Klassiki VI UIAA 100 m. – Trad Climbing in Kato Flabouri – Mt. Parnitha – Attica

On September 5, 2022September 9, 2022 By Olympus MountaineeringIn Mountaineering general7 Comments

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.

Climbing_Parnitha_Kato_Glabouri_Classic_Klassiki_044 — View of the rock and the route

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Hiking in West Parnitha – Agios Kiprianos – Koromilia peak – Tamilthi peak – Alogopetra peak – Agios Kiprianos

On January 12, 2022 By Olympus MountaineeringIn Hiking & Trekking10 Comments

The past few days, I have had the chance to enjoy one of the most famous mountains of Greece, Mount Parnitha. Mount Parnitha, is one of the most visited mountains due to its proximity to the capital of Greece, Athens.

Athens is the capital of Greece. It was also at the heart of Ancient Greece, a powerful civilisation and empire. The city is still dominated by 5th-century BC landmarks, including the Acropolis, a hilltop citadel topped with ancient buildings like the colonnaded Parthenon temple. Although there is plenty cultural and historical sights in and around Athens, a visitor has many more reasons in order to visit this magnificent city.

Parntha_Agios_Kiprianos_Koromilia_Tamilthi_Alogopetra_183348_907 — Agios Kiprianos Monastery

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Hiking in West Parnitha – Kliston Monastery – Pan’s Cave – Arma – Kliston Monastery

On December 29, 2021December 29, 2021 By Olympus MountaineeringIn Hiking & Trekking3 Comments

Throughout the years, I have been involved and exploring various outdoor activities. Like most of us, I started my outdoor adventures with simple day hikes, then I moved on with multi-day hikes and trekking, then some scrambling, mountaineering, winter mountaineering, climbing and of course the combination of all the above.

Having this diverse background with the various activities, I have developed a good sense of appreciation of the various natural habitats. One of the most interesting area to visit in Greece, is Mount Parnitha which is located just few kilometres far from the city centre of Athens.

This time, I wanted to go for a solo hike and I decided to visit West Parnitha and the trail that starts from the Kliston Monastery and leads you to Arma via the famous Pan’s cave.

Hiking_West_Parnitha_Moni-Kliston_Panas-Cave_Arma_115220_273 — Beautiful view towards the west suburbs of Attica

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Hiking to the Wildfire Observation Station of Skipiza – Parnitha (family friendly hike)

On June 12, 2020June 8, 2020 By Olympus MountaineeringIn Hiking & TrekkingLeave a comment

While some people think their days of hiking are “on hold” once they become parents, that’s just not the case! There are still plenty of adventures ahead for both parents and children.

If you’re a hiker with young children, you don’t have to put your hobby on hold until they head for college. And if you’re a parent who is new to hiking, there couldn’t be a better time to start! Spending time on the trail offers a world of opportunity for family outings and vacations. Not only will your family grow closer, but you can introduce the next generation to all that trails offer for personal growth and education while making life-long family memories.

One of the keys things to remember when hiking with children is that the trek no longer becomes about getting from point A to point B, but more about exploring the trail and what is on it.

Parnitha_Wildfire_Observation_Station_Skipiza_092602_395 — Map exploration

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Via Ferrata and scrambling in Arma – Parnitha Mountain

On June 7, 2020July 6, 2020 By Olympus MountaineeringIn Mountaineering general7 Comments

Athens is the capital of Greece and offers many different outdoor activities for the visitors of the city just 30 minutes from the city centre. One of the most visited location for such activities is mount Parnitha that besides hiking, climbing and cycling, one can enjoy a really nice Via Ferrata route that is located in “Arma“.

A via ferrata (Italian for “iron path”, plural vie ferrate or in English via ferratas) is a protected climbing route found in the Alps and certain other locations. The via ferrata found on Mount Parnitha is called “Arma” and the starting point is nearby “Moni Kliston” monastery. For the most part, it is the route that climbers have been following year after year in order to access the climbing barracks.

Parnitha_Via_Ferrata_Arma_205645_209 — First part of Arma Via Ferrata Route

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Hiking, Scrambling and Climbing the Flabouri Ridge – Parnitha

On May 25, 2020July 6, 2020 By Olympus MountaineeringIn Mountaineering general5 Comments

Our previous post was dedicated to the first outdoor activity post covid-19 lockdown and this post is dedicated to the second excursion in one of the most visited mountains of Greece, mount Parnitha.

For training purposes, the route we have selected was of mixed difficulty which offered hiking, scrambling and even IV UIAA climbing, the Flabouri Ridge route.

Parnitha_Flabouri_Ridge_Kopsi_204153_671 — View of the Flabouri Ridge and the city of Athens

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Climbing in Acharneis – Athens

On July 10, 2019April 28, 2021 By Olympus MountaineeringIn Climbing7 Comments

Athens is the capital of Greece. It was also at the heart of Ancient Greece, a powerful civilization and empire. The city is still dominated by 5th-century BC landmarks, including the Acropolis, a hilltop citadel topped with ancient buildings like the colonnaded Parthenon temple. Although there is plenty cultural and historical sights in and around Athens, a climber has 2.000 more reasons in order to visit this magnificent city.

Athens area offers more than 2000 single pitch bolted lines in more than 40 crags and new routes are constantly popping up. In addition there are 4 multi pitch walls with trad lines, plenty of bouldering and a lot of potential for deep water solo.

In the past, we have visited some other crags which are located near Athens, such as Etos Spata, Pano Alogopetra, Epos Fylis and Korakofolia.

This time though, we have visited one of the most famous crags of Athens, the Acharneis crag.

Climbing_Acharnis_Parnitha20190619_222205_330 — Rock in Acharneis

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Climbing in Korakofolia, Parnitha – Athens, Greece

On June 18, 2019March 3, 2021 By Olympus MountaineeringIn Climbing13 Comments

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 Aigaleo) 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.

Although hiking is a very popular activity in Parnitha there are few climbing crags that offer some great routes not far away from Athens city centre. One of the crags is Korakofolia (literally meaning: “Raven’s Nest” in Greek).

Climbing_Korakofolia_Parnitha__080820_047 — Korakofolia climbing crag

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Winter Hike on Mount Parnitha

On January 14, 2019January 14, 2019 By Olympus MountaineeringIn Hiking & Trekking, Winter Mountaineering10 Comments

It was a beautiful sunny morning just after Christmas and just before the end of 2018 and I took the decision to go for a training hike on Mount Parnitha. The previous days there was a quite heavy snowfall and due to rather low temperatures I was able to hike on snow (in the north side of the mountain) and on dry conditions from the east/south side of Mount Parnitha.

Mt. Parnitha is located in Attiki province, 25km North from the city of Athens. It is one of the 4 mountains(the others are Immitos, Penteli and Aigaleo) 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.

Winter_Hiking_Parnitha_20181230_103453_545 — Flabouri Mountain Hut

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Via Ferrata Arma – Parnitha Mountain

On February 5, 2018September 21, 2020 By Olympus MountaineeringIn Mountaineering general9 Comments

Winter time in Greece is a very interesting season. Weather conditions can vary from mild to extremely harsh. For this weekend, our initial plan was to visit Vardousia mountain for a winter mountaineering ascent, though the extreme winds (more that 80 km/h) forced us to change our plans. Due to the fact we wanted to try something new, we have decided to visit the splendid Via Ferrata “Arma” which is located on Mount Parnitha.

See the latest visit in Via Ferrata “Arma” with many more photos here