Nathan Chan

An epic route to climb and also to watch on the naturally terraced spectator stands. The route has an obvious low roof crux and an easy head wall. The roof crux was surprisingly difficult even though the holds were good. It took me four tries to nail the essential foot sequence.

The slightly overhanging wall is covered in a dense honeycomb pattern of small edges and pockets which makes it interesting yet tricky to decide what to grab. However the crux is at the top where the holds stop and I had to make a big move to a sloper.

A delightful little find. Almost no chalk on this route and I understand why. From the ground it looks hard and unappealing, but the chimney start and the bridging end made this a memorable route. Not great for warming up the fingers though.

I'm shocked that I flashed this. It was a brutal route, very difficult throughout. Standing up on the slab with one high foot above the bolt was an intense psychological battle. I would not recommend this route to people I like.

The low boulder crux is a bit spicy. Upper section is not hard but requires concentration. I used the left corner wall at one point for a foot. I later read in the guidebook this is not permitted. Still logging it though, suck it Martin.

A wonderful little boulder crux near the top, requires a bit of finesse. A smooth route, this rock is a joy to climb.

First route in Berdorf. Either it is a bit hard for the grade or I was struggling with the style. Maybe I should do the route again.

A 7a classic of Freyr (apparently), that is as exciting to climb as it is to watch. A high first bolt requires guts and power to get through the start boulder. An easy slab allows for full recovery as it leads you to the slightly overhanging wall. You have to move quickly through the diagonal traverse which brings you to the distinct crux of the route, which is to maneuver around a big flake that (as pointed out by the Dutch crew) looks like the continent of Africa, which is useful to describe hold locations. Several betas exist but I am grateful for the Norwegian who shared his. A high right hand under-cling pinch to Nigeria, move the feet and cross under with the left hand to the under-cling jug at Angola, then right hand across the continent to the jug at Somalia then bring over the left hand to the final jug at Sudan. The trick is also to find the best of the terrible footholds for the right foot and trust it. The next sequence is also very nice. Big move left hand to a crimp, right heel hook by right hand, move up left foot then reach far up for the under-cling pocket. Sent third go.

Extremely short route, basically a boulder. Beta was tricky to figure out. I had to pull through a tiny under-cling pocket pinch, probably there is better way.

A nice warm-up route, but a bit stiff for 6a as written in the guidebook. Technical climbing in the beginning and stressful climbing over the the bulge at the end. One more bolt before the anchor would be nice.

A real team send with beta contributions from Felix, Nina, Seb, and Norm. Thank you to Norm and Seb for the multiple hour-long belays. To Felix, a special expression of gratitude is required for lugging his gear to the anchor and sitting there for 2+ hours filming from above, capturing my send in the waning light of the last go on the last day of the trip. This route was such a physical and psychological fight. Consistently hard throughout, requiring focus, precise beta, hard crimping, and trusting your feet on miniscule rock pimples. I will always remember the desperate moves at the slab crux especially the skin and blood I lost at "Nathan's crimp." Sent on 6th go.

Short and hard slab route. Despite what the guidebook says, it is well worth your time and a good warmup for the harder routes.

Nice flowing moves in the first half until the crux. Then you can go left onto the feature with many jugs that follows the bolt line or right where there are few holds and requires a much harder move than the grade suggests. The line in the guidebook indicates right, but the chalk reveals that left was the correct choice.

The grade makes itself known from the first few moves. But the hard technical slab start gives way to a much easier second half of this short route.

Very short route with some tricky slab moves in the beginning.

A very nice route on mainly jugs, especially good for a first climb at this crag.

Guide book says 6a+, I say definitely 6b. Start is difficult, especially clipping the first draw. One more difficult move a bit further up, followed by fairly easy and pleasant climbing. Climbed it twice.

Martin beat me on our 5c race. I have no excuses. Small crux near the beginning, maybe hard for a 5c climber.

Bit of a long approach to the first bolt. Nice flowing moves on jugs except the crux, which requires a bit of searching to find a good sequence.

