Powder. Snowboard. Greece. –

Greece is not all about white Villas and sandy beaches.

When one thinks about Greece, this small Mediterranean country in the Balkans, one may imagine countless small islands, sandy beaches, green waters, great food… the most sophisticated ones might think about Acropolis or the Olympic Games.. Others may think about «zorbas», feta, tzatziki and gyros..! Some might even think about the International Monetary Fund or even refuges.. But snow? Really? Come on.. Snow in Greece??

As weird as it may sound to the most, Greece is not a tropical country like Thailand or Bali.. The climate in Greece is the typical Mediterranean climate, mostly characterized by dry summers and moist winters and by the four seasons: winter, spring, summer, autumn.

When using climatological terms, we can subdivide the year into two main seasons: The cold and rainy period, which lasts from mid-October until mid- March, and the warm and dry season lasting from April until September.

All the above make Greece a year-round destination, ideal for any kind of outdoor activity and travel style – from long lasting sunbathing & scuba diving in the summer, rock climbing or mountain hiking in spring & autumn to endless snowboarding or skiing in winter!

When it comes to snow, various relatively high mountains can be found all over Greece, with the most of them being located in the Northern part of the country.

The highest mountain in Greece is of course Mt. Olympus, which was mostly notable as being the Throne of the Gods, with an attitude of 2,918 meters (9,573 ft) at Mytikas peak -which means «nose». Olympus is also the highest mountain in the Balkans.

Mt. Olympus is located between Thessaly and Macedonia, close to the cities of Katerini, Larisa and Thessaloniki.

Nowadays Olympus is also notable for its very rich flora and has been recognized as a National Park in Greece with an unique bio climate, home to several flora species, which can be found only there and in no other place on earth.

It is also famous for its many mountaineering and climbing routes as it consists a must-visit place for experienced climbers and it is also well known for the various ski-touring routes, offering ski-touring until the end of May!

In Olympus there is no ski resort open to the crowd due to its character as a National Park, and the small ski resort there is only open to specific groups of athletes or for military training.

Apart from Olympus, plenty of snow can be found in Parnassus, Kaimaktsalan, Kalavryta and Vasilitsa.

Smaller ski resorts are: Pisoderi, 3-5 Pigadia, Seli, Falakro and Karpenisi.

Some years ago the snow in Vasilitsa and Kaimaktsalan could reach the 4 meters height.!