Mount Parnassos, Greece

Visitor reviews for Mount Parnassos

• April 01, 2008
  Alex from UNITED STATES
  

  Expensive & full of "noumera". that is true.
  However, on weekdays, this resort is a gem of nice skiing, thrilling off-piste and powder runs.
  After a snowfall, skiing under the Iraklis chair lift is great. Gently steep, ending in the "Koilada".
  Sahara is northern facing and keeps the powder for days and days after a snowfall.
  From Ermis mid-station [Syndetiko], ski down to the parking at Kelaria 1750. More than 500m descent, untracked, careful for some rocks.
  Dare I mention the Gerontovraxos Couloir?! People in the Alps are glorifying such north facing couloirs, yet in Parnassos it is rarely tracked. Ok, so it needs about a 30 minute walk to reach, but so what? The memory of leaving tracks on that couloir will last more than 30 minutes, guaranteed!
  And stop complaining about the expensive restaurant & coffee. Get some sandwiches from home and a bottle of water in your backpack and all you will spend is 30Eur for a ski pass.

• January 28, 2008
  rodPosse from UNITED KINGDOM
  

  Now the mountain belongs to us... rodPosse...!

• January 22, 2008
  Kostas from GREECE
  

  It is typical of how service is usually perceived in the public sector as well as in many privately operated companies.
  Bulgaria is next door with Borovets as the best resort and soon FYROM and even Kosovo will have their own modern resorts.
  New EU motorways under construction will cut the traveling time even for weekend day visits.

• January 19, 2008
  Stamatis from GREECE
  

  Expensive, expensive, expensive, Oh! did I mention it is expensive? I have skied all over the world and, quite honestly, I have never dealt with such rude & unprofessional staff in my life. I wonder if the management reads these reviews? I will never come back. Not because of the ridiculous charge for a coffee at the lodge, but because I like to be treated with respect. Shame on the management or "lack of management"

• December 29, 2007
  TPap from GREECE
  

  So the picture is very clear ...
  The mountain could have been better without all these "androids" without brains that run it.
  The worst thing about this resort is the people who run it.
  I wonder if most of them even finished elementary school.
  They did not receive any hospitality and behaviour lessons for sure.
  Let's raise our voices and bring some really experienced resort management professionals that are not corrupt and not related to dirty politicians. There is still a chance.
  Until then, with the same amount of money, one can get a really nice week arrangement in Lech or Zermatt or Cervinia.
  Why bother with the "androids" ?

• December 24, 2007
  nik from GREECE
  

  Really expensive compared to the pistes and lifts.
  The best piste in the resort (Hercules) is a five minute run and a quarter waiting on line until you take the lift and you might not see it working some days (so you compromise with the more boring and smaller ones).
  When the lift that connects Kelaria with Fterolaka is open you have an off-piste opportunity but that's really rare because that lift is rarely open.
  Generally it's the same story with most of the resorts in Greece (at least near Athens). You don't have many choices so they don't try to make conditions better because either ways you'll pick one of them to go (no competition so not better quality).

• December 24, 2007
  Alex Papas from GREECE
  

  Parnassos ski resort: What a great disapointment....!
  Though the administration has changed after many years (government not involved any more) the results are even worse than before.
  If you decide to go there you must be desperate for some skiing, packed with a lot of patience and not have a problem with being robbed off.
  When you ask for some manager and not just a girl behind the cashier, to explain why they make skiers wait 1-2 hours just for entering the resort (you must wait in the same line with people that want to take the cabin and go the resort just for coffee...), they just never show up.
  Sad to say but this is the truth.
  I could go on but I'll stop here. Congratulations!

• December 03, 2006
  John from GREECE
  

  Parnassos Ski Resort though only a 2 hour drive from Athens is supposed to be the "biggest" and "best-organised" resort in Greece...but forget that...the place is helishly expensive and snobbish. The small picturesque village of Arachova (20 minutes from the pistes) is the only resort nearby where you can eat drink and sleep in quite reasonable prices in comparison to the alpine standards.

