UKC

Booked a holiday to Kalymnos at Easter and to get some motivation, aiming to onsight 7A. Any suggestions for the best?

In reply to Will Cat: http://www.ukclimbing.com/logbook/c.php?i=194439

In reply to Will Cat:

Your profile says hardest on-sight 6b+, so most Kalymnos 7as should be within your grasp.

In reply to Will Cat:

I thought good routes at 7a were:
Nestoras at Iliada, Ermix at Symblegades Rocks (might be tricky to onsight), Dionysos and Calipso at Odyssey, Kastor at Arhi.

In reply to Will Cat:
One of the many great things about Kalymnos is that it's a great place to work through the grades.

I've never managed a 7a (and doubt if I ever will), but I did manage to onsights loads of 6b+s, a couple of 6cs and this 6c+
http://www.ukclimbing.com/logbook/c.php?i=17655

Another great thing about Kalymnos is the variety of climbing - so much depends on whether you want technical or thuggish

So my advice would be to pick a crag which suits your preferred style and onsight through the grades. You might not hit your target, but you will do some great climbs

In reply to jon:

A bit out of shape - are Kalymnos grades considered soft?

In reply to Will Cat:

They used to be considered such. Now that it has had so much international attention and a few guidebooks to correct mistakes it is pretty much as accurate as anywhere is with grades.

In reply to Will Cat:

Don't believe the hype. There were alot of soft ones in the old guide, and the odd one still, but mostly I've found them similar to the UK or spain. Upto 7b+ this is. Not sure about hard grades. Mind you, ive not climbed any tufas as steep as in kalymnos.

In reply to Will Cat:

Yes, many of the old soft touch 7as have been downgraded now (to, say, the same as many of the 'new school' Spanish crags (although some give-aways still exist, see below).

But it’s very personal: for me, I find the thuggy steep routes, relatively easy ('cos I train indoors a lot of steep walls) yet find the grey slabs desperate ('cos I’m technically incompetent).

Here’s around twenty top-quality suggestions though:

(1) Kaly Magic at Skalia Pillar, long, quite technical but not too steep.
(2) K44 at Galatiani, a short but somehow well-balanced route with impressive surroundings.
(3) Ulisse coperto di sale or (4) Dionysos at Odyssey if you like them steep with a very distinct crux ie you're really a boulderer.
(5) Nestoras at Iliada: lovely, even though some feel it’s slightly runout (do Hector, 6c, first, swing across and get the clips in!)
(6) Kerveros at Spartacus even though it’s getting a little polished: too many popular neighbours
(7) DNA at Grande Grotta. On everyone’s list, technically very very very easy: just relax on the giant holds and put all that steep wall training to good use (otherwise totally debilitating!)
(8) Cigarillo at Panorama is quite thuggy too.
(9) Trela at Grand Grotta, if you like very long (40m) routes.
(10) Chnosi Family at Panorama, delightfully varied.
(11) Ixion at Kalydna is quite technical, quite British.
(12) Attitude at Iannis, though the fun’s not over even after the steep ground.
(13) Omera at Poets was 7a, now downgraded… if you like that nasty, grey-slabby sort of stuff.
The technical but not that steep (14) Flipper at Palionsisos Red Wall; a new discovery and still a little ‘fresh’.
The fabulous (15) Ricounet at the fabulous Secret Garden; soft but characterful.
And if you want some proper soft touches, try:
(16) Axium at Ghost Kitchen, (17) Kastor at Arhi (if you are fast and can recover on steep ground, (18) Toni at Magoulia’s Wall (do this quick as it really does need a down-grade).
Others which might be borderline are: (19) Calipso, Odyssey (well, 6c+ now, but many people would still have this as a steep but soft 7a). Same goes for (20) Paris, now 6c+ at Iliada or (21) Kallisto 6c+ at Zeus (but still 7a if you are short?). These three all used to be 7a.
Finally, if you like getting scared, get on (22) Lolita (Sikati Cave), technically easy, bolts where it’s tricky… but spookily runout.

Get training and have a good trip.
Carl

In reply to carl dawson: Can't wait to get there. Thanks for all your suggestions. Great list Carl. Thanks again.