Expedition Report
The purpose of this expedition was to gain experience in the varied styles of outdoor climbing by tackling several challenging objectives within the Varasova ridge and the Tagyetos ridge in the Peloponnese in Greece.
The team of two initially headed to the Kardamyli crag, where they climbed routes graded from 5b to 6b, and then the Pick n’ Roll route (7a), which included negotiating several technical cruxes. They then moved to the Lagada area where seven routes were completed ranging from 6a+ to 6c+, including some sport pitches, before locating to Alepochori where the climbs covered grades 6a to 6b+. Next was the Tagyetos Ridge which was reached following a gruelling ascent. They were able to summit the highest peak, Profitis Ilias, on the ridge. The final day in Varasova was dedicated to completing the Varasova ridge, a largely undocumented ridge traverse. Including a boat journey provided by a local to reach the start of route, the Varasova ridge undertaking took 14 hours, and the team were able to document the pitches, the ridge itself, and the descent. Following some additional multipitch climbing in Varasova, the team intended to tackle the Argonauts, but a thunderstorm rendered this impossible to undertake.
As the team travelled in the summer, they had to endure the heat whilst climbing, as well as some occasional fierce crows.