Snowboarding the Parthenon
Ηταν 8 η ώρα το πρωί την Τρίτη 16 Φεβρουαρίου 2021 όταν με ξύπνησε ο Τσάμ να μου δείξει βίντεο απο τη Συγγρού καλλυμένη με χιόνι, και να χιονίζει ακατάπαυστα. Είχε φτάσει η μέρα που περίμενα σχεδόν 10 χρόνια.
Μάζεψα βιαστικά τα πραγματά μου, έστειλα νούμερο 6 και έφυγα να πάω να πάρω τον Τσάμ απτό σπίτι του. Με περίμενε στη μέση του δρόμου με μια φωσφοριζέ πράσινη στολή, τα χέρια ψηλά στον αέρα, σαν να ήξερε τι θα γίνει.
It was 8am when I got the call from Tsam, showing me video of relentless snowfall on Syggrou Ave. the day I had been waiting for for nearly 10 years had arrived. I packed my stuff up in a hurry, sent the government my Number 6 (Sports and Activities) message and headed over to pick Tsam up.
He was waiting for me in the middle of the road, wearing bright green pants and jacket, with his hands in the air, as if he knew what was about to happen.
Φτάνουμε στο πάρκιν του Διόνυσσου και ξεφορτώνουμε σανίδια και φτυάρια βιαστικά, σαν να μας κυνηγάει κάποιος. Ηταν η αίσθηση ότι είχαμε μόνο μια μέρα να το κάνουμε, μή τυχόν και τη σπαταλίσουμε!
We got to the Dionyssos parking lot and unpacked in a rush, like someone was chasing us. We all knew we only had one day to make it happen, and we couldn’t waste it.
Οι νιφάδες έπεφταν σαν χαρτοπετσέτες, και το πάρκο ήταν γεμάτο με κόσμο. Ολοι θέλαν να κάνουν βόλτα στο χιόνι, να δούνε την Αθήνα όπως δε την έχουν ξαναδεί.
Φτάνουν και άλλοι και σιγά σιγά βάζουμε μπρός τα φτυάρια. Ο Μήτσος, ο Γιάννης και ο Άρης όλοι βοηθήσανε να φτιάξουμε ενα κικεράκι, ενα landing και ενα in-run, φάτσα κάρτα μπροστά στον Παρθενώνα. Από τότε που θυμάμαι σκέφτομαι πόσο τρελό θα ήταν να έκανα snowboard μπροστά στον Παρθενώνα. Τώρα ξαφνικά το βλέπω μπροστά μου. Ονειρο.
Συνεχίζουμε το σκάψιμο. μεταφέρουμε χιόνι απο σχεδόν όλο το πλάτωμα κάτω απτο μνημείο του Φιλοπάππου στο σπότ. Μετά από κοντά 2 ώρες σκάψιμο ήταν έτοιμο. Αλλά ο καιρός ήταν κλειστός. Περιμέναμε υπομονετικά μαζί με όλους τους υπόλοιπους που βγήκαν να δούν το χιόνι.
The snowflakes were the size of napkins, and the park was full of people. Everyone wanted to play in the snow and see Athens like they’d never seen it before.
The rest of the crew began to arrive and we all got to work with the shovels. Dimitri, Gianni and Ari all helped to make a little kicker, a landing and an in-run, right in front of the Parthenon. Ever since I can remember I’ve always thought it would incredible to snowboard in front of the Parthenon. Now finally I can see it unravelling before my eyes like a dream. We keep digging and moving snow from all around the open rocky face underneath the Filopappou monument. After nearly two hours of non stop digging and carrying snow we were finally ready. But the weather had completely blocked our view of anything. So we waited patiently, together with all the rest of the passers by, for an opening.
“Ανοίγει” φώναξε κάποιος. Πιάνω το σανίδι. Ετοιμάζουν κάμερες. Κλίκ κλίκ κλίκ οι δέστρες. “Ετοιμος!”. “Πάμε” φωνάζουν. Εφυγα.
Για τις επόμενες 6 ώρες κάναμε ασταμάτητα. Σε όλο τον βράχο. Απτή μία ο Παρθενώνας, απτην άλλη η θάλασσα. Μια υπέρβαση της καθημερινότητας που ζούμε τελευταία. Κάτι που νομίζω όλοι το χρειαζόμασταν.
“It’s opening!” someone shouted. I grab my board. The boys get their cameras ready. Click Click Click I strap into my bindings. I shout “Ready!”. “Let’s go!” they say… Here we go.
For the next 6 hours we completely owned the spot. We shot around the whole area. The Parthenon on one side, the sea on the other. It was a dream come true. A transcendence from our daily lives, this new normal. Something I think we all needed.
Ρησπέκτ σε όλους που ήρθαν και βοήθησαν να γίνει πραγματικότητα:
WINTER IN ATHENS
Athens got hit with two (or three?) heavy weather systems beginning in late December, that left the city in a beautiful white mess. The streets were icy and slippery, people didn’t know wether to call the police or make dirty snowmen, and from above the city looked cleaner than it ever has as the snow covered the rooftops and roads with a white blanket. Meanwhile on the mountains around Athens, an “Arctic” scene kept the news reporters away from more important issues like climate change or political unrest, which was actually a nice change.
So we took to the hills. Different days, different friends, different mountains.
