Skiing in Cyprus, snow an hour from the sea

Skiing on a Mediterranean island sounds like a joke, and I understand anyone who doesn’t believe it. But Olympus in Cyprus gets its winter snow and has a small ski area with real history and very fair prices. Here’s how it works, drawing on the Cyprus Ski Club, which runs it, and the Troodos Development Company.

A small resort with a long story

The club was founded in 1947, while Cyprus was still a British colony, and its pioneers walked up to Troodos because nobody cleared the snow from the roads. The first lift, driven by a Ford diesel engine, went up on the hill opposite the Jubilee Hotel. The North Face lift has run since the winter of 1967, the Hermes lift came in 1972 and the Hera lift in 1985. In 2003 the club installed three snow guns on the Zeus slope, and in 2008 a 380 metre chairlift replaced the old T-bar on that same run.

The club also recalls that Cyprus first marched at a Winter Olympics in Lake Placid, in 1980.

Slopes and lifts

The ski area lies on the slopes of Mount Olympus, 2 kilometres from Troodos Square and 12 from Platres. It splits into two areas. North Face has the FIS homologated Zeus slope, its chairlift and the Hera T-bar. Sun Valley, on the other side, has the Aphrodite and Hermes T-bars and a children’s lift, and that’s where the schools are.

The club says all its runs suit beginners, intermediates and advanced skiers. I’d read that with some caution and think of Sun Valley for starting out and North Face for confident skiers. An international FIS race is held on the Zeus slope every year.

If you are staying the night, see the best hotel deals in Platres for your dates: the well-placed rooms go fast.

Season and hours

The club usually opens in early January and closes at the end of March, as long as the snow cooperates. In season the lifts run all week from 9:00 to 16:00. The club posts the state of the slopes and of the roads up on its website, and as everything depends on the snow, it’s worth checking before you set off.

Prices

The latest published prices are for 2026. An adult day pass cost 15 euros on weekdays and 25 euros at weekends and on holidays, and the children’s pass, for those born in 2010 or later, 13 and 20 euros. There’s an afternoon pass from 13:00 and a weekly pass, and the chip card carries a 3 euro deposit. Club members pay less. The 2027 season prices were not yet out at the time of writing.

So you do not lose the morning at the ticket office, browse tickets and tours in Platres on GetYourGuide.

Planning it

The ski area is about an hour’s drive from Limassol and Nicosia, according to the club. The club also reports on the roads up, and I’d read up on driving in Cyprus in winter before heading up. To sleep nearby, Platres has the most hotels, and the square has a couple of places right by the slopes. If you want to mix snow and culture, from there it’s a short drive down to the painted churches of Troodos in the Solea valley.

If you would rather go at your own pace, see the car hire deals in Limassol: the earlier you book, the more cars are left to choose from.

If you are staying the night, see the best hotel deals in Platres for your dates: the well-placed rooms go fast.