With the first snow of winter last weekend it was time to head to the ski slopes. ALIX NORMAN struggles in vain to get there
I learnt to ski in Cyprus, starting with one of the very patient instructors from the Cyprus Ski Federation. Back then, there would be snow in December, January, February and March. And in one memorable year, there was still enough to ski on at the start of April. Those were the days.
Once you’ve started skiing, it’s totally addictive: I begin checking the snow report in November. The Cyprus Ski Federation and Club website gives all the details one could wish for: information on the roads, slopes and ski schools, and a live feed from the slopes of North Face via webcam. But in recent years, most of my ski forays have been abroad: having a partner who is enthusiastic about skiing to the point of obsession, I’ve been lucky enough to enjoy the pistes of Europe on a regular basis. Germany I can fully recommend. Everything works, even the lifts on Christmas Day! Austria is a little wackier, more exuberant, while my better half swears by Switzerland, claiming it has the most breath-taking scenery in the world.
But in these financially difficult times, Cyprus gives ardent skiers a much less expensive option: €20 for a day pass to all areas. Though the pistes are much shorter than those abroad, there’s something for everyone. Even those who have never braved the rush of life on skis can enjoy coffee or lunch at one of the two restaurants, huddled in the warmth or – on sunny days – catching the rays outside while watching others hurl themselves downhill at great speed.
With the first sign of snow on the mountains, I dig out my skis, check my boots, find my sticks. This year I was thrilled to find I could still fit into my ski suit. Less thrilled to have lost a glove. Throwing on a base layer or two – I’ve been to know to cry from the cold – we packed the car and headed for the hills.
What is it about the road to Troodos that turns it into the annual tractor rally each winter? There are two lanes – one up, one down – and you can guarantee that any impatient skier will be held up no less than three times by a trundling tractor hogging the middle. In our case, we also scored a JCB on a sight-seeing trip and a couple of tourists with ADD. And that was before we even reached the mountains.
Michalis Kazamias is President of the Nicosia Ski Club and began skiing in 1982, when the sport was still fairly new to the island. “I taught my wife, then my kids and my friends. Back then there was hardly anyone on the slopes; skiing was considered a privilege. Now the culture has changed, so many more people are taking up the sport.”
Maria Nicolaou, who has been a skier for over 30 years, also recalls the early days: “Skiing was more unique back then, and everybody knew each other on the slopes. It was fairly basic in the 80s, there wasn’t really any piste-grooming equipment. More people are aware of it now, it’s far more mainstream. But even the crowds won’t stop me from going! Though it’s easier to travel abroad nowadays, it’s much simpler and, more importantly, cheaper to day-trip up to Troodos.”
As a further financial incentive, this year rental costs and lift tickets have decreased in price: €20 for a day pass for all lifts, €12 for the afternoon only. The Ski Station at Sun Valley also offers the hire of boots, skis and sticks for €12 a day, or €9 after one o’clock, while children’s equipment can be rented for €8 for the full day and €6 for the afternoon only. Cross-country kit is available at €8 a day, while any budding snowboarders can rent their gear for €18 in total. A season pass for Ski Club members costs €100.
Though the Cyprus Meterological Society’s website says the temperatures over the next two months may be slightly above average, Doros Arnos of the Sun Valley Ski Shop is cautiously optimistic about the prospect of heavy snowfall this winter. “There’s a depth of 35cm at the moment,” he says, “and we’re hoping for more. But who knows what could happen with the weather?” He mentions that an unprecedented number (over 500 in total) made their way up to the slopes last weekend, so the season has well and truly begun.
They were, however, the lucky ones. As we passed Kakopetria, a place much improved by the blanketing of snow on each rooftop, and Platania – transformed into a winter wonderland, crystals glinting on each leaf – it was amid the stark splendour of Amiandos that the problems, and the blizzard, began.
Here’s the thing. We’re a four car couple (I know but we do recycle all our plastic) but our only four-wheel drive was in the garage. So as the next-best-thing, we’d chosen the Alfa Spider, fantastic for breezing to the beach in the summer heat, brilliant for zipping round town. Not recommended for snow-covered surfaces, or endorsed for use on the shadowed bends where black ice lurks. We were soon stuck in a drift next to a snowed-in snow plough.
My suggestion involved prostrating ourselves in front of a passing pick up and pleading for help. We waited. And waited. As the blizzard worsened, so did our tempers. Just at the point where we’d turned the whiteout blue with expletives help arrived. A Freelander heading cautiously down the mountain disgorged a couple of men who pushed, pulled and coaxed us out of our literal rut.
It was time to call it a day. It’s a scene probably repeated hundreds of times during the winter months as snow-bound day-trippers fail to realise that without the proper vehicle, the roads up to Olympus can defeat even the most enthusiastic of motorists.
Travelling downhill at five miles an hour, we finally cleared the whiteout, negotiated the icy bends and stopped for some après fiasco hot chocolate to calm our frazzled nerves. We’d live to ski another day. So, if you feel you can brave the crowds, skiing in Cyprus is clearly the way to go this winter. Not only is it cheaper than ever to rent equipment, you won’t even have to pack a suitcase: as long as the roads are clear and you’re in a suitable vehicle, you can be there and back within the day.
For details of roads, slopes, lessons and events, check the Ski Federation and Ski Club website: www.cyprusski.com
