Snowsure: 3.4
- Occasionally gets enough snow for skiing
- Is often closed due to a lack of snow
- Occasionally suffers from a lack of snow
- Rarely suffers from a lack of snow
- Mount Parnassos is snowsure even in the poorest seasons
Visitor reviews for Mount Parnassos Ski Resort
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(NOTE: Reviews may be edited by our content team for the purposes of ensuring accurate and relevant information)
(NOTE: Reviews may be edited by our content team for the purposes of ensuring accurate and relevant information)
Latest
March 23, 2012
petros from
Greece
petros from
Greece
It seems like the owners of the ski resort do not care about the satisfaction of the skiers, but only about their money.
No comparison with ski resorts in other countries, where, although prices may be high, but the benefits are remarkable, but even with other ski centers in Greece.
There are slow lifts, lack of artificial snow, high prices in the chale of Parnassos ski resort.
The last weekend I have been there, where I met this situation:
most of the tables and the seats were gone, and if someone wanted to sit on a chair (not on the snow) had to pay 5 euro (!) for chair rental.
Not to mention the unpaid employees ...
I hope the time will come to understand that not everyone is stupid.
February 14, 2012
Jon Mines from
United Kingdom
Jon Mines from
United Kingdom
I haven't done any skiing in Greece for 30 years, but I spend a lot of time in Greece every year and finally decided to spend some time in Parnassos this year. The conditions have been really difficult this week, but that could happen in the Alps as well. I've seen a lot of comments about the cost versus other parts of Europe, but...if you can accept the "level" of the skiing, it's about half the price. A 4 star hotel in Arachova is about the same as a cupboard in Chamonix, a day's ski hire and lift pass is about 25 euros and eating out is about 15 euros per head with wine - what's not to like?
January 08, 2012
alex from
France
alex from
France
January 02, 2012
Tony from
Greece
Tony from
Greece
Avoid like the plague...
Went up with a friend on Tuesday 27th December, drive up the mountain from Amfiklia was interesting as the roads hadn't been cleared.
Arrived to be greated by dense cloud (visibility 2m or less) and strong winds. Staff were apologetic and said that due to the Christmas holidays, the weekend charge would be applicable...
Due to the visibility and wind only one lift (Aiolos) was open and they didn't know if the others would open...
Full price pass though (30 euro)! Take it or leave it.
We paid and we were lucky that the weather opened up and 15.00 (1 hour before the end) and we got a couple runs in the sun.
Parnassos is too damn expensive, and they (the management) do not care about customer satisfaction. Other local mountains have started providing offers, lowering lift prices and should be supported instead.
December 28, 2011
Sotiris from
Greece
Sotiris from
Greece
i see no point comparing Parnassos with the Alps.
it's like comparing Cyclades beaches with the ones by the lakes in the Alps. They definitely have no clear deep blue waters, less sunbathing, worst sand, basic water sports, worst beach bars and the list can go on... Not mentioning the number of beaches one can find in any island compared the just one "lake beach" in any single destination in the Alps. And they are hell too expensive per sand-mile...
Back to Parnassos, nice for beginners just a few good runs for advanced skiers, perfect for kids' lessons during weekdays. Slow lifts and small runs. But the best option one has for skiing if lives in/visiting Athens. If you want to have some weekend/day ski fun it's all you need, for serious skiing could go abroad.
A Swiss friend had once stated "I could never imagine you had a ski centre that close to Athens. Perfect to have the opportunity to ski a bit (with great snow), sunbath with Ouzo at Galaxidi (by the sea) on a beautiful sunny day followed by a night out at Arachova and next day trekking from Livadi to Delphi via Korykeion and visit of the site before heading back to Athens. Exceeded by far all my expectations for a weekend at the mountains combining outdoors, fun and culture".
Prices... it's always a matter of supply and demand. But half price, is that expensive?
The weekly card (because some love to compare with the Alps) would cost 121.50euros at Parnassos against 220-245euros at the Alps.
If you wish to ski for free, should built your own ski centre and invite me... :)
During the past 15yrs skiing at the Alps every year, I cannot recall a single restaurant where you can eat a full course with meat (not pasta or pizza) and wine under 25euros like in Parnassos.
Have fun at the mountains and Happy New Year all!
June 14, 2011
alex from
Greece
alex from
Greece
April 27, 2011
kounavi from
Greece
kounavi from
Greece
April 11, 2011
Apostolos G. from
Greece
Apostolos G. from
Greece
To speak frankly, after having visited 2 snow centers in Switzerland and Italy, Parnassos is only good for training. Yap, it is close to Athens, snow quality is average, prices are high, lifts are old but most important... slow!!! Yap, even Hraklis, the most modern one is operated in very slow speed. Latest trip at Fterolaka and it took forever to go up the main chair, thank god weather was sunny and we did some sun-tanning!
Don't get me wrong, Parnassos is not more expensive than Alps, but it is very expensive for what it offers, the ski, the lifts, the staff, the service, the safety, the operation... You have a constant feeling that you are paying too much for so little...
There are 5-10 days per year that snow and weather are perfect, but long waiting queues and slow or non operating lifts (!!yap, in a fine week-day there maybe some "malfunction"!!) could spoil it. So after 28 years of skiing there, I expect nothing more than to train to be better and enjoy more the next time I go to Alps.