Plenty of drama on this route. Originally thought by Martin and Marcus to be a 5. I followed Martin and Alexia's beta by starting on an easier adjacent face then transitioning onto the arete around the third bolt. However, kudos to Josef for climbing right up the bolt line of the arete, which is probably the actual route.

Very technical climb and hard to on-sight. Crux sections throughout. Beginning with a difficult section climbing up and then mantling onto a large flake. Then two very technical "scary" traverse sections. Last section had very desperate moves on small holds. Barely clipped the chains second go.

First route of the trip and a nice introduction to the climbing style at El Chorro and Las Encatadas in particular. An easy beginning with lots of jugs, transitioning to harder end and the "real" style of the crag.

Nice big bouldery moves on big holds. Fell trying to clip the anchor on the flash go. Followed Martin's beta and went right (straight up) at the end which led to a much easier clipping position on the second attempt.

A very short scramble to retrieve my gear. Rope was unnecessary.

A nice short cool-down route. It felt harder than it should have, probably because I was already exhausted from sending DNA and trying Trella.

I was relieved to hop on the team on-sight train. While all the holds are huge jugs, the continuous steepness of the wall takes its toll. Unfortunately, I missed most of the knee bars that, according to Felix, eliminated the endurance factor. I did rest however at the no-hands rest right before the anchor. I was so pumped that I almost couldn't hold anything and I barely managed to wedge my body into this massive tufa sculpture. Luckily I could recover fully before making the last move to clip the chains. It must have been very boring to watch.

All the routes on this section of the wall feel similar. Very different style from the harder routes to the left. But a nice warm-up on a vertical climb.

Some very fun big moves on jugs, but the crux of the route is clipping the anchor off of a shitty left hand crimp. I think I sent it on the fourth go, but it required me to fully explore all the nuances of this last clipping position (drop knee did the trick).

We were looking for this "tasty move" or whatever the weird description was in the guidebook, but none could be found. Maybe a shorter person has to climb a bit further on the suddenly steep overhand to clip the anchor, but we didn't. A pleasant climb, the easiest of all the ones we did in this section of the sector.

Another route that required some serious beta solutions, but much more powerful and dynamic climbing than Paris. Two crux sections separated by two no hands rest kneebars. Special thanks to Sharmaine for cheering for me!

This route was a puzzle, first a long slab section with a few hard moves, then the crux on the vertical wall required some serious problem solving.

Disappointed I didn't send the second pitch. I pumped out a few moves before the anchor. No single hard move, just extremely long and sustained even with semi-decent rests.

A scary start trusting a tiny foothold that is completely polished along with some other intense slab moves. Ending was very nice on big overhanging holds. Very diverse climbing.

For a warm-up not as comfortable as I would have liked.

A glorious route. Some very intense full body moves at the beginning followed by alternating hard sections and rests. I had to use a weird thumb mono (but I was the only one of the group to do this). The top is a bit sketchy with big unsecure rocks that you desperately want to use. These will come out at some point.

Not sure if I would describe this as a romance, although there were a lot of jugs to grab down low on the route. A few powerful moves just after you pull on, then it's over. Turns out it's my kind of romance.

Finally I get a taste of that Wild Sex. It's been a while, and fuck it was good. I loved that everyone watched me. The route, on the other hand was just ok, nothing to write home about.

I thought I was climbing Wild Sex. The ease at which I was climbing made me feel powerful. But all my cockiness was cucked down the drain when I realized that Wild Sex was the route to the right. Still a nice route though, would recommend, but sex level is timid at best.

Thanks to Felix's excellent beta I could send this on my second go. Some very diverse and wonderfully weird tufa climbing. Very specific beta needed at the crux, which Felix provided. So many fun memories here including: the huge asshole that was Nathan from Canada (not me), Martin's weird crux beta, so many bees, and hearing about the strong crying boy who wouldn't come down from the route.

A very fun route! Bouldery and juggy in the first half, then finishes with a tough traverse on small holds and very polished feet. I just threw myself at the last hold and hoped I would stick it. I did. Shoutout to Johnathan who attempted this in the dark, with one functioning arm, on Felix's "expired" rope.

