Tag: Sport Climbing

Alcyone – 4 pitches, 6a 100 m. | Multi Pitch Climb in Pleiades Crag – Katafyki Ravine – Ermioni

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The Pleiades crag is a magnificent formation in the heavens, named after the seven shining stars that make up the Taurus constellation. These stars, known as the Pleiades sisters, were transformed into celestial bodies by the divine hand of Zeus, according to mythology.

As a climber, the Pleiades crag represents a unique challenge and an opportunity for adventure. The crag is said to be a gateway to the heavens, a place where mortals can access the realm of the gods. But getting there is no easy feat.

The path to the Pleiades crag is treacherous and requires a high level of skill and experience. The terrain is rugged, with steep cliffs and sharp rocks.

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Getting ready to climb the first overhang.

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Climbing in Ermionida, Argolis (Greece) Guidebook Edition 2023

On By Olympus MountaineeringIn Climbing6 Comments

In the early 2000s, a climbing revolution took place in Ermionida, East Peloponnese, when the esteemed British climber, Jim Titt, and the German Inge Zaczek, dedicated a significant amount of time, resources, and effort to equip over 200 routes on the exceptional limestone rocks in the area using stainless steel bolts. The climbing community remains grateful for their contributions towards the development of sport climbing in the region.

Fast forward to 2021, Climb Ermionida (the local climbing community) with the invaluable aid and support of the Municipality of Ermionida and the Tripolis Mountaineering Club, undertook essential maintenance works on various crags and replaced several anchors with high-quality, certified materials.

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Climbing in Ermionida Guidebook edition 2023

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My Essential Climbing Gear for 2023: Current Favourites

On By Olympus MountaineeringIn Gear Review5 Comments

As an outdoor enthusiast and a climber, I’m constantly on the lookout for the latest and greatest climbing gear to help me push my limits and elevate my performance. Over the years, I’ve tried out several pieces of gear, and through trial and error, I’ve found the gear that works best for me. Lately, I’ve been receiving a lot of emails and comments from fellow climbers asking me about my personal choices for climbing gear. So, I decided to write this post and share my favourite pieces of climbing gear that I’m currently using in 2023. Whether you’re a beginner or an experienced climber, I hope that my personal recommendations will help you make informed decisions about the gear you choose to use on your next climb.

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Climbing in SunCastle – Ermionida, Argolis | Greece

On By Olympus MountaineeringIn Climbing6 Comments

If you’re looking for a new climbing destination, the recently developed SunCastle Crag between the town of Ermioni and Iliokastro may be just the place for you. With its high-quality rock formations and diverse range of routes, this new sport climbing crag is quickly becoming a go-to destination for climbers of all skill levels. In this post, we’ll explore everything you need to know about SunCastle Crag, including access to the crag, what to expect when you visit, and more.

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Route: Dragon’s Spine

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Climbing in Castle Thermisia (Kastro Thermisias) – Ermionida, Argolis (2023 Update)

On By Olympus MountaineeringIn Climbing5 Comments
If you’re a climbing enthusiast looking for a breathtaking view, Castle Thermisia Crag is the place to be. Located in the Peloponnese region of Greece, this crag offers stunning vistas of the surrounding mountains, valleys, and the sea. The rock formations are also incredibly diverse, making it an ideal spot for climbers of all skill levels.

The crag is located just a short drive from the city of Ermioni. This makes it easy to combine your climbing adventure with some sightseeing and relaxation in the area. In fact, you can even see surrounding areas such as Nafplio, Hydra, Spetses, Epidauros, Poros and Dokos.

There are several climbing routes available at Castle Thermisia Crag, ranging in difficulty from 5a to 8c+/9a. The majority of the routes are sport climbing routes, with well-maintained bolts and anchors for safety.

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C. Vrochidis projecting Careless Corsair (project)

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PETZL Hirundos 2022 – Climbing Harness Review

On By Olympus MountaineeringIn Gear Review4 Comments

Not very long time ago, I wanted to purchase a new harness in order to substitute my old -and loved- harness, the Mammut Ophir. In that time, I wanted to have an all around harness, with emphasis on trad and multi-pitch climbing and therefore I got the Petzl ADJAMA. 

Although the Petzl ADJAMA is a great and very comfortable harness, due to the fact most of the days I spend them on sport climbing crags, I also got the new Hirundos model by Petzl.

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Petzl Hirundos Harness 2022 with Gear

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La Sportiva Katana Laces 2022 Climbing Shoes Review

On By Olympus MountaineeringIn Gear Review3 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+ and the La Sportiva Otaki. Till this day, most of the times I use the Simond Rock+ and I have been extremely happy, though after a long testing period, I can not say the same about La Sportiva Otaki. Therefore, once again, I did an extensive research, mainly via my network of fellow climbers. My choices where the following two, the La Sportiva Katana Laces (2022 model) or the La Sportiva TC Pro.

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Taygete – 6 pitches, 6b+ 205 m. | Multi Pitch Climb in Pleiades Crag – Katafyki Ravine – Ermioni

On By Olympus MountaineeringIn Climbing, Mountaineering general6 Comments

Autumn in Greece is a lovely season and especially for outdoor activities such as rock climbing. Recently, I got again the chance to go to explore a newly established route in the area of Ermionida and specifically by Katafyki Ravine. On May 2022, I had the opportunity to climb a beautiful multi-pitch route, MAIA which is located on the west wall in the ravine of Katafyki, and specifically, between the Katafyki Main Crag and the Petrogerakas Crag.

In Katafyki ravine there are more than 70 sport climbing routes and a handful of multi-pitch routes. Most of the routes were established around 2000-2001 from Jim Titt.

Recently and with the active involvement of the local climbing community, the need of more multi-pitch routes arose and after MAIA one more new route was established and bolted in a crag named “Pleiades“. The name of this new route is Taygete.

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Climbing up

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Climbing in Ermionida, Argolis (Greece) Guidebook Edition 2022

On By Olympus MountaineeringIn Climbing8 Comments

NOTICE: A new Climbing in Ermionida Guidebook (edition 2023) is published
You can find the updated version here.

Once upon a time, back in the 2000’s, a climbing revolution occurred in Ermionida, East Peloponnese. The British climber, Jim Titt, and the German Inge Zaczek went and equipped more than 200 routes on the area’s excellent limestone rocks, with stainless steel bolts. They spent a lot of their time, money and effort for the development of sport climbing in the area and we are thankful for it.

In 2021, the local climbing community, with the aid and support of the Municipality of Ermionida and Tripolis Mountaineering Club, carried out maintenance works on the various crags and replaced several anchors, with new high quality and certified material.

In 2022, a new crag (the 8th in the region), Petrogerakas crag was developed near Katafyki Gorge. In addition, three new sectors were bolted in Castle Thermisia (Orias’ Wall, Leon’s Wall and Byzantine Wall) and several more routes in the crags of Ermionida.

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Climbing in Ermionida Guidebook Edition 2022

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Climbing in Meteora – Vlemma Tou Gerakiou V+ UIAA 120 m. – Fylakas Agiou Pnevmatos

On By Olympus MountaineeringIn Climbing, Mountaineering general2 Comments

It has been quite some time since my last visit in the area of Meteora, and due to the fact the Hellenic Federation of Mountaineering & Climbing was organising the annual meet up of the climbing community of Greece, I did not loose the chance to join the festivities and be part in of the most spectacular areas 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.

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