Tag: Winter Mountaineering

Agrafa Mountains Svoni Peak Expedition Preparation – Autumn 2017

On By Olympus MountaineeringIn Hiking & Trekking4 Comments

Agrafa is a mountainous region in Evrytania and Karditsa regional units in mainland Greece, consisting mainly of small villages. It is the southernmost part of the Pindus range.  The Agrafa region is famous for its complete autonomy throughout the entire 400 years of Ottoman Turkish occupation of Greece. The word agrafa literally translates to unwritten which means unregistered or uncharted; because the Ottomans were unable to conquer this region, the area and its population were not recorded in the Sultan’s tax register. As a result the people were usually free to conduct their business and customs as they pleased without Ottoman influence.

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Pouli and Svoni Peak 2.042 m. as seen from 5 Towers (5 Pyrgoi)

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Stubai Ice Axe Review

On By Olympus MountaineeringIn Gear Review, Mountaineering Gear ReviewLeave a comment

Several years ago, and once I decided to be more actively involved with mountaineering activities, I needed to get equipped with the appropriate gear. Once of the main tools for winter mountaineering activities is the Ice Axe. The first Ice Axe I have used was an ice axe from the Austrian company, Stubai. Nowadays, I use the Salewa Tec X Ice Axe.

see review of the Salewa Tec X Ice Axe here

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Stubai Ice Axe

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Taygetus Mountain Autumn Ascent via Athanati Rachi

On By Olympus MountaineeringIn Hiking & Trekking, Mountaineering general3 Comments

While we are approaching winter, we have decided to visit once again one of our favourite mountain ranges of Greece, Taygetus (Taygetos).

Taygetus, is a mountain range in the Peloponnese peninsula in Southern Greece. The highest mountain of the range is Mount Taygetus, also known as the “Profitis Ilias”, or “Prophet Elias”. The name is one of the oldest recorded in Europe, appearing in the Odyssey. In classical mythology, it was associated with the nymph Taygete. During Byzantine times and up until the 19th century, the mountain was also known as “Pentadaktylos” which means “five fingers” in Greek. The name was related to the 5 tops of the mountain range.

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Map of Taygetos found in Maganniari Springs
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Petzl ALTITUDE Harness Unboxing Preview

On By Olympus MountaineeringIn Gear Review, Mountaineering Gear Review18 Comments

Recently, I have decided to upgrade some of my older pieces of equipment, and during this process I came to the conclusion that I wanted to upgrade my harness system too. Having used the Mammut Baffin harness for few years now, I came to the understanding that such a bulky harness was not what I wanted to have anymore. Although the Mammut Baffin performed great so far, I looked for less bulky and most of all for lightweight solutions. After extensive research on various harnesses from different high-end companies, I decided to purchase the new lightweight harness from Petzl, the ALTITUDE Harness.

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Petzl ALTITUDE Packaging

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Scrambling in Artemisio Mountain (Artemisio Arete)

On By Olympus MountaineeringIn Hiking & Trekking3 Comments

Artemisio mountain is on the border between Arcadia and Argolis, in the Municipalities of Argos-Mycenae and Tripolis respectively. It forms part of the mountain range that connects the Argolic Gulf with the Corinthian, and as such, it borders with Lyrkeio mountain on the north and with Ktenias mountain on the south. On its west is the plateau of Mantineia. Its tallest peak which is called Malevos is 1,771 metres in height.

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Route 34 leads to Malevos peak 1.771 m.
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Salewa Ice Axe Tec X Hammer – Review

On By Olympus MountaineeringIn Gear Review, Mountaineering Gear Review15 Comments

As winter is approaching it is about time to take off the cast and dust off one of the most crucial items of winter mountaineering, the ice axe.

The Salewa Tex X Hammer Ice Axe is not the latest model of Salewa but is one of the most versatile models ever produced. The Salewa Tex X Hammer Ice Axe has ergonomic head with optimally balanced weight  for a perfect swing and placement. The 20° curve in the shaft makes sure the user can use not much power and deliver an outstanding stroke power.

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Salewa Ice Axe Tec X – Hammer (pair)

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Autumn Ascent on Mount Aselinon (Giona) via Karagiannis path

On By Olympus MountaineeringIn Hiking & Trekking, Mountaineering general9 Comments

It has been three years ago since our last visit to Mount Aselinon (Giona), and time has come to pay one more visit to the highest Greek mountain south of Olympus.

Mount Aselinon (Giona) is a mountain in Phocis, Central Greece. It is located between the mountains of Parnassus to the east, Vardousia to the west, and Oeta to the north. Known in classical antiquity as the Aselinon Oros (moonless mountain), it is the highest mountain south of Olympus and the fifth overall in Greece. Pyramida is its highest peak at 2,510 metres (8,235 ft).

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View of Sykia wall from Sykia Village
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Mount Tymfi (Pindos) Thru-Hike Summary

On By Olympus MountaineeringIn Hiking & Trekking10 Comments

Tymfi is a mountain in the northern Pindus mountain range, northwestern Greece. It is part of the regional unit of Ioannina and lies in the region of Zagori, just a few metres south of the 40° parallel. Tymfi forms a massif with its highest peak, Gamila, at 2,497 m (8,192 ft), being the sixth highest in Greece.

This is a short summary post with the highlights of the Thru-Hike of mountain Tymfi. If you wish to see the individual posts which contain detailed information and more photos, you can click to the following links:

Mount Tymfi (Pindos) Thru-Hike Part 1 – Kapesovo – Mezaria Gorge – Vikos Canyon – Mikro Papingo

Mount Tymfi (Pindos) Thru-Hike Part 2 – ASTRAKA REFUGE – ASTRAKA PEAK

Mount Tymfi (Pindos) Thru-Hike Part 3 – Dragon Lake (Drakolimni)

Mount Tymfi (Pindos) Thru-Hike Part 4 – GAMILA – STOMA – MEGAS LAKOS -TSEPELOVO – KAPESOVO

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Vikos Canyon as see from Beloi

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Quechua Forclaz 900 Men’s Hiking Trouser – Long Term User Review

On By Olympus MountaineeringIn Apparel Reviews, Gear Review3 Comments

This is a long term user review from one of my favourite trousers for hiking, the Quechua Forclaz 900. I have been using the Quechua Forclaz 900 trouser since the end of 2013 and I have been extremely satisfy. Worn on multiple mountain ascents, such as Mount Olympus, Vardousia Mountain, Taygetos Mountain, this pair of trousers is very versatile and durable enough for various mountaineering activities. For my activities this is one of my main clothing items that I always wear from November till April.

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Mount Tymfi (Pindos) Thru-Hike Part 4 – GAMILA – STOMA – MEGAS LAKOS -TSEPELOVO – KAPESOVO

On By Olympus MountaineeringIn Hiking & Trekking21 Comments

This is the fourth and final part of the Mount Tymfi (Pindos) Thru-Hike. In case you haven’t checked the first, second and third parts, feel free to check it out here:

Mount Tymfi (Pindos) Thru-Hike Part 1 – Kapesovo – Mezaria Gorge – Vikos Canyon – Mikro Papingo

Mount Tymfi (Pindos) Thru-Hike Part 2 – ASTRAKA REFUGE – ASTRAKA PEAK

Mount Tymfi (Pindos) Thru-Hike Part 3 – Dragon Lake (Drakolimni)

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Waking up in Drakolimni (Dragon Lake)

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