Leonidio Climbing Festival - report and photos from Greece

The 1st climbing festival in Leonidio took place on the east coast of Greece’s Peloponnese region from the 10th to the 13th of November 2016. The aim of this ambitious venture, co-planned by the Municipality of South Kynouria, the Region of Peloponnese and Peloponnese A.E., was to promote alternative tourism by encouraging people from all over the world to spread the news regarding the beauty and the endless climbing possibilities of the area.

The festival program, which included a variety of activities such as yoga, hiking, a zumba presentation and talks by Beatrice Pelissier, Claude Remy, Aris Theodoropoulos as well as Sachi Amma, took place at the Fabrica of Culture Multiplex. The program also included free climbing, a climbing marathon and Zlagboard contest (thanks to the valuable co-operation with Vertical Life), a dinner buffet for the participants and a live concert with the group 48ores.

Amongst the participants of the Festival, there were many visitors from Germany and France. There were also registrations from various other countries including Poland, Switzerland, Italy, Spain, Romania, Slovakia, Austria, Czech Republic, England, Norway, Holland, USA, Sweden, Finland, Australia and Japan with the renowned climber, Sachi Amma, honoring the Festival with his participation. Other notable guests of the Festival were the mayor of the Municipality of South Kynouria, Mr. Charalampos Lysikatos, the secretary of the Region of Peloponnese, Mr. Ioannis Stamatakos, the political candidate, Mrs. Evi Tatouli and the president of the Greek Climbing Association, Mr. Georgoulis.

Climbing Marathon Winners (Vertical Life):
Men
1°: Team Stonemonkey (Raul Lopez - Oscar Cacho), Leonidion, Elona
Women
1°: Team: Le Diablesses Rouges (Muriel Houze), Leonidion, Red Rock
Mixed
1°: Team French BDB (Svana Bjarnason – Axel Ballay) Leonidion, Elona

INFO: www.climbinleonidio.com

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0310/2016 - Leonidio and the crag Hot Rock in Greece
Located in the Peloponnese, just 3.5 hours south of Athens, Leonidio is Greece's newest trendy area, with more than 20 crags and 300 routes; single and multi-pitch climbing up to 250m high, from 5a to 9a. Aris Theodoropoulos introduces one of the best crags in Europe for winter climbing.