Lizard V UIAA 90 m. | Trad Climbing on top of Thermisia Lagoon

On March 22, 2021May 4, 2021 By Olympus MountaineeringIn Mountaineering general29 Comments

Due to the fact in Greece there is a national lockdown (covid-19), the opportunities to visit high mountains are very limited and therefore the past 6 months we did not have the chance to go for any winter mountaineering activity. Though, our passion and pleasure for outdoor activities, lead us to explore previous unexplored areas, and this is what we have done this time.

In the Argolis region, there is a magnificent Biotope with the name Thermisia Lagoon. Thermisia lagoon is an important habitat of rare migratory birds. It is a serene and unique lagoon surrounded by a breathtaking landscape.

Climbing_Thermisia_Lagoon_Lizard_Route_171538_862 — Thermisia Lagoon and Gulf of Hydra

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La Sportiva Otaki Climbing Shoes Review

On February 14, 2021February 11, 2021 By Olympus MountaineeringIn Gear Review10 Comments

During the past few years, while I have been constantly getting better in climbing, I have been tempted to try and test different kind of climbing shoes. My first pair as a beginner was La Sportiva Tarantula, which was a great pair of shoes for my first “baby steps” in the climbing activities. Upon that, I have tried various other models, such as the Anasazi VCS by 5.10 and the Simond Rock+. While I have been extremely happy and satisfied with the Simond Rock+ i wanted to try a pair of shoes a bit more aggressive and upon several months of research, I have decided to get my feet on the Otaki, by La Sportiva.

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Climbing in Leonidio – Sector Mini Canyon

On October 19, 2020October 19, 2020 By Olympus MountaineeringIn Climbing12 Comments

Here in Greece, the weather condition (mid October) is still really nice and warm and while we are waiting for the first cold days and the first snows on the high peaks of Greece, we decided to go for some sport climbing in a superb location general and multi-pitch climbing, in Leonidio.

The first day, we visited Douvari Sector, which offers plenty of routes on various degrees of difficulty, but the second day, we have visited for first time, perhaps the nicest sport climbing crag I have ever been, the Mini Canyon Sector.

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Tsirio To Proto | Trad Multipitch Climbing on Mount Onia (Oneia) | V 170 m.

On October 11, 2020January 7, 2021 By Olympus MountaineeringIn Mountaineering general8 Comments

It has been quite some time I was driving through the area where Mt. Onia (Oneia) is located and I was always wondering if I could go for some multipitch trad climbing there. I did the research and I figured out there are three established routes on this part of Mt. Onia and last June, just after the Covid-19 lockdown, I decided to visit the area and give it a try.

Though, in June the weather was way too hot and the sun was right above the north face of Mt. Onia (Mt. Oneia) and therefore we decided to not do the climb. Few months passed since the first try and in the beginning of October we decided to visit again the area and give it a try. We decided to climb “Tsirio to Proto” which is a maximum V UIIA degree of 170 meters of total climb. The 170 meters are divided in five (5) pitches.

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Simond Alpinism 22 Backpack – Long Term Review

On July 25, 2020July 25, 2020 By Olympus MountaineeringIn Gear Review, Mountaineering Gear Review10 Comments

Mountaineering and Alpine climbing require special gear such as backpacks. Since 2012, for general mountaineering, winter mountaineering or multipitch climbs I have been using as a backpack the Simond Alpinism 22.

The Simond Alpinism 22 is designed for climbers, mountaineers and Ski touring use for day-long routes. It is a compact, sturdy, all-purpose bag. Its shape and volume make it suitable for all builds and lets to carry all the required gear for a day-long hike.

Simond_Alpinism22_Backapack_Review_120317_483 — Simond Alpinism 22 Backpack

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Diaberis Pothos | Trad Climbing at the top of Profitis Elias – Asini

On July 15, 2020November 18, 2020 By Olympus MountaineeringIn Mountaineering general16 Comments

Few weeks ago, on this blog I published my first ever First Ascent that took place on Mount Ortholithi. This time, together with 3 fellow climbers we decided to go and explore the Profitis Elias rock of Asini, nearby Nafplio city.

We have been informed that this rock is an excellent location for trad climbing and we also knew that has been totally unclimbed besides a route which was first ascended by Mountain Guide Kostas Tsoukleidis and Nadine Strobl (O Kipos tou Profiti V+ 110 m.).

Therefore, we decided to go to explore the potential of Profitis Elias rock and specifically the North Face of the rock. We have been very pleased of what we have seen and we decided to climb to the top by the North-East couloir.

Climbing_Diaberis_Pothos_Profitis_Elias_Asini_Route — Diaberis Pothos VI UIAA 100 m.

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Multi-Pitch Climbing in Solomos – Pegasus 6a – 100 m.

On December 26, 2019July 6, 2020 By Olympus MountaineeringIn Climbing1 Comment

Solomos (or Tsouba) is located south of Corinth, near the homonymous village of the prefecture of Corinthia.

The crag had begun to be created since 2005, but recently a wide maintenance and enrichment with new routes was carried out by the mountain guide Dimitris Titopoulos, following actions and support from the EOS of Corinth and the Municipality of Corinth.

Multi-Pitch_Climb_Pegasus_Solomos_174901_653 — Solomos crag

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Climbing in Meteora – Pillar of Rain – Doupiani Rock

On November 4, 2019July 6, 2020 By Olympus MountaineeringIn Climbing, Mountaineering general3 Comments

In the past couple of days we have climbed twi different routes in Doupiani and we thought it would be great to climb a third one. Our first experience with Doupiani was really positive, and due to the fact the second route was rather demanding, we decided to go for an easier third route, the Pillar of Rain.

Doupiani Rock is for sure one of the most attended rock climbing destination of the Meteora (Μετέωρα) area, whose meaning is literally “hanging in the air“, a charming and suggestive climbing site located in the Thessaly region of Greece.

Meteora includes about 170 conglomerate summits of various shapes and types, as massive mountains, rocky pinnacles, minor peaks and spires, some of which are truly amazing and bizarre. The range overlooks the village of Kastràki and the town of Kalabàka and features about 850 multi-pitch and single pitch routes. Due to their singularity and a bit of mistery surrounding the place, in addition to the presence of various monasteries, the towers of Meteora are quite famous all over the world.