Poor Claire, still…

Claire’s shoulder is still quite painful, so she is still resting. She has been really lovely and continued belaying me. I owe her lots and lots of belay days!

Turning circles…

We had an exciting day getting to and from the crag… The guidebook advised that a new road would lead us to the crag. We eventually found the road and the van did a great job of hauling us up the extremely steep gravel track. We figured that if the van could get up, it could certainly get back down again…

After climbing we set off down the steep track and approached a very tight hairpin bend. On the way up we’d made it most of the way around the corner (to where the gradient reduced), reversed slightly and then manoeuvred around the hairpin. On the way down I took the bend as wide as possible and turned in… Things didn’t go too well! The road was so steep and uneven that the van was only had two or three wheels in contact with road and slid/rolled around the bend. Then a big problem… We didn’t have the turning circle to complete the bend and stopped with the van teetering on a very steep gradient, with its front bumper inches from a concrete wall. Only one of the front wheels was in contact with the ground and the van was slowly rocking on the extremely contoured surface. I soon realised that the gradient was way too much for the handbrake and had to keep my right foot firmly planted on the foot brake. [Sorry we don’t have pictures of this! Taking photos wasn’t high on our list of priorities at this point!]

There was no way to reverse – we only had one front wheel in contact with the ground and the gradient was so great that we didn’t stand a chance. So there we were, we couldn’t go forwards and couldn’t go backwards. There were about 5 people around (who seemed quite amused), but there was no way they could push a 2.5t van up this gradient. I wondered it we could set up a big pulley system of a nearby boulder and use a climbing rope to haul the van back up. However, this would take some time to set up and would be unlikely to work (especially with dynamic ropes). We eventually noticed a 4x4 truck and managed to find the owner. They agreed to try to pull us back. We used a climbing rope to tie the vehicles together and Claire put the bouldering matt between the front of the van and the concrete wall.

The first attempt to pull was quite unsuccessful… Due to poor communication with the Greek people, the timing was slightly off and (also, due to slack in the system) the van rolled into the wall. Fortunately the bouldering matt did a great job and no damage was done! The second attempt was successful and the van moved back enough to manoeuvre the hairpin.

We needed to recover from the stress so headed straight for some beer…

Kalymnian Climbing

Prior to our visit we imagined Kalymnos to be mostly harder climbing on steep/overhanging rock. However, we were surprised to discover that the climbing comprises many different styles including many slabs and technical walls, with most climbs in the F5c-F6b grade range.

That said, it seems most people come to Kalymnos to climb the very steep climbs on big holds, tufas and stalactites. The climbing is often 3D and lots of fun (if you like that sort of thing!). Many of the very overhanging routes are true tests of endurance – no one move is that hard, but the climbing is very sustained (great if you’re a strong climbing-wall climber!).

Unfortunately, the more popular routes are getting polished. However, there is so much climbing (which is under continuous development) it is easy to find many great routes in very good condition.

"Moon Bridge"

Nearly 8a… I’ve now managed my first 7c+ redpoint. Unsurprisingly, it was no gift! It took about 8 attempts over four days, but was worth the effort.

The route is a 15 degree overhanging wall on small crimps and sloping holds. The crux section lasted four bolts (8m) and comprised many technical, balancy moves. The crux sequence ended with the two hardest and most tenuous moves involving a very balancy sequence on a sloping crimp and another bad hold. These two moves alone took me an hour to find a solution. It was a bit like two hard boulder problems strung together. The top half of the climb compromised better holds, but some long, dynamic and pumpy moves. Clipping the chain was also tough and I nearly fell off right at the end.

It did feel very hard, but then if it didn’t there wouldn’t be the same sense of achievement. 8a is the next step, but unlikely to happen this trip as time is running short and I think it would require a lot of time and effort!

Falling

How many climbers really enjoy falling off…? Very few I think. Although one Frenchman on Kalymnos says he likes some routes because they have ‘beautiful falls’! However, most climbers we’ve met still have a healthy fear of falling, and some are still petrified of it!

When I refer to falling in the sport climbing sense I mean the ‘safe’ falls (if there is such a thing!); falls where the climber falls safely into free space, or swings into a wall under control. Pretty much all sport climbing falls are ‘safe’ falls, which is why climbers can push themselves to their physical limit. Thankfully, if managed sensibly/safely, serious falls are very rare.

Paradoxically, most climbers fear the fall, but it is this fear that makes most want to climb. For me, the chance of the fall is part of the rush, the buzz. However, it can be mentally tiring and some days it is difficult to face the possibility of the fall. Days like these are usually spent doing easy and more relaxing climbs.

Claire is still very scared of falling, however, on some of her harder climbs she has been absorbed by the climbing and pushed herself to the limit, fallen and still enjoyed the experience!

[Photo sequence above – David falling off the Colonist 8a+, Antalya.]
[Left: I'm still smiling after falling 4m and stopping just before the ground – not something I want to do again!]

Poor Claire

Poor Claire isn’t having much luck with her shoulder! The injury has been niggling her for the whole trip, but has got considerably worse over the last week. We think it is partially torn muscle/ligament. Claire is taking a week or so off to see how it improves.

8a… is quite hard, but not impossible!

I’ve (Jason) tried my first 8a on lead. The route is called ‘Angelica’ and is on a very steep wall in Arhi sector in Kalymnos. The route is sustained most of the way up with no opportunities for a good rest. The crux is right at the top and involves a very long move on a reasonable crimp. I managed to do all the moves, but it was hardly a stylish ascent and involved many rests! The conditions were poor and most holds were greasy and some wet, (This wasn’t obvious from the bottom.) so I hope to try and work the route again when it is in better condition. It’s unlikely to go as a redpoint on this trip, but it’ll be good to try when dry to see how far off I am.