A long route but good for a warm-up. A bit vertical, a bit slabby. It felt very easy for 6b+; either I'm a very strong climber or Kalymnos is very soft.

Basically an indoor boulder outdoors with bolts. Felix was happy and therefore so was I.

Thank you to Felix (the other one) for recommending this "warm-up" to Felix (the right one) and me. A a short but really brutal vertical / slab route with desperate moves on little crimps.

I sent this second go, but it was a crazy fight. The crux section is low on the route but requires everything you have to get through the traverse and into the kneebars of the tufas. Then you still have quite some climbing to do while fighting the pump.

Remember this route I shall! Several glorious no hands rests on one of the most extravagant toufa formations you will find on the island. A bit tricky at the end as you have to leave the glorious holds on the tufas, but it's not so bad. One more thing I will always remember is Felix dropping my quickdraw from the anchor of the neighboring route. RIP my beautiful gear.

This route was a joy to climb. Lots of little things to pull on on a slightly slabby wall. Great warm up.

After the abysmal failure on Daniboy (8a), we thought we should at least climb something and a vertical 6c seemed more appropriate. This route turned out to be long. So long that Felix complained of boredom. However, that was not my experience, as I felt fully challenged by some sections. It made me think: if I can barely do this 6c, what business do I have trying an 8a?

Felix and I found that it was unnecessary to clip the first third of the route, even though there were some serious moves. Had to really pull on some crimps.

A fitting title for the first route of the trip. A fun corner climb with many holds. "Welcome to Kalymnos" it seemed to say.

Part of a series of short powerful routes on a blank vertical wall. Josef and I suspect that a starting hold broke requiring a big jump to a right hand pocket just to start the route. One more powerful move and then the route is basically done. Preclipped the first bolt, but wish I hadn't...

This route took me a lot more tries than I expected, unfortunately ending the send train of the group. The first third of the route is delicate climbing on slab followed by a vertical two part crux sequence. Felix's static beta did not work for me, and I had to figure out my own precise foot and hand placements that would play to my dynamic movement strengths. A rewarding process and actually quite a good route.

A short overhanging route. The crux is a reachy move from a bad hold next to a nest of spiders. Upon discovery of spiders so close to my hand, I let out, an apparently, feminine yelp which elicited giggles from the onlooking French girls. After the clip, one would expect the route to be straightforward, however there is a tricky slab right before the anchor where you desperately look for a hand hold. On my first attempt I went far to the right to find a hand jam. While this felt secure, there wasn't much for the feet and I tried to stand on some moss. My foot slipped, my hand ripped out, and I fell backwards upside-down over the overhang. While screaming for my life, I was sure my head would smash into the wall and I thought "why didn't I wear a helmet?" But my head did not hit the wall, and all I suffered was a large bleeding scape on my right arm, and the startled attention of everyone at the crag as I was left swinging vigorously in the safely belayed catch of the outstanding belayer, my dear friend Felix. After a long rest I put on my helmet and sent the route.

A short technical warm-up climb on small spiky rock features I would associate with limestone.

Thank you for the perfect beta Martin! While this route shares the grade with Les phobies berbères, I felt this was much easier.

A nice warm up, although more technical and difficult than Ostwandriss.

This route following a large vertical crack or fissure in the rock begs to be climbed. Jugs all the way up, while there wasn't any single hard move I was still pushed to think about my body positioning. A joy to climb.

A beautiful route! Nice ledges to rest on between the three sections. Tricky start, a nice middle, and a sustained powerful ending. Extending quickdraws is highly recommended.

Short route with small but good features. Last send of the trip. Happy indeed.

Fun roof and mantle boulder. Good holds, but desperate mantle onto the headwall with sharp flakes. Heel hooks are critical.

First of the grade, but feels a bit soft. Hard boulder start, followed by a juggy tufa section with a decent rest. The crimpy traverse crux is capped by a dynamic span move to a side pull jug. In general, extremely bouldery.

Night send repeated in the day. Great for drone footage. Had to pull more than I expected in the beginning. Beautiful view if you top out.

A beautiful climb. A bit technical but nice small beta puzzles to solve. Single crux makes the grade but could be 6b. Done in the dark.

