Hardwear Sessions

By Mountain Hardwear Athlete Julia Niles

Julie Niles Climbing in Kalymnos Greece | Photo by James Q Martin

Dawn and I were scheming and laughing that possibly we could travel somewhere to go sport climbing, rather than travel for our usual suffering on scary icy mountains when not stuck in the tent. It was a novel idea: to unwind from our recent years of guiding exams and cold adventures at the Island of Kalymnos. I thought she was a genius and I must admit I was dubious that it would all work. Now here I am inspired by the ridiculously steep climbing and silly tuffas while being soothed by the indulgent lifestyle. We wake to a swim in the morning. The light turns the world orange as we begin the day with Greek yogurt and Kalymnos honey. The crag is still cool in the early morning. The occasional drip from the tufas above remind you of the routes that make your belly turn. Like Priapus. This is an epic adventure. Thirty five meters of climbing some of the biggest tufas that allow you to sit on them to give your hands a rest. It is an epic journey requiring a whole hike to get back to your belayer when you get lowered. At 7c- it is sustained but if you can milk the rests...

Upon contemplation of this climb- the Grotto Goat shows up. Apparently this guy comes around often- and tends to leave his goat friends behind. He alone has befriended the climbers- wooed by banana peels and apple cores, this guy keeps the crag free of any food not well wrapped. And he does not blink at close contact with the necessary inconvenience- humans- that goes along with the food.

A Grotto goat befriended the climbers. | Photo by Julie Niles

The climbing here is outrageous. As soon as you can convince yourself that the exposure simply equates with safer falls- the rock is your playground. I love the rests- that seem to actually favor the traditional mountain climber types (like myself). There are tufa handjams, stemming, knee bars, back scums, and chimneys. For me- figuring them out is purely necessitated by need. But as soon as I figured out that the key to sending Trela or DNA or Sparticus is milking the rests because the climbing imbetween is far too steep- suddenly the grades melt to manageable journeys through tufa roofs.

Then, we are fueled by healthy and hearty local cuisine. I had been hunting for Moussaka at a few of the restaurants. Finally, last night I pinned down the waitress- asking for Moussaka (pronounced with great flair). I could not believe my taste buds- when all of my hopes of good food were blown out of the water. Cloves and sweet potatoes in a meet pie with eggplant, grape leaves, and cheese. It is rich enough to share and well worth ordering.

Today, we plan to go to a sink hole cave: apparently a stupendous geological wonder with some musical 7bs. Bring it on!

Julie Niles, a Lung Cancer Survivor
At age 25, Julia Niles was an accomplished climber--then a lung tumor threatened to ground her for good. She fought back, and has climbed even higher.
Read the article here.

Julie Niles | Photo by Heather Erson Photography