Extremely Leonidio & Incredibly Close

"After an initial discovery of this part of Greece in 2018, we dreamed of returning to this pretty corner of the Peloponnese." So the two indefatigable Breton friends Pascale and Eric launched the idea of Leonidio, Laura and Marco from Rome immediately got their plane tickets, "Lele" and "Lez" from Casale also joined them, we also managed to carve out ten days thanks to the early November holiday... and, in no particular order, we landed in Athens, rented cars (much cheaper than in Italy) and set off for Leonidio, in the Peloponnese. It is a little over three hours' drive but, having left the motorway, we realise that we never seem to arrive: following the panoramic road now on the sea now slightly inland, an endless series of bends take us zigzagging to our destination. "A stay in Leonidio is the guarantee of a successful interlude: the valley is sublime and surrounded by many cliffs of all levels, with magical colours" (Pascale and Eric, ed. free translation from French). And it is precisely the "loud" colours, ignited by the sun, that amplify our emotions, the natural landscapes, the rocks, the village and the coves that follow on from the sea create chromatic and olfactory contrasts: bright red, orange, grey and sometimes blue on the tufas paint the omnipresent rock, then the different shades of blue of the sky and the sea, often as smooth as oil, and finally the green of the aromatic plants, olive trees, holm oaks and eucalypti, a few patches of pink heather and orange firethorn.

"The many routes offer sport climbing but also multipitch climbing, with the appropriate equipment. The spirit of climbing is very present, we meet climbers from all over the world who are always ready to discuss over a good meal, a beer or a coffee, about the beta of a route, the quality of a sector" (Pascale and Eric). King of Thrones is the first crag we visit, then Mars, Elona, Càpsala, Olympos, Sabatòn, H.A.D.A, Frankenstein and Jupiter, the latter being highly recommended - despite being more crowded - for its beautiful, long, somewhat sustained pitches on red-hot rock, in the shade all day long. In the list of crags that Caroline recommended to Lez - which require a good command of grade 7 - there are still Nifada (cave, pockets), Limeri (overhang, tufas), Maison des Chevres, Panorama, Twin Caves. The style is most varied, from crackling walls of pockets and crimps, to long, intertwining tufas, to forests of stalactites. The signposts for the crags are geographically accurate and consist of elegant wooden arrows with the name of the sector in white.

Let's not forget the sea, which in this somewhat exceptional season allows us to take long swims in the myriad coves and beaches just a few minutes' drive from the centre of Leonidio, with bars or taverns with food served right by the sea. We recommend one for all the Myrtoon restaurant, very special dishes and excellent value for money, and the many bakeries and pastry shops in the village with their tempting pastries. And again, for after dinner, we discover Rakomelo, an alcoholic drink obtained by mixing Rakì with honey and various spices, including cinnamon and cloves, which we nicknamed 'the medicine'' for its digestive properties and therefore taken in abundance.

"The town has remained authentic and has been able to adapt to climbers while maintaining a profoundly Greek soul" (Pascale and Eric). Large walls to the north of the village hide scattered sectors everywhere and the four climbing directives branch off from the centre of the village: to the south towards Kyparissi, to the west in the valley towards the monastery of Elona, to the north-west on the plateau that dominates the village and again to the north along the coast, towards Athens.

Every single day of the holiday, in the morning, we feel the sort of excitement that anticipates the discovery of new places and lines on the rock, and again strong emotions, the descent to the crags and the sea in an iridescent green, the climbing with its different people who unite different generations.

The wise Bretons (Pascale and Eric) conclude: "Our second trip to Leonidio is a success and we can't wait to return, hoping to meet our dear Italian friends there."

From 3 to 6 November 2022, the fourth Leonidio Climbing Festival took place, complete with free lessons for beginners, climbing marathon and Zlagboard contest, plus yoga, films, live music and much more.

Emanuele 'Lele' Caronis, Eric Schoendorff, Laura Manzini, Lorenzo 'Lez' Doria, Marco dell'Omo, Nicola Noè, Nicoletta Costi and Pascale Valy Schoendorff contributed to the article and photo documentation.

Leonidio is 172 km from Athens and 231 km from Athens-Eleftherios Venizelos International Airport.

LEONIDIO FACTSHEET
Pasta all'Amatriciana
In Leonidio I want to make Pasta all'Amatriciana. I have trained, I have studied the moves on paper, I know what I am missing. It won't be an 'on sight' but a nice "flash". Spaghetti? I can find it! Tomato sauce? Yes. White wine? Easy. Bacon? Ouch. Marco gets me some fresh bacon from the butchers, but it's no good. Lele brings me some smoked bacon... I try, first attempt... no way! Take and lower me! Inedible. Ok I go for Pasta alla Norma ... easy but I send it! (Laura Manzini).

Public Notice
During my recent visit to Arcadia, the municipality of Leonidio issued the following Public Notice:
WARNING: If you were born before 1960, suffer from knee arthrosis, slipped discs, shoulder tendonitis, gastric reflux, insomnia, nail fungus, allergic rhinitis, chronic sinusitis; if you identify with the protagonist of the book 'Three Men in a Boat', who was convinced that he had every symptom of every disease except the housemaid's knee; if you are therefore an old wreck whose presence lowers the level of climbing tourism: AVOID attending crags that do not suit to you; AVOID hindering the activity of climbers worthy of the name; PRESERVE your joints from further trauma; and, rather, DEDICATE YOURSELF to activities more suited to your physical and mental state, such as heliotherapy, bathing in the waters of the Aegean, eating local aubergines, reading literary works that clear your mind, such as Bruce Chatwin's timeless autobiography "What am I doing here? " ; and if you insist on your plans, GO beforehand to the monastery of Elona, located at the foot of the crag bearing the same name, where the monks who live there will be happy to grant you their holy blessing and, on request, the sacrament of extreme unction. (Marco dell'Omo, journalist and writer, recommended reading "La banda Gordon", Nutrimenti ed.).

