The snow which "freezes" the shoulders of Chelmos is the ticket for skiers ... to surrender to the joys of balancing on the ice. Achaia visitors can feel free take with them their ski equipment. They are sure to find a way to use them on ski tracks that are the best and safest in Greece.
KALAVRYTA SKI CENTER
Kalavryta ski center at position Xirokambos was found in 1988 and it is located 14 km from the city of Kalavryta. The mountain site has seized its advantage which is the snow and the beautiful mountains of Chelmos covered by fir. The operation of the Ski Centre reversed the decline of the area and launched a rising path. Thus Kalavrita has developed into a tourist center with many hotels, recreational stores (cafes, tavernas, bars) and thousands of visitors each year.
The Ski Centre is located on the north side of Helmos at an altitude of 1650-2340 meters. It uses seven (7) Lifts (2 of beginner type, 2 of chair type and 3 of sliding type) with a total transport of 5000 persons per hour, offering 12 circuits of all levels and total length of 20 km. Also it offers cross country ski tracks, ski mountaineering trails and paths for running and climbing. There are three reception buildings offering times of relaxation, during coffee and lunch breaks. The parking is convenient and there is also a First Aid Station, shops, rental equipment and ski school. The Ski Centre is open daily during the winter season which lasts from mid December to late April.
On top of Helmos mountain, Neraidorahi crown is suited at an altitude of 2340 m. where there is a sophisticated telescope of the National Observatory of Athens, with a diameter of 2.3 m which is the
largest telescope in the Balkans and Eastern Mediterranean. The telescope was manufactured in Germany by the company Carl Zeiss Jena GmbH, funded by the General Secretariat for Research and Technology and the Community Support Framework.The telescope can observe subjects at 5 billion light years away, a distance corresponding to the age of the solar system. The telescope was named Aristarchus in order to honour the ancient Greek astronomer Aristarchus, who was the first to conceive the theory of a heliocentric system.