Kalymnos - Climbing Paradise

 A list of words to describe Kalymnos:

Rocks, caves, cliffs, tufas, stalactites, steep, pumpy, rope stretchers, underclings, tired forearms, olives, olive oil, sponges, honey, wild thyme, goats, cats, bees, more cats… you get the idea.

Nearly a month ago Kathleen and I arrived at this magical little island with high expectations of the climbing and the scenery. As is rarely the case in this life, our expectations were met and then some. When we flew in from Athens on a small propeller plan we got our first view of this craggy rugged island rising steeply out of an emerald blue sea. Orange limestone walls streaked with dark water stains and tufas contrast with the green hillsides that surround them.

Our host for the month, a portly Greek man with short silver and black hair called Skevos, picked us up in a tiny red car and drove some steep winding roads from the airport to the studio we rented for the month. We caught our first glimpses of the neighboring island “Telendos” and off in the distance, a truly massive cave called the “Grande Grotta”. Our minds were immediately blown and psych was really high.

The climbing here is absolutely fantastic and totally unlike anything I’ve climbed before. The routes are long and sustained. They are pumpy, with big features, yet still technical as they rely more on good footwork and creative rest finding than they do on brute strength. The variety of features forces you to utilize your whole body, especially your core, rather than just fingers. After a day of climbing, we were sore all over, but usually not too sore anywhere in particular.

We settled into our studio and made ourselves at home on our first afternoon.  The next day we began what would become our routine for the next month. We make breakfast, pack snacks and a small lunch for the crag and then head out to the crags. From our door it was ~40 minutes walking to Grande Grotta which was the center of the Kalymnos climbing universe. We’d spend most of the day at the crag, taking ample time to rest in between routes, then when we were thoroughly exhausted and hungry, we’d make our way down the hill, grab a gelato and head to the beach for a swim and then usually a restaurant for a cheap and delicious Greek meal.  Stuffed and satisfied, we’d saunter back to our studio and pass right out. Often we were right back at it the next day. Along the way we made a couple of neat friends including a Canadian ex-Pat teacher called Dan and a retired 31 year old banker called Bo. Bo and Dan joined us for many of our climbing days and helped a bunch with the photography here.

I recently read Alex Honnold’s biography and was impressed by his monk-like focus on climbing. I took the opportunity of being isolated on this remote island to clear my mind and hone my body to become a stronger climber. For the first two weeks of our stay I avoided the Internet and booze completely and tried to use them sparingly after that. I started keeping a climbing diary and diligently tracked my climbing for my whole stay. Looking back we climbed 17/ 27 days on the island, totaling nearly 2500m!

With so many crags and 5-star routes to choose from, I never settled on a project. I tried most routes onsight, and redpointed just a handful on my second go. I don’t think I tried any routes more than twice aside the classic warm-ups that Kathleen and I preferred. As a result, I didn’t push my grade as much as I perhaps could have, but I definitely have gotten better at climbing onsight.

Kathleen’s favorite climbs were:

• Harakiri, Spartacus (6b+)
• Panselinos, Panorama (6b+)
• Uncle Ernie, Panorama (6b)
•  Opera, Symplegades (6b)
• Fight of a Woman, Eros (6b)

KG on "Fight of a Woman" - 6b

My best sends of the trip were:

• Nickel, Kalydna (7a+ OS),
• Aegean Sea, Panorama (7a+ 2^nd go RP),
• Pompadoux, Secret Garden (7a+ 2^nd go RP)
• DNA, Grande Grotta (7a, flash)
• Kastor, Arhi (7a OS)
• K-22, Calcite Cave (7a OS)

Pompadoux 7a+

Kastor - 7a

Towards the end of the month, I finally started to try some routes near my limit, which would have made great projects if I had more time. The route below are mega classics that I’ll have to come back someday to send.

·      Nymphi, Calcite Cave (7b)

·      Tremendos Telendos, Eros (7b)

One big regret of mine from the trip was not climbing in Sikati Cave. We hiked out there to take a look on a rest day, but never made it back for a climbing day. The cave is outrageous with the longest steepest routes you could imagine and it sits above a beautiful and secluded beach. The only downside, however, is that most of the climbing is 7b and above so it’s not exactly a “something for everybody” type of crag. If you have the guns, this place is a can’t miss. It has to be one of the most spectacular sport crags on the planet.

The meteor hole - Sikati Cave

Best Beach ever...

Other highlights from our stay in Kalymnos: The food was amazing and the people are incredibly nice. We visited the main town on the opposite side of the island from the climbing called Pothia on few occasions. We wandered the streets, took pictures and got a glimpse into the Greek life. We stumbled on an amazing little dessert place with mega delicious and cheap baklava and tiramisu among other deliciousness.

Cute Kalymnian couple in front of their very interesting decor

The harbor was really interesting as well. Interesting old fishing boats, workboats, sailboats as well as some sunken vessels which were still tied to the dock! This made for a haunting ambiance as we wandered around the harbor on a slightly stormy spring day.

Pothia