– The Backcountry Ski Touring Blog
  • Avalanches
  • Gear Reviews
    • Ski Reviews
    • Boot Reviews
    • Binding Reviews
    • Snowboard Splitboard
    • Book Reviews
    • Avalanche Beacon Reviews
    • Airbag Backpacks
    • Backcountry Electronics
    • Misc Gear Reviews
  • Podcast
  • Tips & Tricks
    • Ski Touring Basics
    • Boot Fitting
    • Fitness & Health
    • Gear Mods
  • Trip Reports
    • Fourteeners
    • Huts – Cabins – Lodges
    • Denali McKinley
    • 8,000 Meter Skiing
  • Stories
    • History
    • Humor
    • Land Use Issues
    • Evergreen Ski Touring
    • Poetry
  • Resources
    • All Posts Listed
    • 100 Recent Comments
    • Backcountry Skiing & Ski Touring Webcams
    • Ski Weights Comparison
    • Archives of WildSnow.com
    • Authors Page
    • Ski Touring Bindings
      • Trab TR2 Index and FAQ
      • Salomon Guardian & Tracker
      • Naxo Backcountry Skiing Bindings – Info Index
      • Silvretta Pure Backcountry Skiing Bindings – Info Index
      • Marker F10-12 Duke Baron
      • G3 Onyx Ski Binding FAQ
      • G3 ION Ski Touring Binding
      • Fritschi Backcountry Skiing Bindings – Info Index
      • Fritschi Diamir Frame Bindings Mount DIY
      • Fritschi Diamir Bindings FAQ
      • Fritschi Tecton FAQ
      • Atomic Salomon Backland MTN
      • Dynafit Tri-Step Binding 2001-2003
      • Naxo randonnee alpine touring AT ski binding FAQ
      • Dynafit Skiing Bindings – Info Index
      • Dynafit Binding Frequently Asked Questions FAQ
      • Dynafit Beast 16 FAQ Review 1
      • Dynafit Beast 16 FAQ Page Two
    • History
      • Ski Touring Binding Museum
      • Trooper Traverse Intro & Index
      • Randonnee Ski Touring “AT” ski gear — What is Hip?
      • Chronology
    • Backcountry Skiing Core Glossary
    • Gear Review Policy & Disclosures

– The Backcountry Ski Touring Blog

Banner
  • Avalanches
  • Gear Reviews
    • Ski Reviews
    • Boot Reviews
    • Binding Reviews
    • Snowboard Splitboard
    • Book Reviews
    • Avalanche Beacon Reviews
    • Airbag Backpacks
    • Backcountry Electronics
    • Misc Gear Reviews
  • Podcast
  • Tips & Tricks
    • Ski Touring Basics
    • Boot Fitting
    • Fitness & Health
    • Gear Mods
  • Trip Reports
    • Fourteeners
    • Huts – Cabins – Lodges
    • Denali McKinley
    • 8,000 Meter Skiing
  • Stories
    • History
    • Humor
    • Land Use Issues
    • Evergreen Ski Touring
    • Poetry
  • Resources
    • All Posts Listed
    • 100 Recent Comments
    • Backcountry Skiing & Ski Touring Webcams
    • Ski Weights Comparison
    • Archives of WildSnow.com
    • Authors Page
    • Ski Touring Bindings
      • Trab TR2 Index and FAQ
      • Salomon Guardian & Tracker
      • Naxo Backcountry Skiing Bindings – Info Index
      • Silvretta Pure Backcountry Skiing Bindings – Info Index
      • Marker F10-12 Duke Baron
      • G3 Onyx Ski Binding FAQ
      • G3 ION Ski Touring Binding
      • Fritschi Backcountry Skiing Bindings – Info Index
      • Fritschi Diamir Frame Bindings Mount DIY
      • Fritschi Diamir Bindings FAQ
      • Fritschi Tecton FAQ
      • Atomic Salomon Backland MTN
      • Dynafit Tri-Step Binding 2001-2003
      • Naxo randonnee alpine touring AT ski binding FAQ
      • Dynafit Skiing Bindings – Info Index
      • Dynafit Binding Frequently Asked Questions FAQ
      • Dynafit Beast 16 FAQ Review 1
      • Dynafit Beast 16 FAQ Page Two
    • History
      • Ski Touring Binding Museum
      • Trooper Traverse Intro & Index
      • Randonnee Ski Touring “AT” ski gear — What is Hip?
      • Chronology
    • Backcountry Skiing Core Glossary
    • Gear Review Policy & Disclosures
   

Athenian Ski Touring at Parnassos, Greece

by Lou Dawson January 18, 2016
written by Lou Dawson January 18, 2016
Louie at Parnassos.  You can access a large area of ski touring terrain by riding a modern gondola.

