Crete is a world-famous tourist destination, but one aspect of the island remains largely unknown: it is an excellent destination for spring skiing, especially for visitors who are willing to go to the peaks without lifts and enjoy the open slopes and the very good quality snow.
This is the conclusion of an extensive New York Times tribute, which takes readers to the White Mountains and Psiloritis, as author Biddle Duke, who specializes in winter sports, recounts his unexpected experience in the snow-capped mountains of Crete. based in Chania.
Duke admits that he could not believe that Crete offers such opportunities, but he began to be convinced when one of the leading ski explorers, John Falkiner, introduced him to the Greek island.
See here in detail the NYT article.
“Crete is different from other places where I have skied,” said Falkiner, who works as a guide for affluent travelers and is one of the pioneers of ski tours in Norway, Lebanon, Japan, Turkey and in Kashmir. “I want to be there in March”, he added, emphasizing that Crete offers “the best experience for skiing in spring”.
During his trip to Crete, Duke discovers the “roots” of skiing in Crete, with the first systematic attempts to explore the slopes dating back to the end of 2008. The zeal of local skiers led to the establishment of the ski festival Pierra Creta in 2014, which will be repeated in March this year, after the break caused by the pandemic.
During his trek to the island, Duke describes the beauties of the snow-capped mountains enclosed by the sea. “In the first hour of the first day we started to capture the magic of skiing in Crete”, he says, as he narrates his first trip to the White Mountains, and the climb to the slope.
“In a few hours we reached the top (of the Holy Spirit). From there, the possibilities for skiing seemed to be unlimited. And on the horizon are the seas, the Mediterranean to the north and the Libyan Sea to the south. “There was no other soul as far as the eye could see.”
There Crete had another surprise in store for him: the snow on the slopes was not melted or weak, despite the temperate climate. Instead, it had the ideal strength and density for skiers (called corn snow in English). “Then came the Cretan revelation”, he writes characteristically, adding that the quality of the snow would remain unchanged “throughout the stay”.
The second excursion led Duke to Pachnes and a long descent that ended in a small plateau above Sfakia, where he had the opportunity to see the traditions of the area before a relaxing night in Chania, “flavored” by local cuisine.
The third and last excursion led him to Psiloritis, where he had the opportunity to go down the slope of “perfect” snow with the Greek skiers who invented the Pierra Creta festival.
Duke’s narrative concludes, symbolically, with a dialogue between the skiers, who talk about the slopes of Crete and the possibility of installing lifts.
“The experience of skiing in Crete is about nature and freedom, it must remain so”, says a member of the group, a ski instructor from Karpenisi, adding that many ski resorts offer lifts for anyone who wants to go to such infrastructure. “And why should I do that?” Replies one of the locals. “It’s so good here.”
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