How climbing Feels
6b ★★ Monahiki Elia, Sport 25m, slight overhang, 9 expresses, Kalymnos.
You enter the route, but the moment before that you have to dedicate to the breathtaking sight of the overhang of the Grande Grotta in Kalymnos, after that you’re ready to go!
You’re hooked up with a tucked in double figure-eight knot between the rope and your climbing harness, and you reach for the first doorknob-like hold. The grip feels secure and good in your hand, making it easier to climb to the next bolt where you attach an quickdraw and place the rope in the lower snapper.
When you clip in the second quickdraw at the next bolt, you get the feeling of optimism and success that lasts until shortly before the end, with which you safely venture further up the rock face.
The First Crux
You look up and see some stalactites sticking out of the wall above you. After you turn your focus back to the next stage, the search begins for the best grip for hand and feet. In the coral-like shopping bag sized stalactite above you, you find a bombproof shower head hold and you are able to pull yourself over it, the stalactite is so big that you can even sit on it in a relaxed manner.
Once you have rested your arms enough it continues between two tufa’s and you press and pull yourself up by another six to seven movements. Up to here, you maintain the aforementioned feeling of optimism and success, because now you suddenly have steep polished feet covered with climbing shoe rubber.
The Top
After the strength-sapping moves, you reach a lateral flake hold, which is not quite near enough to hang your rope in the anchor, forcing you to really trust your feet to clip the rope and complete the route.
May The Goats be with you!