  The resort is very expensive (by Greek standards) for the facilities, snow, extent, etc. that it offers (day ticket 27 Euros). It is not strange to find big queues especially at peak times and during Greek holiday periods. However, the place is the only resort in Greece that offers 25km of ski pistes with about 14 ski lifts, some new ones, a cable car, a very nice challet in the pistes, tree runs (only in Fterolaka) and sometimes a snowboard fun park. The park is excellent by Greek standards and has rails, kickers, boxes which you won't find all together in any other resort in Greece. Moreover, it has another advantage... imagine snowboarding while gazing the wonderful Greek sea (ONLY a 40 minute drive from the resort). Enjoy snowboarding under the unique Greek sun, something which is difficult to find elsewhere, then drive down to the archeological site of Delphoi (30 minutes), and after that head down to the sea and enjoy your fish meal in a traditional Greek tavern by the seaside...

  Forget about alpine standards, there is no comparison...BUT if you come to Greece from the period between Christmas and the end of March it would be worthwhile to pay a visit. I am not sure if you'll enjoy the snowboarding, but for sure you'll have a great time.

• February 18, 2006
  DIMITRIS from GREECE
  

  Parnassos is a beautiful skiing destination only during weekdays. Do not attempt to visit it during the weekend because you will probably find yourself stuck in some huge nerve racking traffic jams. For those daring ones who will decide to challenge their luck on the weekends, the lift prices will be another reason not to repeat the same mistake again! Anyway, it is worth the visit despite the fact that you might be dissapointed by the way such a beautiful place is being managed!

• February 11, 2006
  Nasos from GREECE
  

  Expensive (27euros for 12 lifts!), very old equipment, not at all educated personel (most of them are arrogant and upset all the time, as if they work without being paid!)
  Don't visit that place! It isn't worth it at all!
  If you want to ski in Greece go to N. Greece (Falakro, Voras, Vasilitsa, Vigla, Seli, Pelion)! at least people there are more friendly. It is cheaper and less crowded!!!!

• December 29, 2005
  MIKE from GREECE
  

  I live in Athens and the resort is close to me (2 hours). When the snow condition is very nice for weekend, Fterolaka is special with many off piste runs through trees. But the center is too old and very very expensive for what's on offer. The same price as elsewhere in Europe (27 euro) but not the same facilities. The resort is very poor and very old. The people there (manager, state) are thieves with this price. They offer nothing, but they want high price for anything, ticket, coffee etc. When I'm going Europe I feel so nice for everything is better value. Nobody would go here if it were not so close to Athens!!! What can we do???

• December 16, 2005
  George Hadzigiannakis from GREECE
  

  For those who want to ski/snowboard in Greece, mt Parnassos offers beautiful 360deg view of the Greek mainland and the sea surrounding it. Do not visit it during weekends and await for sunshine. You will be highly rewarded. Prices from Mo-Fri are significantly cheaper, the meat at the tavernas excellent. Poor quality of service and lifts, safety is a matter of relativity and prices to be laughed at. Greece at its best, snow culture at its lowest. Despite that, don't miss it.

• December 08, 2005
  sativa from GREECE
  

  I've been raised in Mount Parnassos but the last recent years I am very disapointed with the resort..very high prices, no new slopes and we have so many..no snow parks for freestyle skiers and snowboarders!! In other words an abandoned ski resort that everyone thinks to be the coolest!!! Please do something quick!!!

• November 17, 2005
  christian from GREECE
  

  GET A REASONABLE SNOWPARK!!!! SNOWBOARDERS NEED PARKS!!!!!!!!!!!!!! we'll stop digging up kickers in the middle of pistes!!!

• March 02, 2005
  Ane from NORWAY
  

  Parnassos skiing is a wonderful place as such, with at the moment, great snow and nice view! BUT and there is a big BUT, it is run by complete amateures!!! Neither cultivating nor developing ANY ski culture. Safety measures are poor with very old lifts, in any other country they would have been closed years ago, with pist machines driving around in rally speed without any warning, lifts beeing closed because they are frozen!!! surprise, surprise it is cold in a ski resort!! and this happens only in Greece!! Prices are expensive, not only the skipass but the coffee too, 4 euros must be by large the most expensive coffee in Europe.
  It is to my great sadness that things are like this thus the mountain has such potential. Yet an other example of disrespect towards nature and people. I strongly suggest new management!!!!

