One of my favourite locations in Greece for outdoor activities is Mt. Parnitha which is located just 30 minutes far from Athens city centre. Mt. Parnitha is located in Attiki province, 25km N from the city of Athens.It is one of the 4 mountains(the others are Immitos, Penteli and Poikilo) that surround the circular plain, in which the city of Athens is built. Mt Parnitha is the talllest and more impressive among the mountains that surround Athens.

Every now and then, I try to visit the area of Mt. Parnitha either for hiking or climbing activities. Though, for quite some time now, I had in my bucket list to visit the area of Kato Flabouri and climb the first ever route that was climbed in the area. This route is known as Klassiki (classic) or by the names of the first ascenders – Michailides, Tsamakides, Liagos, Idosides.

Klassiki VI UIAA 100 m. | Trad Climbing in Kato Flabouri

Klassiki (VI UIAA, 100 m.) first ascent was claimed on 22/11/1953 from G. Michailides, G. Tsamakides, D. Liagos and P. Idosides. Klassiki is also known by the names of the first ascenders (G. Michailides, G. Tsamakides, D. Liagos and P. Idosides) is the first route that was established in Flabouri area and one of the first climbing routes of the entire Attica.

The route is located on the rock formation known as Kato Flabouri (Lower Flabouri) and due to its proximity to the city center of Athens and the excellent rock quality (limestone) is one of the most climbed routes. The route can be described as an “adventure hybrid route” (it’s mostly trad, but there are some bolts too) and the route finding is not going to be a problem also for less experienced climbers.

The route is not particularly difficult and can be well protected with different kind of gear. The rock is limestone and its quality is excellent.

The route is 100 meters long, divided in 3 pitches and a maximum difficulty of VI UIAA.

Notice: This is a variation of the original route. Perhaps I could rate this route with V+ UIAA instead of VI UIAA. If you have feedback feel free to get in touch via the contact form.

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Approach

For the access to the Kato Flabouri crag you need about 30 minutes of uphill hike. First you need to reach by car the area of Thrakomakedones, and specifically the following address: Florinis 18. From that point, you will see an old gate and the trail which will lead you towards Kato Flabouri. Pay attention to keep always a S/W (left) direction while you hike up to the point you see a cairn with a red sign bellow.

On that point, you turn left and you meet an easy 2 meters  down-climb. Upon that you continue on the scree and you will reach the route. At the base of the route, you will see traced on the rock initial letters of the first ascenders.

• Parking spot: 38.144282, 23.749426 
• Beginning of the route: 38.149467, 23.749283

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Route description

R0 – R1 | IV UIAA – 20 m.

The route starts with the first pitch of 20 meters and is the easiest of the three pitches. It starts straight above the traced letters with a IV UIAA slab and it can be well protected with nuts and/or friends. Upon that we continue to climb on the slab with a maximum difficulty of IV UIAA up to the point we reach a small ledge.

At that point we can place again gear for protection and then we continue to an easy IV- UIAA terrain. Just before the final part of the ridge, we have to climb and IV UIAA pass and then we reach the ledge where we will find a bolt (on the left) and an old piton (on the right).

We belay with a double size sling (120 cm) and the location for belay is comfortable.

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R1-R2 | V UIAA 45 m. | 6 bolts

The second pitch of 45 meters which is the most exciting pitch, starts on a slab V UIAA directly above the R01 and within 2 meters from the ledge we will find the first bolt. Then we have to climb V UIAA on top of a rock where we can find some good gear placement and right above we will come across the second bolt. This part of the pitch is perhaps the most tricky because we have to position our body in such way that it will allow us to move a bit to the right.

Upon that we enter the section of the continues dihedral and although the difficulty remains up to V UIAA, one have to be used in such type of climbing. While we climb this part, on our left we will see some additional bolts (6 in total in the entire route), but for the purists, this pitch can be very well protected with gear.

As soon we reach a small ledge, then we have to turn a bit to the right for the last few meters of the pitch. We will see the belay on an obvious rock. In fact there are two belay areas. The one we have used was consisted by a bolt and an old tube.

We belay with a single size sling (60 cm) and the location for belay is comfortable.

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R2-R3 | VI UIAA 35 m. | 3 bolts

The third pitch starts on a very easy terrain for about 5 meters. Our goal is to reach the base of the dihedral and to climb a IV UIAA slab (one bolt) of about 2 meters. As soon we enter the dihedral we continue straight up. The maximum difficulty of this section is IV UIAA. This part of the climb is very nice and can be well protected with gear.

Few meters before the obvious end of the route, we turn left to a small overhang. Before we reach the overhang we can protect that part with gear and on the actual crux of the pitch, there is also a bolt (on the right). Although this small overhang VI UIAA (or V+ UIAA) might seem a bit intimidating, there are good enough holds (on your left) in order to climb over it without difficulty. 

We belay with a single size sling (60 cm) and the location for belay is not very comfortable.

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Return

From the top of the rock, we have two options. The first is to abseil down the route (make sure to have 2×60 meters half ropes) or to follow the trail which leads to Thrakomakedones. You have to follow the red signs. From the top of the rock up to the parking spot we need about 30-35 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
• The North Face Verto 27 Backpack
• Petzl Adjama 202 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: Mt. Parnitha – Kato Flabouri
• Difficulty: VI UIAA
• Length: 100 meters
• Pitches: 3
• When to Climb: Spring – Autumn
• Water Features: None

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Support the journey — buy me a coffee

I share these articles and the climbing guidebooks because I love the outdoors, and they’ll always be free. If they’ve helped you, help me keep them coming. Click the button to support my work.

---

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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See other outdoor activities in Parnitha:

• Hiking in West Parnitha – Kliston Monastery – Pan’s Cave – Arma
• Training on Mount Parnitha
• Winter Hike on Mount Parnitha
• Climbing in Korakofolia – Parnitha
• Hiking in West Parnitha – Ag. Kiprianos – Koromilia – Alogopetra
• Climbing in Epos Fylis – Parnitha
• Dry Tooling in Rizos’ Cave – Parnitha
• Via Ferrata Arma – Parnitha
• Scrambling and Climbing the Flabouri Ridge

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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.