Skiing in Crete – really?? A report from New York
Ktimatoemporiki Real Estate - 2022-01-20
Skiing in Crete – really?? A report from New York
When most people think of skiing destinations, Crete, an island in Greece may not be the first country that comes to mind, but believe it or not, Crete has just been featured in the New York Times Travel section on January 4th for “the best spring skiing anywhere”.
The writer reported that several years ago he began to hear stories which sounded hard to believe — stories telling him that he could find the best skiing on Crete. The spring snow conditions were said to be dependable, with stunning scenery where one could make long descents within sight of the sea, while spending the evenings at picturesque Mediterranean tavernas.
So, being a keen skier, he and a couple of friends decided to find out for themselves if the claims were true. One of his friends, John, was a keen property investor and so, with an eye for increasing his property portfolio, he decided to enjoy not only the skiing, but to look at possible opportunities for investment. John already had properties providing a very satisfactory return in Santorini and Crete, but he felt that this opportunity was something so unusual that it could be a very lucrative business – and as a bonus, he was able to enjoy a wonderful skiing holiday with his friends!
The group checked into a hotel on the picturesque harbour of Chania. On their arrival, the hotel manager obviously noticed their array of skiing equipment and asked why they had this with them on Crete. He was amazed when the group informed him that there was skiing on Crete and that was where they were going. So, if the manager of the hotel, a native Cretan didn’t know about the skiing on the island, maybe now is the time to spread the word to other skiers around the world.
“The best spring skiing experience anywhere, with good snow, long descents, little avalanche danger and what is increasingly hard to find anywhere, a lack of other skiers” was one of the comments in the article. He also detailed about how he was soon able to connect with a few other Greek skiers since word is now spreading, and it is slowly beginning to reach the mainland. He said that he felt as if he had discovered a skier’s paradise, at least a paradise for skiers who are willing to climb for their turns using lightweight alpine ski touring equipment and synthetic climbing ‘skins’ that attach to skis’ bases and grip the snow for the way up”. The serious guys!!
Skiing on Crete may be little known, but local reverence and respect for the mountains runs deep. In summer, the rocky valleys, ravines and summits form vast, blazing hot deserts. In winter, the snow is often several meters deep. The mountains of Crete are both the birthplace and burial ground of the greatest god of Greek antiquity, Zeus, and the island’s three ranges are speckled with ruins, shrines, chapels and the cave lairs of Greek mythological figures.”
In the winter of 2008, a local Cretan decided to use the road up from his home in Heraklion to the base of the island’s highest summit, Psiloritis. The roads wind through a handful of villages where sheep farmers and marijuana growers (some of Europe’s most prized weed is grown on Crete) have long protected their turf with a reputation for making outsiders — even coastal Cretans from just a few miles away — feel unwelcome. This tough reputation is earned in part from their stubborn and wily resistance to centuries of occupation by the Ottomans and, later, Nazi Germany. For its role as a rebel stronghold, Anogia, a gateway to good skiing, was burned and razed three times in the past 200 years, its villagers massacred.”
He was in his 20s at the time and had skied little up until that point, just a few days on the Greek mainland, which has a long history of skiing, with mountains that rise to more than 9,000 feet, and many ski areas — 25, to be precise. He thought his island home might offer a bit of practice in preparation for skiing elsewhere.”
Now, he and his growing group of local skiing friends were so excited by their discovery they decided to share it. They launched the Pierra Creta ski festival in 2014, a biannual event on the flanks of Psiloritis with a race and group skiing outings incorporated within a weekend of uniquely Cretan eating, drinking, music and merry-making. They’ve hosted four so far and now that the restrictions of travelling due to Covid seem to be subsiding, they are in the process of planning further events.
When most people think of skiing destinations, Crete, an island in Greece may not be the first country that comes to mind, but believe it or not, Crete has just been featured in the New York Times Travel section on January 4th for “the best spring skiing anywhere”.
The writer reported that several years ago he began to hear stories which sounded hard to believe — stories telling him that he could find the best skiing on Crete. The spring snow conditions were said to be dependable, with stunning scenery where one could make long descents within sight of the sea, while spending the evenings at picturesque Mediterranean tavernas.
So, being a keen skier, he and a couple of friends decided to find out for themselves if the claims were true. One of his friends, John, was a keen property investor and so, with an eye for increasing his property portfolio, he decided to enjoy not only the skiing, but to look at possible opportunities for investment. John already had properties providing a very satisfactory return in Santorini and Crete, but he felt that this opportunity was something so unusual that it could be a very lucrative business – and as a bonus, he was able to enjoy a wonderful skiing holiday with his friends!
The group checked into a hotel on the picturesque harbour of Chania. On their arrival, the hotel manager obviously noticed their array of skiing equipment and asked why they had this with them on Crete. He was amazed when the group informed him that there was skiing on Crete and that was where they were going. So, if the manager of the hotel, a native Cretan didn’t know about the skiing on the island, maybe now is the time to spread the word to other skiers around the world.
“The best spring skiing experience anywhere, with good snow, long descents, little avalanche danger and what is increasingly hard to find anywhere, a lack of other skiers” was one of the comments in the article. He also detailed about how he was soon able to connect with a few other Greek skiers since word is now spreading, and it is slowly beginning to reach the mainland. He said that he felt as if he had discovered a skier’s paradise, at least a paradise for skiers who are willing to climb for their turns using lightweight alpine ski touring equipment and synthetic climbing ‘skins’ that attach to skis’ bases and grip the snow for the way up”. The serious guys!!
Skiing on Crete may be little known, but local reverence and respect for the mountains runs deep. In summer, the rocky valleys, ravines and summits form vast, blazing hot deserts. In winter, the snow is often several meters deep. The mountains of Crete are both the birthplace and burial ground of the greatest god of Greek antiquity, Zeus, and the island’s three ranges are speckled with ruins, shrines, chapels and the cave lairs of Greek mythological figures.”
In the winter of 2008, a local Cretan decided to use the road up from his home in Heraklion to the base of the island’s highest summit, Psiloritis. The roads wind through a handful of villages where sheep farmers and marijuana growers (some of Europe’s most prized weed is grown on Crete) have long protected their turf with a reputation for making outsiders — even coastal Cretans from just a few miles away — feel unwelcome. This tough reputation is earned in part from their stubborn and wily resistance to centuries of occupation by the Ottomans and, later, Nazi Germany. For its role as a rebel stronghold, Anogia, a gateway to good skiing, was burned and razed three times in the past 200 years, its villagers massacred.”
He was in his 20s at the time and had skied little up until that point, just a few days on the Greek mainland, which has a long history of skiing, with mountains that rise to more than 9,000 feet, and many ski areas — 25, to be precise. He thought his island home might offer a bit of practice in preparation for skiing elsewhere.”
Now, he and his growing group of local skiing friends were so excited by their discovery they decided to share it. They launched the Pierra Creta ski festival in 2014, a biannual event on the flanks of Psiloritis with a race and group skiing outings incorporated within a weekend of uniquely Cretan eating, drinking, music and merry-making. They’ve hosted four so far and now that the restrictions of travelling due to Covid seem to be subsiding, they are in the process of planning further events.
