HELMOS MOUNTAIN – SKI CENTER
The Kalavryta Ski Center or Helmos Ski Center is located on Mount Helmos, near Kalavryta.
It has eleven tracks of varying degrees of difficulty, located at an altitude between 2,330 meters and 1,700 meters.
Helmos is a mountain range of the northern Peloponnese extending over a large part of Achaia and a smaller part of the Prefecture of Corinthia.
It is located in the northeastern part of the former Kalavryta District and its highest peak reaches 2,355 meters.
It got its name from the very nature of the mountain as in winter it is the “snowy mountain”.
It is also called “Aroanian Mountains”, a name already known by the ancient Greeks, thanks to the river Aroanio, which originates from its slopes, in an area of exceptional beauty near the village of Planetero.
The ski center is located on the northern side of the central volume of Helmos, while its base is – via the local road network – approximately 14 kilometers from the town of Kalavryta.
Mythological elements:
The mythical Waters of Stygos are known and mentioned in many ancient myths. First of all, the river was thought to flow through the underworld and Pausanias had called it deadly to mortals. Iris, as a messenger of Zeus, was the only one who could go back and forth between the two worlds, carrying the “holy water” to the Gods.
In the waters of Stygos, the Nereida Thetis bathed Achilles’ son to remain immortal, leaving him with only one vulnerable spot, the heel where he was holding him. In the Waters of Styx the Gods swore by taking their most sacred oath. Anyone who interfered with him no longer participated in their councils but could also not enjoy the nectar and ambrosia for a full ten years. Finally, the Sun swore in the Waters of Styx, in order to fulfill the wishes of the son of Phaethon. So when Phaethon asked him to drive his chariot, he could not refuse, resulting in the clumsy and inexperienced youth causing his own death.
