Climbing character The rock of Kalymnos is top-quality limestone. It is a little sharp in places, but free of choss (aka rotten, loose rock). There is nothing monotonous about climbing on Kalymnos: there is a great variety of rock, with slabs, walls with delicate moves, pumpy routes with pockets and stalactites or tufas on overhanging rock and roofs. In some respects the rock resembles that of Thailand, only a little sharper. Many visitors have described the equipping of routes on Kalymnos as “the epitome of sport climbing.” At the moment (2014) there are 80 sport crags – mainly west and south facing – with approximately 2300 routes ranging from F4a to F9a, although there are quite a few project routes which are expected to exceed 9a. All have an athletic, steep and challenging sport climbing character and are equipped in a sensible and friendly manner using stainless steel bolts. The rock on Kalymnos seems to come in three varieties: 1. Extremely overhanging rock with blobs, tufas and stalactites which, even when tilted 20 degrees past vertical, can still check in at a “mere” 7a! 2. Slightly overhanging or vertical, smooth white and orange walls with pockets and smaller tufa features. 3. Grey slabs with sharp rock that has been sculpted by the rain (‘gouttes’) with little iron knobs cemented into the matrix. The best of the routes can possibly combine the three types of rock in one pitch. Of equal importance is that the limestone is showing little sign of polish, in sharp contrast to the rock at some other well-known climbing areas of Europe. This situation will be slow to change given the particularly rough surface of the rock. The majority of the routes on Kalymnos are single-pitch around 20-30m. However, there are a few longer routes reaching 3-5 pitches, and there is tons of room for many more great routes at all levels. Coupled with the excellent quality of the rock is the sheer quantity of it. The existing routes only cover a tiny portion of what is possible here. There are some quality crags still waiting for their first route – all they demand is a slightly longer approach. Route grades & descriptions Sport climbing routes on Kalymnos are graded according to the French grading system. Great efforts have been made toward consistent grading. We’d like to thank the website 8a.nu for valuable collaboration in this respect, and some changes have been made based on suggestions posted on their database. However, since routes on Kalymnos are being put up by climbers from all over the world, and since some of these routes have not yet seen their second ascent, it is possible that a few will need re-grading. Don’t hesitate to contact us if you want to comment about such routes on Kalymnos. All comments and grade suggestions are welcome! Route descriptions: Our comments are just a general description of every route. We have tried to give you a “feel” of each route on Kalymnos, something that most climbers like to read about and which occasionally inspires their ‘must do’ lists. We have also tried to avoid specific beta that might spoil your Kalymnos onsight attempts. However, if your onsighting of routes is very puritan, it is best to avoid reading our comments altogether before your attempt. You’ll also have to ignore the chalk and the tick marks, especially if the last rain was 6 months ago, as is usually the case each October…