This half term, 11 boy climbers and two staff climbers set off for Kalymnos via Gatwick-Kos flights, taxi then ferry to destination. From here, somewhat remarkably for an adventurous activity of its kind, the trip flew by incident free.
We were blessed to have two excellent local guides in Sergi and Axel whose expertise, good humour and indomitable spirit kept us all motivated and psyched for the vertiginous pitches ahead.
For both experienced climbers like Keeper Geordie L and relative novices like Jimmy D and Patrick G, the location and technical challenges ahead did not disappoint. After bagging a couple of imposing-looking 6b (rock climbing grade indicating the difficulty of a climb) slabs, Jimmy and Patrick could often be spied on a nearby rock gazing pensively out to sea. And why not indeed.
The first day (and last day of the Kalymnos Climbing Festival, as it happened) saw us take on ‘Afternoon’, one of the most picturesque crags on the island, just above Masouri and overlooking the imposing island of Telendos.
On Day 2, we took shelter from some light rain in the Grande Grotte, a huge limestone cave with seemingly endless lines of dark grey, white and orange tufas interspersed with stalactites on which to stretch every fibre of the body and test the nerves. 7a+ grade 9-year olds en famille from Switzerland rubbed shoulders with veteran Roland from Lancashire, along with the usual gathering of climbing enthusiasts from across the globe. Here, lead-climbers Geordie, Will M, Will G and Jack M were able to develop their technique and push their grade on some over-hanging pitches (a section of a climbing route between two belay points) of 6c and 7a+.
Day 3 took us to Arginonta valley with some enticing vertical walls and smaller, but more challenging, caves; by all accounts the most popular destination so far. Climbing up, through and back out of Bichon Direct (6b) proved hugely popular with the boys and consequently produced a queue which took most of the day to process. The gloriously exposed Provatina (6b+) corner route seemed to please just about everyone too, not least because it presented the opportunity for some photogenic poses.
It was a line which clearly gripped the attention of many in the group, from Mr Jeffery and Sports Assistant colleague Mr Jones, and Jamie L and Johnny S, whose ambition drew them back to send the route, on lead (clipping the rope into protection points as they climb) and top-rope (a rope is anchored at the top of a route, running down to the climber and back to a belayer on the ground) respectively, when we returned to the ancient olive-tree studded valley on the final day.
On Day 4, we were surprised and delighted in equal measure by a trip to the eastern coast of Kalymnos, the ‘Secret Garden’ (of wild sage, thyme and lavender approach) where steeply over-hanging lines of tufa challenged, exhilarated, exhausted and defeated us all. But it was nonetheless here that perhaps the biggest personal projects were made and breakthroughs achieved. In particular, both the youngest member of the group, Henry V, and the oldest, Jack M displayed some delightfully flowing moves and gutsy reaches on the impressive-looking Fragopalo (7a+).
On the Final Day, we were able to indulge our appreciation of the sheer beauty of our natural surroundings and soak up the vibes of this popular crag as members of the Climbing World fraternity rubbed shoulders and shared ropes. GB climber Jen Wood delighted admiring onlookers as she projected an 8c with awesome style and balletic grace. Others from around the globe would send 8a and 8b routes with impressively powerful displays of whole-body strength.
Such was the inspiration for our crew on Day 5 as fatigue started to set in and the rain uncharacteristically returned to the usually sunny clime and climbs of Kalymnos. Geordie was able to take shelter on an 8a knee-bar challenge (a climbing manoeuvre where a climber creates a leg hold against the rock) under cover of the cave with the mentoring guidance of Axel. His resulting bat-hang (hanging upside down using only toes) drew appreciative gasps from his peers and it was impressive indeed to see him move onwards and upwards as he led another clip before swinging out.
Perhaps the final glory was reserved for the least experienced of our group, Leo S who overcame some frustrations of the previous day to red-point (a successful free-climb) rather impressively Provatina (6b+), an achievement which contributed to earning him the award of ‘most improved climber of the week’ by the unanimous judgement of our expert guides and instructors.
However, it must be said that everyone left the crag that day elevated and elated by their own personal journeys, from statement-making returnee Zakir K to motivational course leader Sergi.
As if to prove that the slightly inclement weather didn’t matter one bit, as we cruised back into Masouri in car and van, we were blessed with a spectacular and utterly breath-taking, cloud-veiled sunset over Telendos and the bay.
