Dardiza bay (3.5 kms from Ermioni) is a pebble shingle beach where many local and visiting Greeks go. Situated alongside the main road, it has a small mobile cantina during high season offering cold drinks and hot snacks.

The beach offers stunning views towards the islands of Hydra and Dokos and is close to some of the most important tourist spots in Ermioni, like Kranidi, Kilada, or Porto Heli, which remain unspoilt and beautiful.

First Ascent

In mountaineering, a first ascent (abbreviated to FA in guidebooks) is the first successful, documented attainment of the top of a mountain or the first to follow a particular climbing route. First mountain ascents are notable because they entail genuine exploration, with greater risks, challenges and recognition than climbing a route pioneered by others. The person who performs the first ascent is called the first ascensionist.

Dardiza Bayby 1 V- UIAA 30 m | Climbing in Dardiza Bay

“Dardiza Bayby 1” (V-, 30 m.) first ascent was made on 19/012/2021 by Olympus Mountaineering and C. Toutoutzis. 

The route is situated in the west face of the rock formation which is located south-west from Dardiza Bay, just few kilometers far from Ermioni. 

The route can be described as an “introduction” to traditional climbing with a single pitch length and of maximum grade V- UIAA.

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Dardiza Bayby 1 V- UIAA 30 m | Topographic Map

f you are going to climb alpine rock faces, you will need the most detailed information possible about the rock and the route. All this can be found on a topographic map: This is a graphic representation of a climbing route and can usually be found in a guidebook or on certain websites. The lead climber should always have the topographic map at hand when on the rock face.

Like any map, a topographic map uses symbols to represent information about the rock. Climbers can orient themselves on the basis of these standardised Symbols. Illustrations indicate the climbing direction, the length of each pitch and the number and type of belay points. Further indicators that can help with orientation include a logical route, the rock quality as well notable features on the rock.

Bellow a topo of the route Dardiza Bayby 1 V- 30 m.

General route information

“Dardiza Bayby 1” (V-, 30 m.) first ascent was made on 19/012/2021 by Olympus Mountaineering and C. Toutoutzis.

The route is situated in the west face of the rock formation which is located south-west from Dardiza Bay, just few kilometers far from Ermioni.

The route can be described as an “introduction” to traditional climbing with a single pitch length and of maximum grade V- UIAA.

Approach

Only 5 minutes drive from the town of Ermioni and 3.5 km to reach Dardiza Bay where we can park the car. Starting from Ermioni we head east towards Thermisia and at 3 km we turn right following the coastal dirt road.  

From there we drive for about 200 meters till we see a bench overlooking the bay and we park the car. From the parking spot, we have a short hike towards the west for 5 minutes.

• Parking spot coordinates: 37.399124, 23.260244 
• Beginning of the route: 37.398631, 23.257391

Route description

R0 – R1 | V- UIAA – 30 m.

Dardiza Bayby 1 is a single pitch (30 m.) and starts right from the base of the south-west side of the rock (37.398631, 23.257391).

The first part of this pitch is an easy slab UIAA III and UIAA IV. After few moves we reach the dihedral and we always have it on our right side. The part of the dihedral can be protected will with nuts or friends and the maximum difficulty is about UIAA IV. As soon we exit the first dihedral and just before reaching the second dihedral we come across the crux of the route which is two moves of UIAA V-. Having passed the crux, the route continues through the ridge with a slab of UIAA IV and after that again on the ridge with a maximum grad of UIAA III. As soon we reach the top we climb up to a ledge where we belay. 

Make a belay with a large sling or kevlar cordelette and an additional nut or friend on an obvious boulder. The belay position is very good and comfortable and with a unique view towards the islands of Hydra and Dokos.

From R1, we can also clearly see the following areas of climbing interest:

• Katafyki Gorge
• Pillars of the Wind
• Mount Didimo
• “Monsters of the Wind” Mount Ortholithi
• “The long run” Mount Ortholithi
• Castle Thermisia
• Dardiza Crag

View from the Top

Once we have reached the top of the rock, we came across the stunning view towards Hydra island, and the overall region of Ermionida. From the top, we could clearly see Mount Didimo, Pillars of the Wind and Mount Ortholithi.

Return

Our return route starts from the top of the route. We initially go north and after 20 m. we turn towards the west. We have to downclimb some boulders. The descent is through bushes and trees and there is not any obvious path.

The descent takes about 5 minutes.

Recommended Gear

For this multi-pitch climb, I used the following gear:

• Mammut Wall Rider Helmet
• Simond Alpinism 22 l backpack
• 5 lanyards 60 cm
• 1 lanyard 120 cm
• 4 locking carabiners
• 1 HMS carabiner
• Mammut Ophir Harness
• Simond Climbing shoes
• BD HotWire Quickdraws
• Alpine Quickdraws
• Cordelette for prusik
• 2 x 60 m. rope
• 4 carabiners
• Reverso
• 1.5 lt of Water
• 1 energy bar
• Friends / Camalots
• Rock Nuts

Details of the Climb

• Location: Dardiza Bay
• Starting Point: Dardiza Bay 
• Ending Point: Dardiza Bay
• Trail Signs: No
• Difficulty: Medium
• When to Climb: Late Autumn, Winter, Early Spring
• Water Features: None

Download for free the complete route description and Topo map

• Download the complete route description and Topo map in PDF (web)
• Download the complete route description and Topo map in PDF (print)

Below: This map marks all the mountaineering adventures that have been featured on Olympus Mountaineering so far, including several Sport climbing crags – Select full screen to expand, zoom in for more detail, or click on a marker for a link to the post.