Kalymnos, probably would have been discovered as a climbing destination anyway.

In the sport climbing community there are two main groups of people, those who have visited Kalymnos already and those who have heard about this magnificent place and wish to visit it at some point in the future! There is not much left to be said about this rock climbing island, a stony, yet shining jewel in the Aegean sea. However for those who love historic information, we gladly provide it to you.

how it all started

Kalymnos, probably would have been discovered as a climbing destination anyway. The lucky visionary who did discover it, was an Italian climber, Andrea di Bari, who, legend has it, was spending his holidays on Kos island and decided to cross over for a day-visit. That was back in 1996. When he took a ride towards the north of Kalymnos he couldn’t believe his eyes! He could not understand how there was no one around climbing this amusement park for rock climbers. He immediately knew that he would come back one day, which of course was not destined to be very distant. He returned along with some friends in May 1997 and put up the first routes. Among them, sector Arhi, which is the Greek word for beginning.

and what a beginning!

Andrea di Bari returned to Kalymnos in October of the same year, but this time except climbing and bolting, spreading the news was in the plan. Andrea Gallo, a photographer working for Alp magazine also came to Kalymnos that year. Alp and Rotpunkt magazines shouted to the climbing community about a heaven on earth, waiting for some drilling. And then, the big fun started!

Kalymnos municipality having no experience with the matter in hand, collaborated with well known and experienced persons from the Greek climbing community, like Aris Theodoropoulos. Drawing from their own budget as well as national and european funds, the Kalymnos municipality has since invested considerable amounts of money to develop rock climbing on Kalymnos. Chances were more than promising, considering that the island was consisting of 100% unspoiled, wonderful, breathtaking, continuous cliffs along its coastline, with an average of 15 minute approach time.

Everybody worked really hard and Kalymnos exploded. After a series of well-organized international festivals starting in 2000, in 2006 Petzl took over, organizing the Kalymnos Petzl RocTrip. Petzl equippers, spent some time drilling the newly discovered Sykati Cave. The tufa overdose! Chris Sharma and Dani Andrada were some of the competitors in this 8a-9a paradise. Since then we can remember the first 9a of the island, climbed by Adam Ondra in sector Odyssey, Alex Megos participating in the North Face series later on, Urko Carmona & his partner Simone Salvagnin in 2016 and so many others. Known members of the Greek climbing community, like Lucas Dourdourekas and George Kopalides “Kopa”, having made Kalymnos their residence, along with numerous visitors from abroad who also live here permanently, like the established local opener Claude Idoux, who has equipped a considerable number of routes in the island.

For sure, since then, Kalymnos has become renowned because of the brilliant openers who arrived and drilled, some out of their own pocket and others often sponsored by local businesses. The peak of the Kalymnian climbing history is the formation of a local Rescue Team, run by professionally trained volunteers and supported by local businesses, federations, well-known companies and of course donations from visitors who see them in action. You can donate to the Kalymnos Rescue Team here.

climbing options

We offer our visitor the opportunity of choosing among a series of options regarding a unique climbing experience on Kalymnos. Whether you are a complete novice, an amateur, or an experienced climber, our certified instructors will be glad to take you to the famous rocks of Kalymnos.

With as many options as climbing for fun or climbing with pros to improve your grade, we can guarantee that you will enjoy your stay on the island, being able to try something that will suit your needs.