Winter Sports in Cyprus: Fun For Everyone

Winter Sports in Cyprus: Fun For Everyone

Although the island is well known as an amazing summer destination due to its sunny weather and beautiful sandy beaches, it can also be very enjoyable in the winter as well. The winter season lasts from December until February in Cyprus. During this period, you can enjoy winter sports, tours in the villages or simply have a relaxing time in the white mountain scenery with cold fresh air and breath-taking views.

It might be hard to imagine a warm Mediterranean island covered in snow. Indeed, snow is not really guaranteed here every single year, albeit it does happen very often. During the snow period in the Troodos mountains, the temperature falls down to approximately 5°C for at least 3 months of the year, from January until March.

Whenever it does snow you need to run to the mountain tops and try out some skiing and snowboarding, as it is a truly unique experience. Over the years, Cyprus has developed a Skiing and Snowboarding community, where people can enjoy winter sports, participate in competitions and have fun at various national or international events.

Cyprus Ski Centre

The highest point of the whole island is the top of Mount Olympus, called ‘Chionistra’, located at Troodos, in the Limassol District. Troodos is just 1-hour drive from Nicosia and Larnaca and 40 minutes away from Limassol and Pafos. You can easily find the place as there are signs on the way showing directions. You can rent a car if you do not already own one or take the bus from Nicosia’s main bus station or from Limassol old port to Troodos.

At the Troodos square, you can find the only Ski Centre in Cyprus, operated by the Cyprus Ski Federation. Overall, there are four branches of the Cyprus Ski Club located at Troodos, Nicosia, Famagusta and Limassol. You can purchase or rent ski and snowboard equipment from any of the shops and head up to Troodos to have a slide on the snow.

Once the snow starts to fall over the mountains of Cyprus you can prepare yourself for a fun journey with high adrenaline levels down the white hills. The Troodos Ski Centre has 4 ski lifts available, which operate from 9 am till 4 pm all week in the winter season and overall 8 alpine ski runs. Skiers of all experience levels can enjoy the sport in the 4 different slopes of the Ski Centre. Beginners can head up to the Sun Valley to enjoy skiing or snowboarding at Aphrodite and Hera slopes. As for the more advanced amongst you, the slopes Hermes and Dias (Zeus) are waiting to be explored on the North Face area.

If you are a newbie in the sport you do not need to worry. There is also a ski school at the Sun Valley area of the Ski Centre for both adults and children, with expert trainers ready to teach you the necessary skills and introduce you to the wonders of skiing and snowboarding. Feel free to contact the trainers for more information about the classes.

Contact Details:

• Troodos Ski school – Mr. Akis Grigoriou tel. 99443450
• Olympus Ski School – Mr. Aristos Avgousti tel. 99428116.

If you have not rented or purchased your equipment beforehand, you can do so from the Troodos shop at fairly good prices. It will cost you around €15 to €20 to rent each piece, depending on the equipment you need, for non-members and, of course, they have better prices for members, which range between €8 and €17. The ski lift pass costs €10 to €18 for non-members and €8 to €15 for members, depending on the duration of the pass. Furthermore, the season pass costs €100 to €130 for existing members and €200 for the new members.

If you are an experienced skier or snowboarder, you would be happy to know that you can enjoy national and international events as well. The Cyprus Ski Federation organises the International F.I.S Competition each year, initially created by the International Ski Federation, which takes place at the ZEUS Slalom Homologated Pistes. Furthermore, professional skiers have the opportunity to participate in the FIS Alpine World Ski Championships held every two years ever since 1931. The most recent one took place in Are, Sweden for the year 2019.

We are also celebrating the World Snow Day on the 20th of January. On that day, 45 countries organise 469 events at the same time! If you happen to be in Cyprus on that day, it is worth paying a visit to the Ski Centre at Troodos. Last year, on the 20th of January 2019, the Ski Federation organised an amazing event, offering children free ski equipment and training, to have fun in the snow, and free hot chocolate and sweets for children and adults.

Accommodation nearby the Ski Club Centre

The good thing about small countries is the fact that distances are rather short. You can reach Troodos in maximum 1 hour from any city of the island you are staying. However, if you plan to visit Cyprus exclusively to enjoy winter sports at Troodos, it would be wiser to stay nearby to reduce the time on the roads and have more to spend on the winter activities.

There are two hotels in the Troodos area, namely the ‘Troodos Hotel’ and the ‘Jubilee Hotel’. Both are very close to the Mount Olympus, around 1.5 miles, and the Troodos square. The hotels also have a very good rating and prices at a low range. Alternatively, you can book an even cheaper accommodation in the nearby villages, such as Kalopanayiotis, Platres and Kakopetria.

So whether you are moving over for better business opportunities or to live the island life, you are highly recommended to enjoy Cyprus in the wintertime to see for yourself that it is not only another Meditteranean island with blue waters and sandy beaches but also a fun and snowy destination. The island offers ski lovers the chance to have a blast in the mountains and participate in international competitions too. You should better include Cyprus in your list of winter vacation destinations.

Written January 2020