UKC

Can anyone tell me what kalymnos is like for easy routes- 4s and 5s. Thinking about a few weeks here with the GF, but most crags we go to the easy routes are polished to death or bolted as a bit of an afterthought. She likes the idea of a somewhere warm and sunny, and it would be nice if there were some really good routes at those grades.

Also, not being great in hot weather- is it generally possible to climb in the shade on the easy sectors- time of day dependent of course? We would be there in mid-September, so hopefully not but not-too-hot.

Thanks in advance

Max

In reply to Max_01:
I don't think there is anywhere better than Kalymnos for sport climbing in those grades (I'll be interested to hear other suggestions)

Had two weeks there in May with my wife, who climb's 4s and 5s, while I climb in the 6s. There are loads of crags where we could find numerous routes that satisfied us both - Arhi, Sea Breeze, Noufaro, Katherina, Kastelli, Oddyssey and Afternoon spring to mind. The easy routes are often really nice, usually slabs on positive holds and not at all polished. Actually very few of the routes on the island are even moderately polished, and it usually only those which are used as warm-ups for harder routes.

All the crags mentioned will be in the shade til lunchtime, at which point you head down to the beach for a well earned swim.

In reply to Max_01: kalymnos is a great place for easy routes, there are a string of 4's and 5's at sector afternoon and all of them are very well bolted and 2 to 3 star quality. also at sector belgian chocolates and a few at oddesey. september will be ideal. im just back yeasterday after a week there and it was brilliant climbing in the shade, no greasyness at all, and a nice sea breeze blowing everyday

In reply to IOAN D:

Sounds great- I'm sold and will be booking tickets asap!

Any thoughts on accommodation? Thinking of basing ourselves in Massouri and have read that you can just turn up and find somewhere. Wouldn't hurt to book in advance though.

In reply to Max_01:
Can be busy in September, so I'd book in advance

http://www.kalymnos-isl.gr/portal/en/#

Appolonia studios and Hotel Phioxenia highly recommended

In reply to Max_01:

Recommend you buy Aris' new 2006 Kalymnos guide, it is excellent and has lots of suggestions for accomodation.

In reply to Richard Horn:
Was wondering which is the best. Looked in the shop at the wall last night- is Aris' the one with teh black cover, uses quite similar system to Rockfax?

In reply to Max_01:
It's an excellant guidebook, far more detailed than your standard euro topo, and the photos are really inspirational (particularly the one of me on Pillar on the Sea - worth buying it for that alone!)
Has lots of sectors not covered by the Rockfax mini-guide.

However such is the pace of development that is already out of date - and it's not just hard new routes that are being added. There is an updated routelist on the web site http://www.kalymnos-isl.gr/portal/en/climb/ - click on equipping for some reason.

One problem we had was that there weren't that many climbers on the island, but they were often in fairly big groups and kept on going to the same crags as us ! Generally pretty friendly, but on a couple of occasions the only free routes were those not in guide.

In reply to Max_01:

This one http://www.rockrun.com/shop/prod.html?d=13&t=71&p=2458&sid=5f2d... although note that the iconic stal on the front cover no longer exists in real life

With respect to the last post, yes some areas can get crowded with large groups of europeans, I noticed this particularly occurs at Poets, Spartacus, Odyssey and Arhi and a couple of others. The main problem is that although there is a very large number of easier routes, the number of easy routes on the classic Kalymnos tufas/stals is rather lower (with most being 6c or harder), thus a few routes are *very* popular - Monahiki Elia springs to mind.

Really though the guide has 42 areas covered, and it is only the most famous 5-10 that have any number of people on them. Last year, fed up with the crowds we did days at Cave and Palace sectors and not a soul was to be seen...

In reply to Max_01:

Thanks for all the advice guys- been really useful.

In reply to Max_01:
Or have a look at www.climbargolis.com