A team send on this classic line requiring a wide variety of movements. Refined the beta to an artform. You can almost dance up this wall.

A very casual hike. Too many bolts.

A few distinct sections from technical to overhanging. Very fun especially the upper section if you are tall enough. The technical slab crux on the sharp razors made me a bit concerned.

A very fun "4C." None of the moves were hard but quite polished and overhanging makes it a hard and exciting beginner route.

It felt like three boulder problems stacked on top of each other. Strong biceps and heel hooks required.

Unexpectedly tricky. Several cruxes with desperate searching for hand holds. Exciting ending.

Two reachy boulder problems at the beginning. Beta was challenging to find but I worked hard to serve this route up on a flash platter for Martin and Felix. We have collectively decided that although we may have strayed "slightly" off route we still deserve the tick.

Good warm up on interesting rock features. Technical crux, easy top.

Second climb of the night and I found it more enjoyable than Rosso E Nero. Varied climbing with a technical lower section and fun bouldery moves at the overhang near the top.

Night climb to reacquaint myself with outdoor climbing. Footholds are very polished but wonderful jugs all the way up.

Very technical crux. At first it seems impossible, but a heel hook unlocked this route.

Stay to the right for the fun version!

Incredible route. Reminds you that climbing can be a joy!

Hard traverse.

Severe route reading error at the beginning made me lose the flash.

Thought I was climbing a 5c, thanks Felix. Not a warm-up.

Very fun boulder after an easy hike. Heel hook(s) recommended!

Very hard boulder sequence start, the rest is surprisingly easy.

A little bit hard, but good to warm up the fingers and the fight.

Very easy and pleasant climb. One small crux, but definitely not 6c+.

Two cruxes, both powerful and hard to read. Sketchy first clip, no shame in pre-clipping.

Beautiful climb on big holds. Doesn't really have a crux. Some holds can be wet, but doesn't matter.

Also fun.

Very nice warm-up.

Also fun.

Quite fun layback!

With so much beta felt like a redpoint. Thank you Felix.

Pleasant hiking, one tricky move at the end.

Bouldery beginning then casual walk up the slab to the crux which is a difficult high step to mantle.

Such a great route! Perfect warm-up with great holds and movements.

Tough bouldery or slabby start depending on how you do it.

A brutal fight to tick this one. Very desperate moves.

Made some desperate moves and had to pull quite hard for 6a+.

Bouldery on big jugs, very fun.

Tough first move to clip the draw. Felt like climbing a spine.

Unmemorable. Literally remember nothing from this route.

Beware of gnats.

Sketchy first clip. A bit technical, powerful, hard for the grade.

A hard warm-up.

Very fun, big dynamic moves on jugs, but also quite technical. Many possible sequences at the crux. Long reach helps.

Hard to read, desperate moves on slab.

Technical warm-up a bit tricky.

Tricky moves and hard to read. Difficult layback crux.

Short, overhanging and juggy. A bit of a traverse, and very pumpy at the end.

Very high first clip - a bit dangerous, but exciting and safe route after.

Big jugs on overhang, still hard though.

Very fun, amazing movements. Overhanging, technical, and powerful.

Big jugs, big fun. Heel hooking to victory.

Just a relaxing route.

Also not a warm up, get ready to pull.

Not a warm up. Hard sequence to read.

Two bolts too many. Should be a boulder.

Gentle introduction to Frankenjura climbing: short, runout and pocket jugs.

Free solo. There's no bolts or anchor, is it trad or maybe a boulder?

Interesting route and fun to project. Two cruxes: the first a dynamic move from a tiny crimp, the second is quite easy once you find the right pocket on the roof. A hard 7a.

Free solo / steep hiking.

Beta through the crux was hard to find. Used an absurd mono undercling.

Went a bit to the left. Discussion about "on-route" and accusations about stepping on a bolt. Still ticking though.

Nice easy overhanging start with a few desperate moves in the crux.

Perfect warm-up, not too technical.

Big runout near the top.

Amazing route. A bit of crack action in the beginning, then a hard overhanging mantle, and finally a sustained layback section.

High first clip, big runout, excellent cake.

