PlanetSKI in the Summer

7th July 2024 | James Cove, Kefalonia.

Last modified on July 20th, 2024

What has a beach holiday in Greece got to do with skiing? Not much, but perhaps more than you might think. Especially as the country has 25 ski areas. UPDATED

It is a question we are often asked at PlanetSKI: “What do you do in the summer?”

We head to the mountains for hiking, cycling, glacier skiing and get up to a few other activities.

The Alps come later, and we’ll be finishing off walking the South Downs Way, then there’s watersports & cycling in Devon plus hiking up Ben Nevis, to mention just a few.

Don’t get us wrong – PlanetSKI lives for winter.

But there’s plenty to do and post about in the summer months.

Us skiers have wider interests.

Currently we’re in Greece, enjoying the island of Kefalonia and making plans to visit Greece’s ski resorts next winter.

Greece has a number of resorts and we’ll be writing about them in the next part of this rolling blog.

First stop, the island of Kefalonia on the west coast.

It’s been a few months since we were were in the Alps – we left our alpine base in Innsbruck in the Tirol back in April.

PlanetSKI leaves Innsbruck. Image c/o PlanetSKI

The temperatures were in the 30s, the same as we were set to experience in Greece.

It was pleasing to see that despite the heat in early April in the Alps, some snow remains at altitude in the Alps as we flew over the mountain range on our way to Greece.

Flying over the Alps. Image © PlanetSKI

After the early April heat winter returned with a vengeance at altitude into May.

You may have read elsewhere on PlanetSKI of the good summer conditions for glacier skiing:

The airport in Kefalonia airport actually bears more than a passing resemblance to Innsbruck airport – small, simple and easy to get through.

Kefalonia airport. Image © PlanetSKI

Flying into Innsbruck. Image © PlanetSKI

Innsbruck airport is 10-minutes from the city centre.

Kefalonia airport is just 15-minutes for the capital, Argostoli, our first port of call.

In the city’s main square for some reason one cafe was named after a type of ski lift.

Argostoli, Kefalonia. Image © PlanetSKI

The main attraction of the island is its beaches.

Like runs and areas in ski resorts, one soon finds one’s favourites.

There are big ones:

Petani beach, Kefalonia. Image © PlanetSKI

And small ones:

A beach at Asos, Kefalonia. Image © PlanetSKI

Beach at Assos, Kefalonia. Image © PlanetSKI

Vouti was an absolute favourite.

Vouti beach, Kefalonia. Image © PlanetSKI

And sitting at beach taverna for lunch is not dissimilar to sitting in a mountain restaurant.

Zell am See/Kaprun, Austria. Image © PlanetSKI

But instead of surveying the slopes and the snow, one surveys the sand and the sea as time slips gently past.

Vouti beach, Kefalonia. Image © PlanetSKI

And like in some small ski resorts (especially in Italy) the facilities at Vitouri remain somewhat primitive.

Vouti beach, Kefalonia. Image © PlanetSKI

One of Kefalonia’s, if not Greece’s, most famous beaches is Myrtos.

Myrtos beach, Kefalonia. Image © PlanetSKI

The approach is stunning, and like a fabulous mountain view it is worth stopping, admiring and simply soaking in one’s surroundings.

Myrtos beach, Kefalonia. Image © PlanetSKI

It is between the two mountains of Agia Dynati and Kalon Oris that both reach 901m.

The highest mountains in Kefalonia rise to 1,628m in the Aenos range.

Kefalonia, Greece. Image © PlanetSKI

Most of the beaches in Greece are off the main roads and reached by simple roads, often single track.

Road to Myrtos beach, Kefalonia. Image © PlanetSKI

Their twists and turns with some sheer drops to the side are like some alpine roads we know well.

Myrtos beach, Kefalonia. Image © PlanetSKI

But sadly like some ski runs and resorts Myrtos can be rather over-run with people and tourist buses, and not quite the ideal beach experience it should be.

On our visit it was packed and was a bit like being in one of the French mega-resorts with their over-crowded slopes.

Like famous ski resorts and well-known ski runs there are usually better ones if one knows where to look.

Or just head to the areas of the packed beach that are a bit tricky to get to at the far extremes, where most can’t be bothered to make the effort to reach.

Myrtos beach, Kefalonia. Image © PlanetSKI

I am pleased to report that food and drinks are great value in Kefalonia like many a resort in Austria and Italy, rather than France and Switzerland.

The summer prices are not those of the Cote d’Azure or the Carribean.

Large beer – €6 (£5)
Glass of house wine – €4 (£3.40)
Greek salad – €8 (£6.80)
Local fish dish – €20 (£17)

Dining in Kefalonia. Image © PlanetSKI

Like in ski resorts my advice is to seek out the bars and restaurants slightly off the beaten track, and the prices will be better and the experience more enjoyable.

The beautiful village of Assos was our second port of call after Argostoli, and a simple 40-minute drive.

Assos, Kefalonia. Image © PlanetSKI

It is famous for being the setting of the film, Captain Corelli’s Mandolin, and it’s easy to see why it was chosen.

Like the chocolate-box ski resorts Wengen in Switzerland or Alpbach in Austria it is a gem of a Greek beach resort.

Now I mentioned earlier that there is skiing in Greece in the winter months, and PlanetSKI is intending to visit next winter so we have been doing a bit of research while here.

Greece offers snow as well as sand.

There are 25 ski areas in Greece with 117 ski lifts that give access to 190 kms of marked slopes.

The main ones are:

Parnassos
Kalavrita
Katafygio-Oiti
Velouchi
Helmos
Vasilitsa
Mainalo
Ziria
Velouchi
Pertouli

They cover much of the mainland.

Image c/o Snowreport.gr

Skiing started for the first time in Greece in the 1920’s with primitive lifts and runs, but has had slowly rising numbers ever since.

“Although Greece is a country where the sun shines most of the year, it can also boast some very good skiing resorts with ultra modern facilities that can satisfy even the most demanding skiers, offering an unforgettable experience down spectacular ski runs where the beauty of the alpine landscape is guaranteed to take your breath away,” says snowreport.gr.

“Enjoy a ski run in some of the best known skiing resorts of the country, and feast your eyes on the beauty of snow-clad mountaintops as you experience an overwhelming feeling of freedom.”

More about the skiing and snowboarding in Part Two of this rolling blog as we focus on the skiing.

Greece is now very much on our list of places to ski.

It borders Turkey where we had a fascinating time visiting and skiing last winter.

Turkish Delight – PlanetSKI is skiing and sightseeing in Turkey

Right, back to the beach in Assos.

Now we don’t want to push the similarities with skiing too much, but there is a little tradition in Assos where hosts leave home-made cake for guests to enjoy at the end of the day.