About climbing guidebooks and sectors
There are two guidebooks of Leonidio, one produced by the Panjika Cooperative with more than 2500 climbing routes now in its third edition (Leonidio kyparissi climbing guidebook edition 2021/22) and the other produced by Aris Theodoropoulos and his wife Katie Roussos (Leonidio & Kyparissi revised 2021), already known for having produced several editions of the Kalymnos guidebook and the guidebook to the best crags in Greece. The publication of the new Leonidio guidebook by Aris, with the support of the local administration, has created a bit of a rift between him and the Cooperative, whose members have been residents of Leonidio for a few years now, even though, for all intents and purposes, they cannot be considered natives of the area as they are all foreigners. I know both Aris and Katie very well, they are Greek, as much as the nationality of the author can influence the choice of a guide, just as I know some members of Panjika who previously lived in Kalymnos at the time when I also resided on the island. I think they are all very good people, with a lot of energy, enthusiasm, and good will. Both have made a substantial contribution to the development of Sport Climbing in the country. Having said that, I understand the resentment at the entry of a new 'competitor' in a small market, but at the same time I note that today there is no economic sector that can claim or consider itself exempt from competition. Competition must be accepted and considered as a stimulus to improve the quality of one's product and make it attractive also from an economic point of view. Situations of exclusivity or monopoly have never, in the long run, benefitted the users of a service - this is a basic principle of economics, just as climbers-consumers appreciate the freedom of choice between several available options combined with healthy price competition. However, in situations like the one in Leonidio (or in similar cases that exist in Italy) we need to understand what real value our choice can bring to the area and its development in terms of climbing. The Panjika Cooperative declares that it allocates a large part of the revenue from the sale of the guidebook to the maintenance of routes and the opening of new areas, claiming that it allocates a greater amount of economic resources and time to the development of the crags than Aris & C. I do not have precise data on this, but I can say that Aris is an excellent professional with a great deal of experience in documenting climbing sites and producing guidebooks. Objectively speaking, his guidebook is very well done and reaches high international quality standards, even offering a digital version in collaboration with Vertical-Life. For our trip, us being quite a large group, we bought both guidebooks, a useful choice also for making comparisons on grades, noting that Aris often assigns them more generously. However, I am an onsighting purist so for me reading in the description of many routes in the Aris guidebook in which section you will find thecrux or the style of the various sections of the route is something unthinkable, which completely ruins the possibility of really climbing the route onsight, i.e., without having any information about it. It is like reading the descriptions on certain websites, which explain in full how the route is climbed, rather than merely documenting its beauty, or providing technical information on safety, length, number of quickdraws, before tackling the route. Reading the report is something necessary before tackling a route in the mountains, but Sport Climbing is another matter, with its different ethics. So, just be aware that, if you have Aris's guidebook and read the comments of the route beforehand, I will not consider your onsighting as such ;-). This is mainly the reason why I personally use Panjika's guide, even at the cost of awarding myself stricter, but ultimately more solid grades over time. I am aware, however, that everyone can legitimately interpret Sport Climbing as they see fit, all the more so on holiday, forgetting about performances, rules and regulations, enjoying nature, its playful-social aspects, in short, being a tourist.

Coming to the suggestions of our local friends, ideal for a climber in range 7, the best sectors are:

Elona - An impressive, overhanging wall with very long tufas, tight grading and routes in the upper part of range 7 with many grade 8 routes. A beautiful hard sector, which will not disappoint those who can climb this grade.

Jupiter - A literally monstrous wall, lots of incredible 40/60 metre lines (watch out when lowering down) a paradise for grade 7.

Mars - As close as you can imagine to Kalymnos and its characteristic giant tufas, beautiful rock, long and varied routes that also feature long sections on pockets, making the climbing varied and requiring mastery of different styles. Range 6 (high) and 7.

Olympos - At first glance a mediocre sector, instead the routes are very nice to climb, athletic, on tufas and small pockets on red rock of good quality but starting to show signs of wear. Range 7.

Sabaton - A long sea-view crag, all day in the shade, with many 5 and 6 routes, but there are some rather interesting 7s. Technical climbing on crimps and pockets. Rather crowded because of its beauty and extremely short approach.

H.A.D.A. - A beautiful balcony set halfway up the wall inside a wild canyon, a very exposed sector with an off-limits base for children and dogs, it is reached by a via ferrata, and fixed ropes and the base requires constant attention. The routes are beautiful, which is why many are particularly polished. Requires solid level 7.

The area requires several trips to be properly explored, but already from a first visit it is clear that Leonidio is one of the best destinations in Europe for mid-season and winter. In hot weather, on the other hand, climbing is, by all accounts, impossible.

(Lorenzo 'Lez' Doria, Head of Sport Climbing Section of CSEN - Italian Education & Sports Centre)