First we hit Parnitha where we had to overcome our first, and most unpredictable obstacle. A police blockade had shut the road up to the mountain, due to icy roads and increased risk of cars getting stuck on the narrow streets. We happily obliged, parking the car just out of site of the police, a little ways up the road, right next to a delicious little bit of swept snow. Spiro and I dug a little line on the side of the road and played around until sundown. Back to the city
A couple days later Spiro and I did a little reconnaissance mission up to Mt Pendeli to see if there was enough snow to ride. It was dismal. There was barely enough to make a tiny snowman. Still, we got the shovels out and made ourselves a fun little hip to play on, overlooking Athens below. Once again, we managed to finally start shooting just before sunset.
A few days later we woke up before dawn, gathered the troops and headed on a little photo mission to capture the city covered in white, a truly rare occasion. We packed the car full of warm clothes, fresh coffee and baked goods, and headed to two of my favourite lookout points – Neos Kosmos and Tourkovounia. I got the drone out and flew around the city, getting some awesome shots of the sunrise poking over Ymmitos and this epic moment where the light shone directly onto the parthenon while the city was still in the shade. Probably the first shot I’ve ever taken of the parthenon that I truly loved.
We headed up to Mt Pendeli after that to meet Spiro and Katerina Soldatou, who were planning a mixed theme photo shoot – Spiro Snowboarding and Katerina doing her Aerial Dancing hanging from a giant tripod. On the way up we found Billy who had arrived earlier and had started skinning up the mountain on his splitboard. The roads were snowy but not very icy down low, so Billy and I got a little tow up the road behind the jeep. We finally encountered some pretty deep snow and couldn’t get the jeep through, when along comes a beast of a car, carrying Katerina, Spiro, shovels and her giant tripod. It was probably the biggest car I’d seen in Greece for a while, a Ford Raptor. Ridiculous machine. Anyway, we dropped the jeep off and jumped in the back of the Raptor for a few hundred more meters. As beastly as it was, we still got stuck and ended up spending the majority of the day digging cars out (there were more)… until we finally got it unstuck and into a “parking spot”. Katerina and her buddies Giorgo and Kosta set up the tripod while Alexi, Billy, Spiro and I headed to the top to get some riding done. The snow was really deep now, like waist high, and as fluffy as despicable me. A good sign if you know there’s another meter of snow underneath. We were just floating on sharp rocks.
We finally made it to the top, where Badio strapped in and headed off down to help the others with the tripod. We scoped out a couple of spots and found out what it was like for the ancient Greeks to snowboard up here… fantastic.
We topped off the day with a little ride on the road back down to the cars, and then home for hot chocolates and more weird dreams about Australian motocross riders and polar bears in ice caves. don’t ask.
Snowboard Greece – PARNITHA – START LOCAL
With snow all over Greece and strong northerlies bringing in some super low temps, we decided to kick off the season with a little home shred. For Athenians that usually means Parnasso or Kalavrita, but the truth is Athens has a much closer snowy spot. PARNITHA. Home to the former king’s estate, red deer, an archaic casino and a few decent snowflakes a year.
The last minute crew assembled in Athens and we headed up early. Hill Bill, Iason and I (Themi) parked the car just past the refuge and went for our inaugural run, from the top antenna base down to the refuge. It was Christmas eve so the mountain was more full than I’d ever seen it before. Families playing in the snow, lots of hikers and runners. Super cool to see it so busy. We kept walking up to the very top, strapped in and made our way through the thick trees.
After a half hour or so of trying to find our way through the forest, with lots of tight turns and some shallow rocky presents along here and there, we got back to the refuge. No day would be complete without a little jib sesh.
Night fell – hot chocolates and a gentle breeze all the way home…
Skate Greece – we are all made of stars… dkms at #latraac
1. Fruit salad or beefy steak?
I guess both… I can’t decide!!
2. What bowls have you ridden in Greece and what’s your favourite one?
I’ve ridden most of them but my two favourite ones are latraac and the blue enigma bowl which is super hard to ride!
3. Do’s and Don’ts for bowl riding
l’m gonna talk about the (Don’ts) only. If you are not feeling hundred percent your body do not drop in the ramp, just let it go. There is always next time. That’s my first rule to everything.
4. 4 down?
Yeah! I started riding 4 down last year and it’s way better than the usual grind wheel setup. You can turn really fast and it’s perfect for bowl and stuff l think.
5. What does dkms stand for?
There is not any deep meaning behind it, it’s just my last name. (Diakoumeas) hehe!
Surf Greece – Mohxa Point Sessions
My bestee Jason (Zazeo) grew up in Palaio Faliro, one of Athens’ coastal neighbourhoods, often likened to California in that it sits on the water and had it not been for the tame mediterranean swells it would have been the equivalent of Venice beach or Santa Monica… I guess.
Anyway, after travelling around the world and back Jason realised that there’s a naturally occurring reef right off the beach that kicks up a small but tidy wave almost every day, coinciding with tide changing. So amidst the winter swimmers and vagrants that count beans down by the water Jason started a little experiment to see if the wave was ridable and moreover, fun.
Fast forward a few years and on a good day the Mohxa Point is nowhere near established or particularly fruit-bearing. You still get those one-in-a-thousand days though where Poseidon blows in just the right direction and the wave is ridable. sort of…
Check out Tsamphotography for some delicious surf photography and MOHXA Clothing if you’re into quality threads…
in the water: Jason Pachos, Andreas Tsamtsouris and George Peristeras.
Snowboard Greece – Lumberjack Jim and the Frozen Forest of Parnitha
So its 2016 and the season seems to have a little case of stage fright, poking its head round the curtain only for a moment at a time before receding to the backstage while the sun comes in to melt all the fluffy stuff away…