Climber Magazine Mar/Apr24 Back Issue

HIDDEN GEMS
I had an email from a delightful chap called Thomas, who was very psyched to share his passion for a climbing area in Greece that was, in his words, “a hidden gem.” I’ve been to Greece on many occasions, and I absolutely love the people and the welcoming, relaxed vibe they give off. The climbing is pretty special too and as I’m always on the lookout for new places to share with the Climber readers, it was an easy decision to introduce Ermionida to UK climbers.
Nestled in the heart of East Peloponnese, the area has a variety of sport climbs from F4b to F8c+, thus perfect for a mixed team looking for their next hot rock trip. Check it out beginning on page 18. If you do visit, mention you saw it in Climber first.
Most of you will have heard of Ken Wilson’s tome, Classic Rock. Amongst its pages are a list of over 80 routes ranging from Diff up to VS and split into fi ve different geographical areas. Whilst ticking all of the routes is
a challenge in itself, each region has seen its own challenges develop including the ‘in a day’ challenges or completing a section of the climbs in the fastest time. This has led to some mind-boggling times, with the Lake District routes becoming a particular hotbed of fastest times in recent years. Ken Daykin has examined into the various challenges in
an article in this issue.
Now I’m a sucker for a historical article, and Steve Dean has provided just that where he explores the early history of climbing on one of Britain’s finest mountain cliffs in the heart of north Wales, Clogwyn Du’r Arddu.
It’s astonishing the standard of climbing these early pioneers attained, especially when you climb them today with modern protection and technical rock shoes. I have to doff my cap to them – remarkable and a great read.
Until next time, be safe.
David