During Eastern holidays 10-24 April we went together with family Boons (Dirk,Katja,Alec and Iris) ,Nico Ongena and superstar Loïc Timmermans to the hot climbing spot in Greece Kalymnos.
All had a wondefull time , climbed as hard as they could and had fun.
Every time we pushed our limits we drunk champaign :
Iris climbed her first 6b Wild Sex
Alec climbed his first 7b Motorhaed
Ignace climbed his first 8a Flash Super Lolita
Manolo climbed his first 7a+ Nike onsight and first 7B+ Flash Fire Wall
Loïc climbed his first 8b Flash Rendez with Platoon
Dirk climbed a 7c Magnetus
How did we go to Kalymnos ?We booked a flight with Ryanair from Frankfurt to Kos.We paid 1061.4 € for 4 persons all costs included.Starting from April 2011 you can now fly with Ryanair from Charleroi to KOS.From Antwerp it takes about 3.5 hours to get by car to Frankfurt Hahn airport. Loic booked much later then us and paid less then 100 € all cost included for the airfare.
When you arrive at Kos you can take the bus or taxi (+/- 15 € per taxi)to Mastihari port.Here you can take a Ferry to Kalymnos Island – Pothia port.Fast Ferry goes in 1.2 hour for 6 € Slow Ferry takes 45-60 minutes and costs 3.5 €.The ferry’s don’t go to Kalymnos when there are severe winds .The time schedule changes from High to low season .We had to wait half a day to have a boat but we had lunch and sat on the beach while waiting.
When we arrived in the port Pothia of Kalymnos we took a taxi to our apartment in Myrties.
http://www.kalymnos-villas.gr/uk/kalymnos_villas.aspWe booked the Villa Theodora and Villa Spyros for 4 persons and the owner was very kind to put two extra beds so all 10 people could sleep in this 2 apartments. Most apartments in Massouri and Myrties are for 2-3 persons and don’t have a good equipped kitchen .Our kitchen was well equipped, we had sea view , airco and everything we needed except the shower did not meet our expectations. The apartment is cleaned almost every 3 days. No need to take sheets and towels with you because they change them when cleaning. We paid 850 € for 14 days for 1 apartment
Where did we climb in Kalymnos?Sector Afternoon: A good family crag with a lot of easy routes. Hardest route Beta is 7B+ and is a beautiful recommended route on tufas.
Grande Grotta: An amazing cave with a lot of Tufa’s.2 Warm up 7a’s Ivy and DNA. Fun de Chichunne 8a is a classic and is possible to do on sight or Flash.
Odyssey: This sector stays long in the shadow so chilly on windy days but good on hot days. Amphora is a 7B for warm up and this route we would not recommend .Island in the Sun 7a+ , Kulturistika (one big move!) and Lucky Luca we liked a lot more. Sardonique 8a is a hard 8a with some very hard moves on small crimpers.
Arhi: A good family crag where you can find all grades. We did Swiss Kiss 7a+ ,Eros 7B+ and tried the beautiful tufa route Mr.Souvlaki .We saw a dead goat at the start of French Kiss 7a so we could not climb it.
Sikati Cave : This is a must when you go to Kalymnos. Even when you do not climb you should visit this cave .Not so easy to find! Super Lolita 8A is beautiful recommend route .The last section is the hardest so be prepared. Loïc Climbed this route on sight and Ignace Flash !Kontrato 7a+ is a pumpy route with big holds .Ou est l’équipe 7B is a soft start and a hard finish but we would recommend it !
Spartan Wall : This is a very popular crag. Classic 8A Daniboy is recommended for the 8 degree climbers. Alexis Zorbas 7a+ and Magnetus 7c are short routes .Astree 6b is a very popular 6b but be prepared for rope drag at the top!
Arginonta: Very good family crag. We liked it a lot. Hardest route is Fire Wall 7b+ and was flashed by Manolo. He found it less hard then Motorhead 7B .Wild sex 6b we would also recommend.
Kalydna: This sector stays long in the shadow and when windy is can be chilly. Ideal for hot day s. Long routes. Loîc climbed Fake friends 8c and Ignace tried Trous dans l’air 8B+.We climbed Ixion 7a,KalyNikhla 6b,Extra 6a+,Avra6a,Mami Au gigri 6b+ and Blevita 6B.
Jurassic park: Very nice sector good when chilly or windy. Too hot on hot days. It takes 35 minutes to reach this sector when you know the path otherwise it takes you more than an hour. This is the only sector we visited twice. Very nice routes but more for 7a or more climbers. We liked Pegaus 7a, Nike 7A+,Houftasaurus 7b,Carnivore 7c,St.Savas 7b+ and Rendez with Platoon 8b that Loic flashed !
What you need to know about Kalymnos
The water out of the water pipes is very salty. You can use it to cook your meal and brush your teeth. Most people don’t drink it because the taste is not good. Also for making coffee or tea we did not use it. The water is not contaminated, it’s just the taste. The spring where this water comes from has this salty taste. There are five springs on Kalymnos where you can get not salty drinking water.Two are in Massouri one is near the Oasis hotel.
In Kalymnos you do not throw toilet paper in the toilet. You need to put in a trash can next to the toilet. This way the evacuation of the toilet can’t get obstructed. At first this seems a very strange habit.
There are a lot of small supermarkets in Massouri that open very early 8.00 AM and close very late 10.00 PM. A bigger and less expensive supermarket you can find in Panormos . It has a better and larger choice of fruit and vegetables.
Most people speak English on Kalymnos but we learned some Greek words : Good morning = Kaliméra , Goeieavond = Kalispéra and thank you = efcharisties .
Collect money out of the wall. When we were there the money machine in Massouri was out of order. We needed to go to Panormos 3 km out of Massouri. Just before the crossing you can see the bank on your left side.
Very important : When there is too much wind or on Holidays the ferry to Kos will sometimes not sail. So if you want to take you plane on time, get your ticket for the ferry one day in advance. Thist way you avoid surprises when leaving .You are also sure that you have a seat when capacity of the boat is exceeded. We needed to take the ferry one day earlier because on Eastern Sunday morning the ferry did not sail. In emergency you call Captain Arvithis +306977470993. He has a motorboat and sails in all weather conditions .Of course cost is much higher. More than 20€/person.
Traveling on the island Kalymnos is usually done by motor bike. Prices vary form 8-15 € depending for high or low season.
