Category: snowboard

Welcome to a super special day at Kalavrita ski resort… After a 2-day dump, the snow conditions were epic, although it was still a little crusty up high, and soupy down too low. We still got our money’s worth playing in the trees… Special thanks to Andoni for the fun hike out. Nice one buddy!

Special appearances by Mel Wax, All School and Tale…

Music by ΟΔΟΣ 55 – ΑΤΤΙΚΗ ΒΙΚΤΩΡΙΑ

#thethingaboutgreece #manicside #360VLOG #microxtreme

All photos by Meletis Vaxevanidis – Check him out on instagram

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Continuing our search for some of the best spots to snowboard around Athens, we packed our shovels and headed to Parnitha with Vasili Kagiouzi, and then to Kithaironas with Prifti, Dimitri and Stefano. Parnitha is less than an hour’s drive from pretty much anywhere in the greater Athens area, and at an altitude of 1300 meters holds a surprising amount of snow during winter. Historically it was the King’s playground, where he spent time amongst the wolves and deer you can still find up there today. After a fire ravaged most of the lower forestry it’s been left with a fraction of the trees it once had, sad I know. Still, you can find a bunch of cool spots to play in, including some pretty fun tree runs… but be careful, it can get pretty dense in there!

Next stop, Kithaironas, standing tall behind the Western Athens skyline, is a surprisingly rich sanctuary with an alpine feel. There’s a road that leads to the peak, that also passes the mountain refuge, which unfortunately doesn’t stay open in the winter. Never mind, it’s still a good spot to build a little kicker and enjoy the view of Athens in the distance.

Mad Speks to all you guys! Now get out there and go riding!

Huge thanks to The Velvoids for providing us with the raddest soundtracks. Make sure to check them out at www.thinkbabymusic.com

#thethingaboutgreece #manicside #microxtreme #weridelocal #mohxaclothing

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One fine January morning we decided to head up to one of Athens’ most iconic peaks – Mt Pendeli. The plan was to drive up as far as we could go, but things got a bit hairy with the jeep so we ended up walking up most of it. The peak was covered in fresh snow and the sky was clear blue, so clear you could see all the way to Karistos on one side, and Elefsina on the other. Pendeli isn’t the highest mountain around Athens, but definitely a sight for sore eyes! Enjoy this video best on your phone, while looking around!

Special Speks to Billy (who broke his kneecap on a rock), Alexis for keeping it old school and Badass Badios for… being badass.

#thethingaboutgreece #manicside #360video #fusion #goprofusion #microxtreme

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Το Banked Slalom είναι ίσως ο πιο θρυλικός αγώνας στην ιστορία του snowboarding χωρίς όμως να έχει καθιερωθεί στην Ελλάδα μέχρι στιγμής. Δημιουργήθηκε πριν από 32 χρόνια στο Mt Baker των ΗΠΑ, παρόλο που εκείνη την περίοδο το snowboarding δεν ήταν αποδεκτό από τους υπόλοιπους χιονοδρόμους ως άθλημα, το συγκεκριμένο χιονοδρομικό κέντρο ήταν από τα λίγα το οποίο τούς δεχόταν. Είναι, λοιπόν, ένας αγώνας εναλλακτικός, ένας αγώνας αλληλεγγύης, ένας αγώνας για όλους.

Μπορεί να άργησε 25 χρόνια αλλά το πρώτο Banked Slalom στην Ελλάδα πραγματοποιήθηκε με μεγάλη επιτυχία στο χιονοδρομικό κέντρο της Ζήρειας. Με τη βοήθεια του χιονοδρομικού, και των αδιάκοπων εθελοντών, φτιάξαμε τη πίστα ‘φίδι’ με 18 στροφές, 2 άλματα και ανόμαλα καρουμπαλάκια σε μήκος 400 μέτρων. Ο κάθε διαγωνιζόμενος είχε 2 χρονομετρημένες καταβάσεις και την ευκαιρία να κερδίσει καλύτερο χρόνο, καλύτερη στολή ή καλύτερη τούμπα.

Ευχαριστούμε ολόψυχα τους εθελοντές μας για τη βοήθεια και την παρέα, τον Γεράσιμο, τον Κωστή και την διαχείριση του Χιονοδρομικού κέντρου Ζήρειας, τούς υποστηρικτές και όλους εσάς που δώσατε τον καλύτερο σας εαυτό για να γίνει αυτό το εβέντ πραγματικότητα.

Οι υποστηρικτές μας: Χιονοδρομικό Κέντρο Ζήρειας, CAPSOUL CAPS, MicroXtreme, We Ride Local, Mohxa Clothing, Massive Boards, Basement 22, Fivetwenty Taste Experience, Jackals Tattoo, RISE TV, Plastikourgeio,

Special Thanks to: DJ ONETWO, Tiny Jackal, Θανάσιμος, Zografos X WISE, Ηλίας Μερτής

Οι Νικητές:

BEST COSTUME

Γιώργος Πρίφτης και Γιάννης Γιαννόπουλος

BEST BAIL

Βασιλική Βασιλοπούλου

FASTEST SNOWBIKE

Γιώργος Αλούπης

FASTEST SKI

Μάριος Μασούρος

FASTEST SNOWBOARD

Λάζαρος Κωτακίδης

PROUDLY SUPPORTED BY:

Χιονοδρομικό Κέντρο Ζήρειας, CAPSOUL CAPS, MicroXtreme, We Ride Local, Mohxa Clothing, Massive Boards, Basement 22, Fivetwenty Taste Experience, Jackals Tattoo, Plastikourgeio

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.

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…

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