UKC

A small group of us had a great time in Kalymnos last October and want to repeat the experience. We'll be going at the same time (mid-October) next Autumn. We need routes in the 4's and 5's with 6b the top limit. We quite like the odd multi-pitch thrown in. And we don't much like climbing in hot sun. We just about found enough shady crags on Kalymnos to fill our week, and we really liked the scene there. Oh, and I should also mention that some of us prefer the beach to the rock.

So, the question. Should we go back to Kalymnos, or will we find similarly great climbing for our next autumn trip at a new venue? We're contemplating Sicily (San Vito lo Capo area) as a possible alternative. Palermo seems to have cheaper flights than Kos. 

All advice very gratefully received. Thank you!

Martin

San Vito is great for that grade range. Lots to go at with generally friendly bolting. 

I’ve been to both. San Vito was like a ghost town outside of the tourist season. As in most places were shut. The climbing is good but not as good as Kalymnos and there is less of it, especially in the grade range you are after. 

San Vito is great at that grade range. Loads to go at and generally friendly bolting. 

San Vito is amazing but there isn't a massive amount of decent stuff to go at in the 4s-5's, but still plenty to keep you busy for one visit at least. Multipitch is limited, there is one classic 5+ but little else that is well travelled. Once you get in to 6a for single pitch it really gets really really good in my opinion. Rock is often very sharp, one week of climbing averaging 6b ish totally destroyed my skin, so be careful if you have any significant plans after the trip. 

Sorry for the thread hijack Martin, but I am going to Kalymnos at the beginning of Easter with the family. What would be your three best crags for 4+ - 6b recommendations? Many thanks. 

San Vitro should be quieter than Kalymnos in October.

No problem with the "hijack". It will depend on the weather I think. We only climbed in the shade, because it was hot. But, at Easter, being early this year, you might be seeking sun. If you need shade, the following were good for us at those grades. 

Summertime: Our first day. Worthwhile but not our best venue.

Sikati Beach: Interesting walk-in and good climbing at the grades.

Kastelli: Shade till early pm. Good at the grades. Popular.

Arginonta Valley: Good at the grades. Shade all day. Climbs perhaps a bit "samey", (to each other, but different to other venues). Doesn't dry fast.

"3 Stripes": Multi-pitch (6 pitches) and "must-do" All pitches in the  4's and 5's. Finding the descent route took longer than the climb!

Pescatori / Irox: Two easily combinable crags on Telendos. Shade all day. "Must visit" venue at the grades if you can organise the boat crossing (not difficult). 

Hope that helps. Have a good trip!

Martin

You forgot to mention that Arginonta Valley gets extremely busy.

Also Lambda. Some stunningly good long pitches in the 6a/b range, though not much worthwhile below that. Shade until early afternoon: get the 8 o'clock boat.

Possibly consider Sardinia. Flights from northern England are not so good nowadays, but I think from southern are okay. I found a large variety of climbing on very sharp rock, and much preferred to Kalymnos, but have no been to Sicily.

I'd add Black Buddah to the list.  Only a few 5s, but a full wall of excellent 6's that never go above 6b.  Long walk up but shade all day once you're there and it never gets busy.

The stuff on the right is the real good stuff.

Many thanks Martin

I'd add that I didn't really like Kasteli - it felt like a sandbag - while some other areas were fabulous at 4-5, (I think there was a nice little bit of loads of easy routes at Odyssey, for instance, next to some 6s I think - do double check but if it's where I'm thinking of it was nicely angled and could be a nice crag to start at) There were a few 5s at Kalydna too (not in the old local guidebook) - Eolo was my first lead of the trip.

I found that the local guidebook grades seemed to be way off at some crags (eg Kastelli) but Rockfax/UKC was far more reliable for grading, so worth cross-referencing. I've not used the new guidebook though so that may have been ironed out.

Many thanks to those who have responded with Sicily / Kalymnos comparisons. Any more thoughts very welcome.

Martin

I didn't mention Odyssey. Yes, we did climb there, on the easy angled section far right. Didn't stand out to me, though possibly because the grades there were almost too easy, with nothing in between these and the harder routes to the left on the more impressive sector (which were too hard for us, sadly). 

Martin

Fair enough. I thought they were nice for 4-5 and especially as a warm-up but might not be what you wanted if you want 5-6 (in fact half of my group who were more 6a level did move on). Depends on your group eh.

I love Kalymnos, and have been in San Vito once. However, if you want to explore dlfferent areas, different landscapes, and different cultural sites, Sicily has a lot to offer. Climbingwise, San Vito has a lot to offer in these grades, and I want to return.