The North Face Kalymnos Climbing Festival, who will be there

Places are often described as being a rock climbing paradise. This term is used so often nowadays that it's almost lost it's meaning. But some places resist... just hear the name, and the "paradise" effect is a certain guarantee. Kalymnos is one of these. The Greek island is at the top of the list of all climbers desires. It's a place where those who've already want to return, while those who've never been dream about it continuously. For everyone, champions, avid climbers, beginners, an event which shouldn't be missed is the The North Face® Kalymnos Climbing Festival scheduled to take place from 26 to 30 September.

We've already explained what takes place at the TNF Kalymnos Festival. In short: apart from the parties and the events, you can climb in an immense sea of rocks, enjoy the (indescribable) sea and the lifestyle which combines climbing with the slow rhythm of... paradise. And the plus point is that this Festival offers a unique program, beginning with the 2 climbing marathons which are open to all. Of course there's also the PROject Competition which involves the best climbers in the world who'll have three days to solve 8 projects (4 for women and 4 for men) bolted specifically for the occasion at a new crag.

There's no need underlining that these new routes (set by Paolo Cattaneo and Jacopo Larcher) offer extreme difficulties and beauty. Unsurprisingly they'll be attempted by calibre athletes such as Daila Ojedar, Anna Stöhr, Melissa Le Neve, Barbara Zangerl, Dani Andrada, Gabriele Moroni, Michael Fuselier, Nicolas Favresse and Kilian Fischhuber. And it comes as no surprise that the prize money to be split between the winners is 10.000 euro. Last but by no means least, other protaongists at the Festival will be The North face atheltes in the guise of calibre climbers such as Yuji Hirayama, Caroline Ciavaldini, Hansjörg Auer, Emily Harrington, Sam Elias, Jacopo Larcher, Hervé Barmasse, James Pearson, Iker Pou, Denis Urubko, Eneko Pou, Simone Moro... Put in other words, a consistent representative of that source, power and inspiration which fuels the dream and visions of climbing.

Talking about inspiration and visions. The Kalymnos TNF meeting will also include Andrea Di Bari, the climber (multi-Italian champion and also one of the driving forces of sport climbing at the end of the last millennium) who first saw and discovered the potential of this island. This was back in 1996 and Andrea chanced upon the island... nothing could have happened. Instead, he realised he was in... heaven. An Eden created specifically for climbing.

Since then, since those first 40 routes which gave rise to all the rest, the attraction of Kalymnos has continued relentlessly, drawing ever more climbers and fuelling the legend. If you want to take part in the The North Face® Kalymnos Climbing Festival all you need to do is register, in the meantime enjoy this video filmed by Carlo Gabasio just a few days ago. And, should you still want more, check out our previous articles about this "treasure island", such as the ones by Manolo and Nicola Noè... Have fun climbing on Kalymnos.

Pre-register online on http://www.thenorthfacejournal.com/category/kalymnos for theFestival goodie bag.

THE NORTH FACE KALYMNOS CLIMBING FESTIVAL 2012
- The North Face Kalymnos Climbing Festival 2012: the program, pre-registration and the video
- The North Face Kalymnos Climbing Festival