Making tracks in the snowy Med

Many don't put '' Greece'' and ''ski'' together in the same sentence, but cold weather aficionados have known for years (since 1928 in fact) that alpine wonderlands around the south Mediterranean's mountainous regions are nothing to be sniffed at. When the cold sets in from December to April and even later up north, ski and snowboard fans alike will be up at the crack of dawn making their way to one of 20- odd Grecian hills that are cheaper than their north European counterparts, in large part because the vast majority are run by municipalities and local alpine clubs. The latter have helped care for the nation's winter heavens more than 70 ears under the Hellenic Ski Federation umbrella.

While some may not be of Swiss Alpine statue, the ski centers in the mountains of Greece are all respectable altitudes, ranging from 1400= to over 2400 meters - well within the range of many of the best resorts world-wide. Even with the effects of global warming, scientists (and global-makers) now reckon that 1,500 meters is the critical altitude or ''snow line'' where winter temperatures should remain at or below freezing.

Here's the run-down then of home-grown centers, most admittedly in the north of the country but that doesn't mean southerners are stuck at second-best base camps. The biggest is right here in our own backyard.

The Telemark Ski Company is run by the UK's leading telemark skiing teachers and offers telemark ski touring, on- and off-piste telemark instruction, cross country skiing and Nordic touring throughout Europe.

GREECE – Mount Parnassos