first Cretans, a small community of young people \u2013 guided by two or three pioneers of the previous generation \u2013 looked at the mountains from the point of view of mountaineering, and took up winter hiking, climbing and skiing,\u201d Nikiforos Steiakakis, one of the event\u2019s organizers, says.<\/p>\n \u201cCut off geographically from the rest of Greece, we had little contact with the country\u2019s mountaineering community. When, in 2012, we took part in a race on Mt Parnassos, we were struck by how seriously they took everything at this championship. So we thought we\u2019d liven it up a bit, Cretan-style.<\/p>\n \u201cWe decided to hijack the flow of the program and put on an alternative awards ceremony for those who came last. We asked the organizers to call them up by name. We took sheets of paper and wrote, \u2018Even those who come last have soul\u2019 and gave them out instead of participation certificates! And the cans of beer we had consumed (of which, admittedly, there were quite a few) we gave out instead of medals. And this was how, in that light-hearted mood, the idea was born to organize races on our own mountains, where we\u2019d ski, too, but mostly, where we could show others how to have fun the Cretan way<\/strong>.\u201d<\/p>\n Beginnings are always hard. Mainlanders mocked: \u201cHow can there be snow in the Libyan Sea?\u201d Local people sneered that, \u201csome dudes in colorful leggings\u201d would have little success approaching the unpolished residents of the villages of Psiloritis \u2013 Anogeia, Zoniana, Livadia<\/strong> \u2013 communities with a reputation of both lawlessness and gun ownership.<\/p>\n Nonetheless, the group didn\u2019t lose heart. The snow was there, and they found allies, including Father Andreas from Livadia. Sporting snow boots, he helped convince young and old alike that ski mountaineering is not only fun, but could also be used to promote sustainable tourism development. The locals, seeing that the mountains could be used for more than farming, were glad for a chance to change the area\u2019s reputation as a place \u201coutside the law.\u201d<\/p>\n The first year, seventy-three people turned up for the event. The well-known French mountaineer Christophe Moulin, invited to attend, couldn\u2019t contain his enthusiasm. He predicted that, within five years, this would be an event that all of Europe would want to take part in, and he was right.<\/p>\n This year, the fourth time the event was held, 200 people, including 58 foreigners from a total of 11 different countries, took part. The race consisted of two routes: a ski mountaineering race for top athletes (1,800m elevation difference with technical passes), and a shorter route for those taking part in a more amateur capacity (1,000m elevation difference).<\/p>\n And, as always, the fun element was at the fore. In place of energy bars, there were delicious bananas from Arvi (a local variety), and rakomelo (a mix of raki with honey) was substituted for energy drinks. The prize was a beer created for the event in partnership with a local microbrewery, which you could only drink if you worked out how your medal could be used as a bottle opener.<\/p>\n![\"Ktimatoemporiki](\"https:\/\/ktimatoemporiki.gr\/wp-content\/uploads\/2020\/11\/ktimatoemporiki-Snow-Way-Crete-is-Europes-Most-Surprising-Skiing-Destination-1-300x187.jpg\")
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