By Nicolas Bard

The Kalavryta ski resort is perched on the slopes of Helmos, at an altitude of 1,700 meters, with its slopes starting at 2,340 meters, in an alpine landscape with dense fir forest and fresh snow during the winter season. There we come across a total of 13 slopes – 5 red, 3 blue, 3 green and 2 black – and 8 lifts, while the kilometers of stranded skiing reach 25 kilometers. The ski resort is very close to the picturesque Kalavryta, which is filled with mountains and winter sports every winter, making the area one of the most popular winter destinations in our country.

Helmos is a mountain range of the Northern Peloponnese and extends to much of Achaia and a smaller part of the prefecture of Corinth. It is located in the northeast part of the former province of Kalavryta and its highest peak reaches up to 2,355 meters. Its name means “snowy mountain”, as every winter is dressed in white. It is also called “Aroano Mountains”, a name known since antiquity, from the River Aroani that flows on its slopes, in a landscape of great natural beauty near the village of Planetero. The popular ski resort is located on the north side of the massif of Helmos, with its base about 14 kilometers from the town of Kalavryta.

The creation of the Kalavryta ski resort was an idea by Panos Polka, who served as mayor of Kalavryta from 1974 to 1990, and aimed at tourism development of the area. After all, the term of Helmos has always been an attraction for mountaineering and skiing lovers, and the idea had remarkable prospects, but at first it was treated with skepticism. Thus, Polkas created the first municipal company in Greece, according to European standards, with the aim of exploiting the project. The ski resort opened its “gates” to the public in the winter of 1988. In 2002 the Kalavryta ski resort was named after its creator, Panos Polka, in order to honor himself after his sudden death.

In the wider area of ​​Kalavryta, the visitor can today find very good tourist infrastructure and catering, and is the ideal destination for a weekend break for both the Patriots and the Athenians. There you can reach your car by car, with ski buses that often operate the winter season, or if you want to choose a more picturesque and romantic alternative, you can climb the toothed rail, which starts from Diakopto and passes through an idyllic route to the canyon. The only sure thing is that the natural landscape will enchant you and create the most beautiful memories against the backdrop of the white slopes of Helmos.