Ascents in Kalymnos as sport by Adam Straw

Awesome steep jugs to finish and amazing day at Telendos.

Couldn't believe I pulled through on this. Can definitely feel the improvements in stamina after over a week here. Ivan went first but bailed after the first three draws so I guess it was part flash. Awesome and steep through the first half but then some weird spikey slab up top. Three lines of bolts all sharing the same holds. Bizarre.

Absolutely magical up the vertical wall. Perfect two finger pockets wherever you need them.

Techy and quite run out for a kalymnos climb. Still adequately bolted even if it's a little heady.

Absolutely desperate but just held on. Really sweet climb. Guidebook says it was polished but I thought it was fine.

Got up with one fall but what a fall it was!!!! Really techy stuff up a vertical wall with tiny two finger and mono pockets.

After trying it a few days before I managed to snag this one first go of the day. As is often the case in kalymnos, knee bars were the key.

Got all the info on the rests and gave it a blast. Couldn't believe just how big the jugs were. Probably the easiest 7a I've tried in kalymnos despite the steepness.

Super pumpy. Thought I was off for sure at the slopey rail but just managed to claw through.

Some of the coolest moves you'll find anywhere stemming up the tufas.

Got through the main boulder problem without too much fuss. With a good knee bar and getting a good sequence on the slab at the top I think I could do this one. Definitely a tall person climb.

Had two goes and got most of it. Still pulled on draws through the crux though. A long way off making this.

Great technical climbing even though it's not a glorious overhang.

Technical side pulling on slopey edges most of the way up. Had to climb it twice to retrieve a draw I accidentally skipped on the traverse.

Thought I had it in the bag, but the unexpected thin section at the top got me.

Looks average from the bottom but is nothing but class.

Finally had a half hearted attempt at projecting and gave this two goes. Was just a little too pumped to pull the last crux move but was cool to see the improvement from first to second try. Maybe I should session routes a little more.

Probably my favourite route in Kalymnos so far. Pumpy start to some crazy stemming through the tufas. Said 7a on the wall but 6c+ in the guidebook. Let's go with 7a ;-)

Not sure what happened here. Just got too pumped.

Unreal climbing! It's definitely more than just jug hauling with some tricky stuff in there too. Need to get on DNA next.

Bloody hard. Fell off getting into cave then couldn't quite keep my composure going to the anchor either with all the garbage holds around it.

Maybe even a little better than it's neighbour.

Beautiful. Just beatifu.l

Sharp and shitty.

Made it all the way through the glorious tufas then got shut down right at the top. The bottom section of the climb is definitely what gives it it's stars though.

Tufa climbing at it's best!

The guide book has a cool ghost story about this route. Pretty average though.

Couldn't get past the crappy sharp shit off the ground. Looked like a cool line above though.

Delicate at the bottom leading into a pumpy and sustained top. Managed to find one of the weirdest rests imaginable, with one leg on a hold, one flagging and then half lying down in a small groove.

Radical stemming up the steep corner then pump control to the top.

A little weird but pretty cool at he top.

So bouldery!

Tried to quickly fit this in while we were running from the sun. So gassed and hot that it turned into an absolute dog fest.

Almost all the climbing up this extension was amazing at about 6c, then there was just a shitty awkward move at the very top that made it 7a.

Awesome and techy up the vertical wall before the overhnging extension kicks in.

Not quite enough juice in the tank at the top.

Pretty insecure at the start but improves the higher you go.

Glorious all he way to the top. Found a good rest in a tufa but almost greased out of it with the amount of sweat going on. It sure was a hot one today.

First impressions of Kalymnos are freaking awesome!!!