Greece - Korina Miller [586]
Kitesurfing
Also known as kiteboarding, this action sport has taken off in a big way in Greece and you’ll find beaches festooned with athletic surfers. The Greek Wakeboard and Kite Surf Association ( 69445 17963; www.gwa.gr) has details of popular kitesurfing locales. Each summer, Ammoöpi Click here on Karpathos hosts an international kitesurfing competition.
Skiing
Greece provides some of the cheapest skiing in Europe. There are 16 resorts dotted around the mountains of mainland Greece, mainly in the north. The main skiing areas are Mt Parnassos, 195km northwest of Athens, and Mt Vermio, 110km west of Thessaloniki. There are no foreign package holidays to these resorts; they are used mainly by Greeks. They have all the basic facilities and can be a pleasant alternative to the glitzy resorts of northern Europe.
The season depends on snow conditions but runs approximately from January to the end of April. For further information pick up a copy of Greece: Mountain Refuges & Ski Centres from an EOT office Click here. Information may also be obtained from the Hellenic Skiing Federation (Map; 210 323 0182; press@ski.org.gr; Karageorgi Servias 7, Syntagma, Athens). You’ll find information about the latest snow conditions on the internet at www.snowreport.gr.
Waterskiing
There are three islands with waterskiing centres: Kythira, Paros and Skiathos.
Given the relatively calm and flat waters of most islands and the generally warm waters of the Aegean, waterskiing can be a very pleasant activity. August can be a tricky month, when the meltemi (northeasterly wind) can make conditions difficult in the central Aegean. The island of Poros near Athens is a particularly well-organised locale with one organisation, Passage ( 22980 42540; www.passage.gr; Neorion Bay), hosting a popular school and slalom centre.
White-Water Rafting
The popularity of white-water rafting and other river adventure sports has grown rapidly in recent years as more and more urban Greeks, particularly Athenians, head off in search of a wilderness experience.
Trekking Hellas (www.trekking.gr) offers half a dozen possibilities, including the Ladonas and Alfios Rivers in the Peloponnese, the Arahthos River in Epiros and the Aheloos River in Thessaly. Alpin Club ( 210 675 3514/5; www.alpinclub.gr) specialises in the Alfios River and the Evinos River, near Nafpaktos in Sterea Ellada. Eco Action ( 210 331 7866; www.ecoaction.gr; Agion Anargyron, Psyrri) offers rafting and kayaking on the Ladonas River, which hosted the kayaking at the 2004 Olympics, as well as on another three rivers throughout Greece.
Windsurfing
Windsurfing is a very popular water sport in Greece. Hrysi Akti on Paros and Vasiliki on Lefkada vie for the position of best windsurfing beach. According to some, Vasiliki is one of the best places in the world to learn the sport, while Afiartis on Karpathos is for more experienced windsurfers.
You’ll find sailboards for hire almost everywhere. Hire charges range from €10 to €15 an hour, depending on the gear. If you are a novice, most places that rent equipment also give lessons.
Sailboards can be imported freely from other EU countries, but the import of boards from other destinations, such as Australia and the USA, is subject to regulations. Theoretically, importers need a Greek national residing in Greece to guarantee that the board will be taken out of the country again. Contact the Hellenic Windsurfing Association (Map; 210 323 3696; Filellinon 4, Syntagma, Athens) for more information.
Yachting
Yachting is an amazing way to see the Greek islands. Nothing beats the experience of sailing the open sea, and the freedom of being able to visit remote and uninhabited islands.
The free EOT booklet Sailing the Greek Seas, although long overdue for an update, contains lots of information about weather conditions, weather bulletins, entry and exit regulations, entry and exit ports, and guidebooks for yachties. You can pick up the booklet at any GNTO/EOT office