Louie at Parnassos. You can access a large area of ski touring terrain by riding a modern gondola, one-ride ticket is 8 euros. Keeping it real is easy, just stay at an authentic alpine club refuge you can ski to from the resort, or eschew the cable and tour under 100% human power. Your choice.

The Defner Refuge at Parnassos

The Defner Refuge at Parnassos. First built in 1923, with several remodels and additions since then. This time of year (January) you’d usually find a meter or more of snowpack. Interestingly, we were told that the snow does arrive in large dumps and the dry conditions can change to a fairly normal snowpack in a couple of days given a big storm coming off the surrounding water.

We didn’t exactly have a view of the Parthenon from our ski location at Parnassos (ski resort near Athens, Greece, see map below). Yet I couldn’t complain. Greece has a lack of snow at the moment, so getting up in elevation is key. Today, we rode the cable at Parnassos ski center for a quick hit of white vertical, where we climbed for turns above the lift termini (is that Greek?) and checked out sublime views: Gulf of Corinth to the south and Euboean Gulf to the northeast. I like places where you can ski above the sea, Greece does not disappoint in that regard.

Defner Refuge meal.

Defner Refuge meal.

Adding to the fun at Parnassos, while Greece does not have the thousands of mountain huts as those of the Alps, a few classic “refugio” are owned by the Greek Alpine Club. The M. Defner refuge is located off to the side of Parnassos Ski Center, in a backcountry area that’s as yet untouched by mechanized skiing. You can traverse into the refuge from the resort, or hike up from parking at snow-line (usually an hour maximum walk). Begun in 1923 as a small stone hut, Defner now sleeps a few dozen people, replete with solar and generator electricity, and wood heat (worth also noting that during winter, all supplies are carried in under human power, making this a truly ‘off the grid’ experience.)

Defner refuge prices vary according to your meal requirements and length of stay, but you should be able to get a bed and three squares a day for about $25/person/day. Warning, Hellenic hut food is addictive — the baked feta cheese alone will have you swooning — then they break out the bean and sausage “mountain soup.” We spent two nights. Hut operator and ski guide Kostis Papadakakis along with cook Demitri kept us joyful as we communed with Zeus on the heights. We should mention here that film maker Constantine Papanicolaou was kind enough to haul Louie and I around for a week and show us Greece without the wrong turns and false starts we’d have done on our own. Adventure travel without a guide can be fun, but we didn’t have many days to see things so it was nice to have Constantine help us focus.

If you want to combine a visit to Athens along with skiing, I do recommend utilizing Dafner refuge as well as the Parnossos lift access. This especially if you don’t have a lot of time to travel around the country. You can contact refuge operator and guide Kostis Papadakakis via his Facebook. He’ll get you all set up for a stay. Anyone doing ski travel in Greece should also contact Way Out Adventures for general advice as well as arranging guides, accommodations and transport.

Note: Despite the Greek marketing juggernaut that would have you believe the country is all about blue water, white sand and ancient statues, Greece is actually a mountain country with hundreds of options for ski touring. Apparently, some of the peaks are even waiting for first ski descents! Various guides and smart adventure travelers have known about this for years so I’m not raging about anything newly discovered, but it’s worth emphasizing that these ski opportunities exist and are way under utilized.

From the feta cheese to the potatoes, you'll get our fill anywhere in Greece you sit down for a meal.

From the feta cheese to the potatoes, you’ll get our fill anywhere in Greece you sit down for a meal.

Hiking a ridgeline of Parnassos, high above the Gulf of Corinth

Hiking a ridgeline of Parnassos, high above the Gulf of Corinth

The first day we found icy snow and wind,  foggy weather.

The first day at Parnassos we found icy snow, wind a and fog. We got out for a tour anyway but never caught the legendary views. Weather reports said that next day would clear, so instead of our planned extra day in Athens we hung at the refuge in anticipation of actually skiing above the Mediterranean seas.

A delicious Greek breakfast on a gorgeous bluebird morning.

A delicious Greek breakfast on a gorgeous bluebird morning.

Enjoying the views of Ionic sea and the Peleponese

Enjoying the views of the Ionic sea and the lands of the Peleponese.

Kostis had this Matsouka poster on his wall at home, it shows the northerly side of Parnassos.

Kostis had this Matsouka poster on his wall at home, it shows the northerly side of Parnassos, arrows indicating high points reached during our second day of ski touring. Apparently Penelope Matsouka is a prolific author of Greek tourist maps and guides. Check out all her stuff on Amazon.

