Climbing on Kalymnos

Aris Theodoropoulos www.climbkalymnos.com Mobile: +30 6944 505279 aristheodoropoulos@gmail.com aritheo@otenet.gr http://hmga.gr/english/cv/theodoropoulos.htm Climbing school: www.eosacharnon.gr/sholianarrihisis.html

Kalymnos – an international climbing destination The most popular rock

climbing destination on the planet

according to 8a.nu

Kalymnos – The most popular rock climbing destination on the planet!

Kalymnos – The most popular rock climbing destination on the planet!

Kalymnos – The most popular rock climbing destination on the planet!

Kalymnos – The most popular rock climbing destination on the planet

Benefits to the island The influx of climbers: a welcome economic boost Year-round tourism

Benefits to the island Numbers: 10.000 climbers – visitors per year 100.000 nights spent. 5.000.000 euro per year!

A change of fate “When God made the earth, he threw only

rocks in the direction of Kalymnos. It is difficult to believe that what we previously considered a curse could become a blessing."

A change of fate

In early 2010 our website, climbkalymnos.com, was launched to complement the guidebook with Kalymnos updates as they became available.

climbkalymnos.com

The product of 11 years of cumulative work. It is the fifth in a series of Kalymnos guidebooks published since 2000: that first edition, which was published shortly after Kalymnos burst into the climbing scene, was followed by revised editions in 2003, 2006 and 2008.

The all-new 2010 guidebook

The contribution of the guidebook to the development of this major climbing destination

The Kalymnos effect!

The guidebook will help you:

dream, plan your

journey, get to the island

& enjoy climbing

on Kalymnos.

CLIMBING HISTORY

ROCK & ICE MAGAZINE

The discovery

Italian climber Andrea di Bari – 1996

First routes: May 1997

43 on Arhi, Odyssey and Poets

1st publications

Spring 1999 Alp Rotpunkt

Local involvement

Collaboration of the local municipality with the author

Measures for developing the sport

Re-bolting existing routes

Creation of new routes

1st Climbing Festival

1st International Climbing Festival, October 2000: a milestone. Participation: 180 climbers from 13 different countries, including

Catherine Destivelle.

1st Climbing Festival

1st climbing guide: funded by the local council & distributed free to visiting climbers.

Since then…

International influx of climbers 2001-2002: ~ 4,000 climbers 2013: 10.000 climbers

2nd Climbing Festival

2 - 8 October, 2004 Organized by the Municipality of Kalymnos More than 600 climbers Major rock stars: Dave Graham, Liv Sansoz, François

Legrand, Daniel Du Lac and Andrea Di Bari. Major developers: Michel Piola, Hans Weninger, Guy

Abert & Karsten Oelze, Manolo Zanolla & Simone Moro.

2nd Climbing Festival

Journalists & photographers

including Jeff Achey, editor of CLIMBING Magazine

10-page article (CLIMBING #238)

3rd Climbing Festival

25-30 October KALYMNOS

PETZL ROCTRIP 1000 climbers

Better known as the Petzl Roctrip Kalymnos, it attracted approximately 1000 climbers, including a collection of the finest climbing athletes in the world, who challenged themselves against the newly-bolted ‘ultimate’ routes in Skati cave.

3rd Climbing Festival PETZL ROCTRIP

22-26 May 2009 Sponsored by the

Greek National Tourism Organisation

300 climbers Adam Ondra Maja Vidmar Christine and

Claude Remy

4th Climbing Festival

4rd Climbing Festival May 2009 Adam Ondra wowed everybody with

his ability to send ultra-difficult routes with seemingly incredible ease. He climbed numerous routes from 8a+ to 8c+, many of them as warm-up (!). If you are not impressed yet, he also made the first ascent of route Los Revolucionarios 9a 30m in sector Odyssey after 6 tries over 4 days. This is the hardest route in Kalymnos to-date, and the first 9a route in Greece (after Adam climbed it, on a hot an humid day, he moved on to Los Kukos 8c and just barely missed the onsight (rare, but it happens!). Immediately after that, he sprinted to Sikati cave in the middle of the scorching hot afternoon. There, he not only climbed Jaws 8c 50m on his first attempt, but he also placed the draws. For the record, Jaws was the ‘Ultimate Route’ in the 2006 Petzl Roctrip.

5th Climbing Festival May 2011

6th Climbing Festival

7th Climbing Festival

10 -13 Oct 2013

Best moments from the past

May 1998 George Kopalides

& Iannis Torelli (Greece).

Aegialis 7c (1st route at Grande Grotta)

Best moments from the past Remy brothers

April 2002 - present 50 routes/year Many New Sectors.

Rebolting - maintenance of climbing

routes

May 1999 – present Aris Theodoropoulos with

Thomas Michaelides George Kopalides, Aristotelis Mavromatis, Christos Daniil, George Koutsoukis. Simon Montmory.

With support from the Municipality of Kalymnos

100 routes/year rebolted

Rebolting - maintenance of climbing

routes

Future suggestions: Kalymnos: A National Climbing Park

Responsibilities: •Climbing info point in Masouri •Climbing website or collaboration with www.climbkalymnos.com •Rescue team •Screening of new route equippers •Promotion of Kalymnos as a climbing destination •Annual route maintenance •Supply of hardware and equipment for rebolting and rescue •Equipping of new routes •Landscaping of areas surrounding the crags / maintenance and marking of approach trails •Road cleaning / garbage disposal

Meteora

Meteora

Leonidio

Kyparissi

Varasova Mesologgi

Crete

Crete

Pyli

Climbing on Kalymnos

Aris Theodoropoulos www.climbkalymnos.com Mobile: +30 6944 505279 aristheodoropoulos@gmail.com aritheo@otenet.gr http://hmga.gr/english/cv/theodoropoulos.htm Climbing school: www.eosacharnon.gr/sholianarrihisis.html