Ascensões em Kalymnos por Lee Cujes

Excellent sustained wall climbing with a reachy crux above the bolt.

This felt like it went on forever. Some quite hard bits - probably want to be pulling harder than 6b to feel comfortable on this.

Couldn't have been any closer to the flash. Dyno to blind hold. Ahhh! So fun.

A series of big holes up a 35 degree wall, to an enormous huck. For JJ, it was love at first kneebar. [2]

Sharpy sharp sharp, sharparoo. Slabs are hard going.

More powerful than its neighbours.

Repeat. Gear retrieval.

Wet soap!

Wet soap conditions. Quite the challenge today. [2]

Short, weird, powerful, Swedish dairy product.

Interesting warm up; not the typical grey slabs.

Grim extension - best avoided.

My assessment of "hard for a few bolts, then a 6a slab to the top" didn't match reality. This was on from start to finish. Big fight.

Had to do this after Sam's onsight. Jesus, it was hard. Tons of pockets.

Kind of ruined my golden onsight record in the cave. One very bouldery move.

Repeat. Was going for the new route Manou Chou which splits off this. However found myself too high and just kept going. Could touch the anchor but not clip. Thank god I've onsighted it previously.

Very new, and very few ascents. With good reason when you're surrounded with such quality.

Noooo! My first nonsight of this sector. Boooo. I'm not fit for endless jugs, but it'll come.

A very worthy new addition right of Mind Boggle. Crimping lower crux, then endless tufas with not as many rests as you'd like. 7b+ or 7c. [2]

Repeat - gear retrieval.

Where'd my tick go on this? Onsighted on first visit in 2011 when the Garden was still Secret.

New crag, so had to check it out. Will not be rushing back.

Quite deceptive - looks easy, but not so easy on redpoint.

A good way to get over the jetlag. Couldn't clip the third and didn't want to deck on my first day.

Fully wet soap conditions, good for a laugh. Good Eiger training? Almost managed it, too.

Nice and soapy today. Yum.

To about halfway on the flash.

To just under the crux. I forget how much I ordinarily rely on friction. This thing is polished to a high gloss and you have to grip so bloody hard. The top crimpy crux is nails! Super solid 8a.

Warm up

Had been climbing earlier in the day at another sector. Came out here for the afternoon and jumped on this without re-warming up. Easy steep moves to start and I felt something go in my shoulder. Oh shit. Damnit. Time to rest and hope it heals up quick. [edit: it did not, I was out for months]

Got to the top wall and got brutally shut down. Seemed impossible.

I suspect this is one of those routes which you can either do quickly, or it will be impossible. Very bouldery top section. Super cool though with marble-y holds. [2]

Solid tufa action at the grade, feels much longer than it is. E nailed it today.

Whoa! You really have to bone down on some tiny holds on this one. I made it through the lower crux section only to be foiled by a rogue tickmark. Gaaaahh!

A bit runout and airy feeling, to a broccoli top section.

Had a play on toprope as I was lowering off Lactic Shock, moves felt okay and I had a brief window before it went into the sun. Fortune favours the bold! [2]

It was one of those "I'll just put the gear on. Well, maybe I'll go for it" and ended up getting about 4m to the top. Pockets were all wet, I was slipping all over the shop. Fun and crazy fight.

Fed it lots of chalk and put it to bed. One of the tougher 7c prospects on the island I reckon. Super route. [3]

Quick sneaker run-up.

The finest climb of Kalymnos.

Sneakers. Sam and Erik's project today.

Sneakers. Erik flashed. Nice!

Tickety tick - cleaning up an old dog.

Back on the wagon again.

Definitely a tough cookie for the grade. Stepped rooflets. Sharp.

Very powerful tufa thuggery.

End of day. I think this is my first 'musical note' of this trip. It is very good. Extremely steep and juggy for 30m.

Sorting.

I thought this was superb. Reminded me of the endurance routes in the RRG. The crux is fairly low, around bolt 5, but you could easily blow the top section on the onsight. A mega line. [2]

Made it right to the top - last bolt - when the fat tufa I grabbed decided to shead its skin.

Tired, but managed to battle through. Cool! Aris told me this one was downgraded from 8a to keep the crowds off it [3]

Be prepared for some sloper action on the crux!

Bridging up tufa curtains. Climbs a bit like a trad route.

Through the crux and most of the way up the fat tufa on the OS, laughed myself off. Ended up doing at least 5 more moves than I thought.

Only 6c+ in the guide, I had previously fallen off this. Nearly did again today. Nails slabbing! Ergh!