• January 29, 2005
  yorghos from GREECE
  

  Paranassos ski resort has 3 skiing areas:
  Kelaria (the most popular, 'trendy' but packed), Gerondovrachos that is only open in weekends (really nice place, but no infrastructure - I wish someone invested on this part of the mountain) and Fterolaka (a more quiet place, favorite to 'real' ski lovers and not to ski fashion victims).
  If you want to visit during weekends be aware that Kelaria will be PACKED with people that have skied a few times and think that are experts already. You wont find any real ski behavior there, don’t expect to be respected, and for God sake watch out for human ski torpedoes (beginners that ski down the slopes having no control over their skis).
  This nice picture for 25 Euros, plus huge jammed queues, and a lot of walking from and to the parking lot. (Make sure that you arrive very early in the morning to park near the bottom lift).
  For a nice family atmosphere visit Gerondovrachos (make sure that it is open and running). It is good and safe for kids.
  If you want to ski down a red that tends to be black at some points visit Fterolaka. You will pay a cheaper ticket (15 euros), parking will be normal, as well as skiing behavior.
  Plus you can ski down to Kelaria to make some public relations with 'trendy people' that smoke 20 cm Cohiba cigars on the chairlift.

• January 25, 2005
  admin from UNITED KINGDOM
  

  The resort was very poor. At 25 euros for three rickety old lifts (with all safety features either removed or unservicable), it was by far the most expensive outdoor day's skiing I've ever had, nearly beating even MK's Snowzone. One's fellow skiers were rude, there was no no lift queue (laughable term at Parnassos), etiquette. Unmarked 'pistes' (another laughable term), with so many unmarked rocks that I warned other members not to take their best (or indeed their own) skis. Only James Bond would be able to drive Athens to Parnassos in 2 hours. Every one else would take three and a half. Yes, it is strange to find skiing in Greece, but you'd probably go only once.

• November 26, 2004
  Silvio Rossi from UNITED KINGDOM
  

  I visited Parnassos first time last year. I couldn't believe that in Greece you can find a skiing resort just 30 minutes from the sea!Good quality of snow,and for almost all the level of experiences.But the best one was afterthen in Arahova. Beautiful,village with panoramic view to the sea.Plenty of restaurants, bars and clubs with a wild nightlife and full of beautiful people. Skiing during the morning and clubing during the night. You have to visit this place in any case.

• November 26, 2004
  Ahmet Douas from UNITED KINGDOM
  

  The largest ski area in Greece. There is snow, from December to April, and is very popular with people from Athens, making it very crowded in the weekends. A 2 hour drive from Athens, Parnassos is located above the villages of Arachova, and Delphi, famous with historical artifacts.. A very sunny mountain, but rather chilly with an icy wind, Parnassos doesn't have the best quality of snow as it is close to the sea, and also it lacks that major snowfall that is welcomed by skiiers. However, with a fresh fall of snow, the powder is enjoyable. Overall, an enjoyable resort, with the opportunity to ski with friends, and an amazing view of the sea, if you are in Greece, Parnassos is worth a visit..

• November 11, 2003
  Ed from GREECE
  

  Parnassos is a very atmospheric mountain in a beautiful setting above the Greek forest. The ski area is quite good for a mountain of this height but being just two hours drive from Athens, it is over-crowded at weekends.
  Apres-ski means Greek tavernas in the surrounding villages, the nearest of which are Arachova and Delphi, the site of the ancient oracle.
  From the highest lift you can see the sea in two directions, North east and south west and on a clear day the mountain Olympus to the north.
  The season is typically from january to the end of April. Christmas/New Year is always a matter of luck.
  There's plenty of accomodation, shops and eateries in all directions though you must book for weekends. If you can go during the week you will be treated to very under-occupied pistes and no queues.