Constantine skiing on Mt. Parnassos.

Constantine skiing on Mt. Parnassos.

Kostis skiing.

Costas skiing.

The cool old Prophet Elias Church, located at the top of the ski lifts.

The cool old Prophet Elias Church, located at the top of the ski lifts. One thing you notice is the Greeks build stuff with a lot of stone, inspirational for our own projects back in Colorado.

Lou skiing

Lou skiing

Costas

Kostis

Defner is fronted by a large sunroom looking out to this view of  the Gulf of Corinth.

Defner is fronted by a large sunroom looking out to this view of the Gulf of Corinth. It might be one of the more aesthetic mountain huts you’ll ever experience.

5 comments
0
FacebookTwitterPinterestEmail
previous post
Outdoor Retailer 2016 — Picture All The Goodies
next post
Black Diamond Cosmo Headlamp Review

5 comments

Lisa Dawson January 18, 2016 - 7:00 pm

Stunning vistas! I bet Greece will be a lovely place to ski spring corn, or do they call it feta schnee?

Tore Meirik January 18, 2016 - 11:48 pm

Now thats a decent amount of fried cheese Louie!

Wookie January 19, 2016 - 3:00 am

Thanks for the beta Lou! Its on my short list!

Dimitris Blanas January 19, 2016 - 4:09 am

welcome to greek ski community,

what a surprise to have you around. It sounds funny but actually we are quite many hanging around and skiing lonely couloirs, and reading your blog.

next time you visit us, give a notice to your blog and we will try to organize a true sea to summit adventure and hut to hut (poor ski bum haute route alternative) mountain ski-climbing experience. Lamb chops, feta , soup and guiding from us, scenery is free, snow and good friends welcome .
Dimitris

Lisa Dawson January 19, 2016 - 6:41 pm

Dimitris, that sounds wonderful. I’m coming along on the next trip for sure!

Comments are closed.

Recent Comments

  • A. K. Mattix on Tele Tech First Look — Voile Ultra Vector BC, 22 Designs Lynx, Scarpa TX Pro
  • Roy Haraldstad on Envisioning a Friendly, Busier Backcountry — Shaun Deutschlander Q&A
  • Jim Milstein on Simple and Dependable — Black Diamond Helio 145 Binding Review
  • Peter M on Tele Tech First Look — Voile Ultra Vector BC, 22 Designs Lynx, Scarpa TX Pro
  • Peter M on Tele Tech First Look — Voile Ultra Vector BC, 22 Designs Lynx, Scarpa TX Pro

Gear Reviews

  • Simple and Dependable — Black Diamond Helio 145 Binding Review

    January 20, 2021
  • Versatile and Sustainable — WNDR Vital 100 Ski Review

    January 14, 2021
  • Meidjo 3.0 Binding Review – Backcountry Telemark Evolves

    January 12, 2021

Trip Reports

  • Finding Early Turns on Rainier’s Muir Snowfield

    November 14, 2020
  • Treading Lightly Through Close-to-Home Mountains

    October 6, 2020
  • Snoqualmie Classic — Chair Peak Circumnavigation

    May 26, 2020

Totally Deep Podcast

  • Risky Business — Zahan Billimoria on Solving for Z

    December 14, 2020
  • Totally Deep Podcast 81 — CAIC Director Ethan Greene

    December 9, 2020
  • Unraveling the Mysteries of Avalanche Education — Totally Deep Podcast 80

    November 16, 2020

Tips & Tricks

  • 10 Essential Mistakes for the Backcountry Ski Touring Beginner

    December 2, 2020
  • Buying Used Gear Guide Part II — Poles, Avy Gear, Packs

    November 25, 2020
  • Save Your Ski Day — Emergency Car Kit Essentials

    November 24, 2020

Ski Touring Stories

  • Giving Myself the Gift of Backcountry

    January 15, 2021
  • Six Who Dared — Elk Mountains Traverse & Richard Compton Tribute

    January 7, 2021
  • Risky Business — Zahan Billimoria on Solving for Z

    December 14, 2020

Newsletter Sign-Up

  • Facebook
  • Twitter
  • Instagram
  • About Lou Dawson
  • Authors Page
  • About
  • Contact
  • Copyright & Legal
  • Website Security

@2020 - All Rights Reserved. Designed and Developed by WildSnow


Back To Top

Read alsox

Envisioning a Friendly, Busier Backcountry —...

January 18, 2021

Six Who Dared — Elk Mountains...

January 7, 2021

Happy Holidays and Powder Turns from...

December 25, 2020