A few hard moves near the beginning.

Fun route takes you around this column-like rock. Quite pumpy but a good warm-up.

Exciting climbing on dramatic features.

Long beautiful route with many excellent rests.

Very easy beginning with a boulder crux near the top.

Very long and jugs all the way. Many rests, but still a bit pumpy.

Technical beginning requires concentration. Two dynos at the top make for one of the most exciting climbs in the area. Took the biggest whip of my life on this one.

An arm-bar rest before the difficult, crimpy crux.

Spectacular climb between tufas!

Fun, easy warmup

Brutal route. Extremely short and difficult. Not for warm-ups, or anything.

Fun, flowing climbing!

warm up. Stays dry during downpours.

Some did not like the view.

Big hole to rest in mid route

Stupid beta at the end made for a very desperate finish.

Short, technical route. Hard, sharp crux.

A bit technical and crimpy

Very technical beginning with a desperate dyno finish. Fun, diverse climbing in the middle.

Hiking at the start. Ending is not easy.

Meandering route, dancing on the rock!

Very overhanging with huge jugs, like a boulder gym!

Slabby to overhang. Good warm-up.

Pleasant, not too hard.

Easy warm up, basically a hike.

Technical beginning with a fun yet hard tufa crux at the end.

Super fun with a huge stalactite and tufa.

Extremely polished slabby climb. Awkward crux before the anchor. Do not recommend!

Crazy cave to climb into mid-route to get a no hands rest. Some powerful moves required.

A bit chossy. Crimpy start, easy finish.

Also nice.

Felt much harder than Squirrel Nut Zippers. Took so many tries.

Juggy, bouldery, very fun.

Fine, L2 much harder with sketchy crux. Tricky lower off with a 70m rope.

Very exciting 3d climbing. Mini cave to climb out of.

First route in Geyikbayiri!

Some tricky moves, a bit of exposure, thrilling for a 6b. Could even be a +. Anchor is concerning.

Nice flow on the big holds on the bottom half. Upper section is all business. Crimpy on small footholds. Desperate 2nd last move.

Easy bottom section, harder upper half is technical and crimpy.

Very technical. Fun and rewarding to work out the beta.

Hardest 6a slab I've ever climbed. Nice big ledges separate the pitches. Messed up after the third ledge as the second to lose the 'onsight.' Led first pitch.

Big juggy holds, nice flow. Very fun.

Bouldery dyno crux (my beta), indoor gym style. Amazing half body ledge to rest.

Huge jugs on the entire route, yet pumpy at the crux in the middle. A lay-down no-hands-rest on a ledge. After, one more hard move.

First half, literally a hike. Second half harder than expected despite following a corner.

Follows a finger crack. Not necessary to use but more fun if you do. The tree may prove useful. Some delicate moves.

Wonderful 3d climbing with an enormous flake. Sheltered from the wind and a scenic top-out.

First 2/3 relatively easy and nice movements with plenty of holds. Single crux move, dynamic and committing.

Relatively good holds with an outstanding no-hands rest right before the crux section. Flowing movements with both power and precision required.

Tricky beginning for a 6a which forces you on to the route to the left.

Very difficult crux for 6b.

Boulder crux in the middle. Beta not obvious, but rewarding when executed. Easy hike follows.

Crimp-fest with bad feet. Committing moves requires courage.

Mooie meisjes, mooie route.

Boulder crux near the start, scenic hiking after.

Sustained and physical crack climb. Very difficult to on-sight. Intelligent use of crack technique required. Brutal but rewarding.

Demanding route; difficult for the grade. Powerful, pumpy finish.

Easy until the end. Still easy though.

Short, powerful boulder route. Quite fun.

Beginning a bit challenging to read, but good holds throughout.

Short overhanging corner. Some powerful moves but intelligent footwork is the key.

An exquisite route. Best for people with long reach. Fantastic no-hands rests throughout. The bottom 2/3 can be climbed in a state of complete flow. Would repeat.

Short but sweet. Technical crimpy moves.

Reasonable warm-up. More sun than bass.

A very short route with a few strenuous moves. Loose rock to the right of the anchor, beware!

