General The best spring destination? Crete! (According to this article)

[Slim]

The ‘Best Spring Skiing Anywhere’? Try Crete

The Greek island has no lifts, no lodges, no trail maps. But for those willing to climb for their turns, it’s got miles of wide-open terrain, dependable spring snow and no crowds.

www.nytimes.com

between the food, easy acces and the description of the snow, I put it on my list for when we can travel again.

 

[Tony S]

The ‘Best Spring Skiing Anywhere’? Try Crete

The Greek island has no lifts, no lodges, no trail maps. But for those willing to climb for their turns, it’s got miles of wide-open terrain, dependable spring snow and no crowds.

www.nytimes.com

between the food, easy acces and the description of the snow, I put it on my list for when we can travel again.

This is crazy!

 

[chris_the_wrench]

I was in Crete a few months before Corona(not skiing), I loved it there! Great food, fun people, not crazy with tourism, amazing sea with some real nice freediving. Dang ny times firewall, so I cant read the details.

 

[Slim]

@chris_the_wrench sorry about the paywall, I thought you got a few free NY times articles per month?

I sent you a pm with a link for access. If anyone else needs that, let me know.

I should also mention that I found out about it from this Wildsnow article.

 

[Slim]

I was in Crete a few months before Corona(not skiing), I loved it there! Great food, fun people, not crazy with tourism, amazing sea with some real nice freediving. Dang ny times firewall, so I cant read the details.

And the details are what matters.
The article claims they get the best corn snow anywhere in the world.

 

[Primoz]

Crete has few cool places for skiing, but honestly, spring is not the time I would pick for that. Middle or early winter yes, spring for sure not, unless priority is food and sea and not skiing.

 

[chris_the_wrench]

Crete has few cool places for skiing, but honestly, spring is not the time I would pick for that. Middle or early winter yes, spring for sure not, unless priority is food and sea and not skiing.

Why is that? Snow is gone early??

 

[Slim]

Why is that? Snow is gone early??

Indeed, @Primoz , tell us more. Based on my general idea of “warm Mediterraneanm so go in mid winter” I would have thought the same, but here they are quite specifically talking about spring skiing (granted, spring in the Mediterranean will be a bit earlier than in Svalbard .)

Were you able to read the article?

 

[Primoz]

@Slim I wasn't able to read article (i'm not gonna bother subscribing because of single article ). I have few friends who were skiing there and they all agreed that it's actually great skiing, but it's not really like Alps, where you can be sure there's snow. Sometimes there is, sometimes it's not. As for spring, yeah ok maybe "spring" has more meanings. For me spring is April or May, and at that time, from what I have been told, it would be pretty hard to find any skiing down there. But if you look at this as "local spring", then yeah spring it is, even though for us in Alps, it's still middle of winter

 

[crosscountry]

@Slim I wasn't able to read article (i'm not gonna bother subscribing because of single article ). I have few friends who were skiing there and they all agreed that it's actually great skiing, but it's not really like Alps, where you can be sure there's snow. Sometimes there is, sometimes it's not. As for spring, yeah ok maybe "spring" has more meanings. For me spring is April or May, and at that time, from what I have been told, it would be pretty hard to find any skiing down there. But if you look at this as "local spring", then yeah spring it is, even though for us in Alps, it's still middle of winter

Yes, "local spring".

"It was February 2020 and, accompanied by my wife, a longtime Greek friend, and the ski filmmaker Constantine Papanicolaou, I had come to Crete to ski"

 

[Primoz]

Ah ok then it's ok. For me, February is middle of winter, and I was thinking like that. But if it's "local spring" then yes

 

[Slim]

For me too, haha!

 

[Pequenita]

I gifted you all the article. You're welcome.

The ‘Best Spring Skiing Anywhere’? Try Crete

The Greek island has no lifts, no lodges, no trail maps. But for those willing to climb for their turns, it’s got miles of wide-open terrain, dependable spring snow and no crowds.

www.nytimes.com

 

[martyg]

Iceland in June. 6 hours of skiing in never ending alpenglow.

https://www.arcticheliskiing.com/en

 

[Slim]

@martyg i heard some guide mention Iceland as their favorite spring time destination too.
cheaper and faster to get to than Crete for me too.

But really, I just want to do both at some point, they both sound awesome. So many cool places in the world to go, so little time..

For now, with COVID, I am thinking of a climbing/backcountry/lift served trip to the Eastern Sierra Nevada during my kids spring break (Easter). That region has a lot to offer for spring time skiing and climbing too, and I have never there, summer or winter.
Can fly into Las Vegas and drive though Death Valley (I’ve never been there either)

 

[martyg]

@martyg i heard some guide mention Iceland as their favorite spring time destination too.
cheaper and faster to get to than Crete for me too.

But really, I just want to do both at some point, they both sound awesome. So many cool places in the world to go, so little time..

For now, with COVID, I am thinking of a climbing/backcountry/lift served trip to the Eastern Sierra Nevada during my kids spring break (Easter). That region has a lot to offer for spring time skiing and climbing too, and I have never there, summer or winter.
Can fly into Las Vegas and drive though Death Valley (I’ve never been there either)

International travel is tricky now. I am booked for two weeks of heli, followed by a week of fly fishing, for Iceland in April. No PCR test, for now. I bailed on BC and Patagonia due to PCR test requirement. Tough to get quick turn in our little mtn town.

Iceland is super easy to get to. May be cheaper than the Sierras. Round trip, coach out of Denver was running $350 on Iceland Air.

 

[locknload]

The Eastern Sierra are incredible....really one of the most spectacular mountain ranges around....you won't be disappointed.

 

[mdf]

International travel is tricky now. I am booked for two weeks of heli, followed by a week of fly fishing, for Iceland in April. No PCR test, for now. I bailed on BC and Patagonia due to PCR test requirement. Tough to get quick turn in our little mtn town.

Iceland is super easy to get to. May be cheaper than the Sierras. Round trip, coach out of Denver was running $350 on Iceland Air.

@SBrown posted a trip report for Iceland heliskiing awhile ago. Sounded like a great time.

 

[chris_the_wrench]

Can fly into Las Vegas and drive though Death Valley (I’ve never been there either)

Spring in Death Valley when the wildflowers are going off is amazing! You maybe in for a awesome trip. You going up Whitney?

 

[Slim]

Spring in Death Valley when the wildflowers are going off is amazing! You maybe in for a awesome trip. You going up Whitney?

No, family trip with my 14 and 11 year old kids. Was thinking some sport climbing in Lone Pine, some modest ski tours and some skiing at Mammoth,