February 12, 2011
chris from
Greece
chris from
Greece
February 08, 2011
Vangelis from
Greece
Vangelis from
Greece
Mount Parnassos is a magical mountain, home of the historical Oracle of Delphi and of mythical gods, demigods and creatures. A place of high energy and of beautiful surroundings at two hour’s drive from Athens, the capital of Greece.
General description of the resort:
The ski resort is divided into two areas, Kellaria and Fterolaka. Kellaria is a bit bigger, busier and generally preferred by snowboarders and the less skilled skiers. It also features the only modern chairlift in Greece. By modern we mean a fast four-seater that slows down for pick up and drop off. At some point in the season, a snowboard park is in operation, which is mostly badly maintained due to lack of funding (season riders offer their services as shapers in exchange for a season lift pass and the drivers of the grooming vehicles are rarely enthusiastic about spending hours ,that would otherwise be free time, in order to help build and maintain the park). Fterolaka features old school (tragically slow) chairlifts and higher difficulty runs. Each area has its own parking lot but the two areas are also connected by a chairlift which, unfortunately, does not work all days so beware. The side of Fterolaka features some very nice off-piste runs when the snow is good and plentiful. The resort is the busiest one in Greece, mainly due to its proximity to Athens, but also because it is supposed to be the biggest and best one in Greece, though the latter is debatable. On the quite frequent sunny days, the views all the way down to the sea are beautiful and its proximity to the sea side make it possible to ski in the morning and enjoy a swim in the sea and a fresh fish late lunch by the sea side in the afternoon, mostly at towards the end of the season. Link to the resort’s web site (only in Greek): parnassos-ski.gr
Around the resort:
There are a very wide selection of villages at distances between 20 to 45 minutes drive from the resort. The most famous one (and ridiculously expensive one for all services) is Arachova, which is the equivalent of Mykonos Island, for the winter season. All the other villages are reasonably priced and offer a wide range in budget and quality of services. There is no on-resort, car-free accommodation and there is no bus service from the villages to the resort, so you will definitely need your own transportation. Always get informed about road conditions before driving off and have with you snow chains or snow tires on your car.
Resort’s main pros:
1. Proximity to Athens
2. Beautiful surroundings
3. Lift-time to ride-time ratio, on week days, with the modern chairlift. Since this lift is fast and has practically no queues on weekdays, and the relevant slopes are not so long, you can ski/ride all day long without getting tired. You are on the limit of being tired by the time you are down (5-30 minutes depending on your level) and you are back up again in a long enough time for a quick rest, but short enough time to not get cold muscles (i.e. 5-6 minutes).
4. Wide range of difficulty level
5. Plenty of things to do and see around the resort (archaeological sites, various activities e.t.c.)
Resort’s main Cons:
1. Ridiculously expensive for the services offered. You do feel totally ripped off whenever you pay for anything on the resort (weekend and public holiday lift pass, refreshments, coffees, snacks).
2. Very old equipment, with the exception of the modern chairlift, though well maintained and safe to use.
3. Impossible to enjoy a good skiing day on weekends (especially the ones with good weather/snow conditions), due to incredible amounts of people and inadequacy of resort infrastructure (on all levels: parking, buying the lift pass, lift queues, restaurant e.t.c.) to accommodate such quantities people.
4. It belongs to the Greek public sector (for the ones that do not know what this means: employees with no motivation whatsoever to work since they cannot get fired, loss of income and increased expenses due to poor management and alleged -but believed by most- enormous kickbacks for any piece of equipment bought, general lack of motivation to enlarge and improve the resort due to endless bureaucratic procedures and constant changes of political parties in power - i.e. the typical corrupt public sector and government scenarios).
5. All the above 'cons' stress out people to the point where they are unable to enjoy what is supposed to be a fun day and an escape from the city and its problems. Unfortunately, the sight of arguments (sometimes even fist fights) at a queue is common and frequent (on weekends).
6. There are no 'all inclusive' weekly packages that you can take advantage of in order to save money. A week’s skiing in Mt Parnassos -all inclusive- will probably cost you about 50% more than if you travel abroad to go skiing for the same amount of days, including transport costs!
In a nutshell:
To have a good day’s skiing/riding, just go on any weekday and all is peachy fine (day pass is currently 15Euros for weekdays) and you will for sure enjoy your day, given good weather and snow conditions. If you want to avoid the other rip offs, just have your own snacks/water/refreshments/beer/tea with you and if staying overnight, avoid Arachova.
If you are planning to go on a weekend or public holiday, arm yourself with patience and be prepared to pay a lot of money for nothing in particular (day lift pass currently 30Euros). Make sure that you are the first person on the resort (max 08.00hrs) to avoid the traffic jams from cars stuck in the snow on the way up, the parking chaos and the lift pass queues and to enjoy 3-5 runs with few people. From 11.00hrs to around 15.00hrs be prepared for extremely long waiting times, a period to enjoy sunbathing, relaxing or back-country/off-piste exploring and then you are left with an hour of small queues again (until 16.00hs which is the normal closing time). Make also sure that you leave well after the masses to avoid traffic jams and frustration on the way down.
Nearest