It has been almost 2 years since my last visit in the area of Asini and specifically to the Profitis Elias rock.

The Profitis Elias rock stands upwards in the beautiful scenery of Asini is called Profitis Elias. The little chapel that is build on top is dedicated to Prophet Elias, and thus the name of the hill.

The view at the top is panorama (360º) and you can get a pretty good idea of the surrounding area and its morphology. It is on the way to the coast of Tolo, if you are coming from Nafplio. There is a road that takes you from the village of Ag. Paraskevi to the lower parts of the hill. From there it is a 15-20 minutes walk uphill, following the path designated by white crosses, that will take you to the top.

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.

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Dirty Friday IV+ UIAA 95 m. – First Ascent of the North-West couloir – Profitis Elias of Asini

“Dirty Friday” (IV+, 95 m.) first ascent was made on 03/06/2022 by C. Rigas and Olympus Mountaineering.

The route is located on the north face of Profitis Elias Rock/hill and follows the obvious ridgeline east from the route “O Kipos tou Profiti”. The route can be described as an “adventure route” that moves within a couloir, slab and ends on the west ridge-line with some scrambling.

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Download for free the complete route description and Topo map

• Download the complete Interactive Guidebook in PDF spreads (best for Tablets/Laptops/Desktops)
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Dirty Friday IV+ UIAA 95 m. | Topographic Map

If 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.

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General route information

“Dirty Friday” (IV+, 95 m.) first ascent was made on 03/06/2022 by C. Rigas and Olympus Mountaineering.

The route is located on the north face of Profitis Elias Rock/hill and follows the obvious ridgeline east from the route “O Kipos tou Profiti”. The route can be described as an “adventure route” that moves within a couloir, slab and ends on the west ridgeline with some scrambling.

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Approach

From Nafplio follow Leoforos Asklipiou and then follow the road to Tolo and Asini. Just before Asini, turn right to Agia Paraskevi. Once in Agia Paraskevi, follow the signs to Profitis Elias and about 150 meters before the trail (Stairs) to the Profitis Elias Chappel, you can park your car on the side of a dirt road.

• Parking lot location: 37.546691, 22.853306
• Beginning of the route: 37.545420, 22.855434

Approaching the R0 requires 15 minutes of hiking and there is not an obvious trail. Best advice is to follow a large tube that is providing electricity to huge projector lights.

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Route description

R0 – R1 | IV+ UIAA – 35 m.

The route starts with the first pitch of 35 m. right from the base of the north side of the rock (37.545420, 22.855434).

The first meters are through the characteristic couloir. From the base we can already spot the a big and a smaller tree where there is a small ledge and we will belay. The first 5 meters of the route are in a slab UIAA IV and successively we enter the couloir with easy climb of UIAA III and lUIAA IV. Although the climb in the couloir is easy, all the gravel and dry plants makes this part of the climb not very nice. Just before exiting the couloir, there is a slab of about 3-4 meters of UIAA IV+ and there is the crux of the entire route. The crux can protected with nuts or friends and is not difficult to overcome it. Upon the crux, we have another small part within the couloir up to a small tree where we can belay. 

We belay with slings. The location for belay is moderate.

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R1 – R2 | IV UIAA – 30 m.

The second pitch of 30 m., starts with a slab of UIAA IV degree for a few meters and then we reach a very large ledge where we can see some large boulders and some trees. On that point, is very clear the ridge that we have to follow and we climb on top of it. That part of the climb is rather easy and of a maximum degree of UIAA IV.

After about 30 meters of climbing, we find again a large tree, though we belay on the right side of the tree on the rock. 

The location for belay is good, relatively comfortable and with a unique view to the village of Agia Paraskevi.

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R2 – R3 | IV UIAA – 30 m.

The third pitch (35 m.) starts with a slab of UIAA IV degree, and then we will find successive slabs with a degree of difficulty ranging from UIAA IV- to UIAA III and as we approach the end of the route, the degree of difficulty decreases UIAA III and the last 10 meters is a simple scrambling.

“Dirty Friday” ends few meters bellow the church of the Profitis Elias.

When we complete the route, the view to the east is unique and we can see Tolo and islands such as Romvi and Koronisi.

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Return

The return starts from the church of Profitis Elias and through 449 stairs and a very easy descent, we descend to the base of the rock. From there, we follow the dirt road where it leads us to the parking lot. The descent takes about 15-20 minutes.

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Recommended Gear

For this trad climb, I used the following gear:

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

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Details of the Climb

• Location: Agia Paraskevi
• Starting Point: Profitis Elias Rock
• Ending Point:Profitis Elias Rock
• Trail Signs: No
• Difficulty: Medium
• When to Climb: Late Autumn, Winter, Early Spring
• Water Features: None

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Download for free the complete route description and Topo map

• Download the complete Interactive Guidebook in PDF spreads (best for Tablets/Laptops/Desktops)
• Download the complete Interactive Guidebook in PDF single pages (best for Phones)

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Before you leave this blog check out the following map

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.