Boulder problem in the beginning and a few tricky moves further up. A route for technique training.

False promise is a feel-good route. Bit of crack with good holds.

Delicate movements in an exciting spot by the sea.

Bizarre route. More difficult to belay than to climb. Enormous rope drag. Potential for belayer to be pulled into the water, and the rope will get wet when pulled down.

Technical arete slab. Not to be underestimated.

Beautiful and powerful route full of big features and tufas on lower section. Desperate clip at the crux, potential for big fall.

Technical short traverse crux before anchor. Worthwhile.

A wonderful crack climb. Forced to use crack technique at one or two spots. Left longing for more.

Short dynamic boulder moves on slight overhang. An abundance of holds to choose your own adventure (beta). No real rests; shakeout game was key before the crux at the end. I broke off a piece of a hold. I'm sorry.

Decent warm-up. Sharp rock offers good friction.

A nice relaxing climb by the water. Long with a crux 2/3 of the way to the top. Fun to do in the dark, but beware of mosquitoes.

An exciting rock feature that calls out to be climbed. Short but sweet with a desperate crux move.

Ik heb je setjes. Het spijt me. Waarom doe ik die routes nog steeds in de 5's?

A fun route with nice holds, like eating a cold desert on a warm day. Good bolting for children.

Short route with technical beginning. It doesn't really smell like arête.

Hard move at the first clip ruined my flash, then quite easy until the very demanding technical crimpy slab at the end.

This route is divided in two sections. The lower part is quite easy with a committing crux move. The upper section is a technical rounded corner. The transition between the two sections can be done easily. Hindsight is always 20/20.

The route looks more interesting than it is to climb. One could imagine a more exciting route to make use of such a unique rock feature.

A short winding crack climb. Appears to favour a powerful and dynamic beta, but I suspect an intelligent climber could find a delicate and technical solution.

Surprisingly wonderful climb with nice vertical rock features.

From mantle to corner to overhanging flake: pure technical climbing. No need for powerful or desperate moves if done right. Satisfaction guaranteed.

Two cruxes. Technical and committing if you climb dynamically, but allows for a wide range of betas.

Tricky upper section. I had to use all my crimp strength. Glad I didn't finish this on my free solo onsight attempt.

A brutal route. Perhaps I used stupid beta, but it felt much harder than 6b. I do not recommend.

The most popular 7a in the canyon. A long, technical and sustained climb. A bonanza of different hold types. Pump management is the key.

A short, technical route. Rewarding and easy to project. Hard but definitely not 7a+.

First free solo. A slabby route in the rain, perhaps not a wise life choice. At least there was no one to witness my folly.

Free solo ascent. The ledge in the middle feels very safe.

Overhanging, but jugs all the way. A sublime route for free soloing. The downclimb was just as fun. Stays dry in the rain.

Free solo ascent. Scary in the rain and wind. Might have gone off course. What am I trying to prove?

Powerful beginning. A fun route to project.

Excellent warm-up route.

A fun climb. The onsight is for the first pitch; had to rest near the end of the 2nd pitch.

Incredible line, interesting moves, and sensational rests. One of the best routes I've done.

A thrilling 6b+.

Sketchy clipping positions. Not worth it.

Beautiful line. One committing move in the beginning.

Short warm-up conveniently located at the beginning of the crag. Apparently adequate for fall practice.

Begins with a hike. Tricky technical boulder section in the middle.

Nice boulder start. Ladder afterwards.

A hard 6a+. Requires some upper body strength to pass the small roof.

Interesting corner climb. Good holds lends themselves to dynamic bicep moves.

Such a fun route, but definitely not a 6b.

Short and easy on weird bubble rock formations. Easier than a 6b+.

Can recommend for a night climb. A fun crack (flake), but crack technique not a prerequisite.

The 6c grade starts after leaving the easy flake. A few bouldery moves but a reasonable route for an onsight.

Very boring.

Why did I climb this?

An exhilarating 6a. Easy yet extremely exposed. Big, polished jugs.

A bit polished.

Exposed moves near the top.

Sublime flake climbing. Perfect for photos.