Climbing

Climbing in Georgia: A Journey to the Caucasus

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Before planning our trip to Georgia, we would often be asked ‘Is there climbing there?’ or ‘Why are you going there for climbing?’. The answer is yes, there is climbing here and that Georgia is worth visiting because it is a beautiful and interesting country. One thing you will hear about before you visit are the friendly Georgian people and you will certainly receive a warm welcome throughout your time in the country. The climbing here is fierce and is a test of your mettle, you will almost certainly leave stronger than you arrived.

Narrow limestone canyon of Katskhi climbing area. At the bottom there is a wooden tiled hut. On the right hand wall there is a climber on a vertical grey limestone climbing a route.
Butterfly 6c+, Canyon
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Climbing in Datça: A Turkish Delight

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Datça is a beautiful seaside town in the South-West of Turkey, on a large peninsular of the same name. Situated in the Aegean Sea, Datça is only a stones throw away from the Greek island Kalymnos, which is famous worldwide for its climbing. We spent three months of 2021 climbing in Geyikbayiri, Turkey’s most famous climbing area. We regretted not visiting Datça, but we are fortunate enough to make the return to Turkey and spend some time in this wonderful place.

The crown jewel of Datça

The location of Datça is perfect, the area is quiet with lots of untouched, pristine coastline and beautiful forests. The area is renowned for pine honey, which is delicious and testament to the quality of the forests in the area. You are never far from the sea and there’s always a quiet, secluded spot to swim and enjoy the clear water. The supply of rock is seemingly endless and hints at how big the area will be in the future.

The official guidebook has been made free to download as PDF, which you can find on ‘theCrag’ here.

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Northern Italy Climbing Road Trip

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Sometimes climbing trips are about adventure, the unknown and pushing yourself to your limit. However, it can be nice to have a trip when you know exactly what you’re getting. Guaranteed good climbing, nice weather and delicious food. Northern Italy is a perfect choice for either sort of climbing trip, with everything from Dolomite and alpine adventures to coastal cragging and relaxing in the sun. This article is going to focus on the fantastic sport climbing on offer in Northern Italy, perfect as a trip in its own right or as part of a bigger road trip, leading on perfectly to countries like of Slovenia and Croatia.

Large limestone cliff with a blue lake in front which mirrors the cliff on.
The beautiful Lago di Cavedine
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Serene Sport Climbing in Serbia

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Serbia is right in the heart of the Balkans, but sadly it is not on the radar for most climbers and tourists. For example, Spain receives around 120 times more tourists per year than Serbia. Those who make the effort to go will be rewarded with stunning mountains, rivers and serene forests that can be enjoyed in solitude. For climbers, there are already several great crags to choose from, but like most of the Balkans there is the potential for much more development in the future.

Spring time in Eastern Serbia
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Unique Rock and Stunning Scenery: Climbing in Slovakia

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Although Slovakia borders some frequently visited countries like Austria, relatively few people visit for tourism. Anybody that does visit Slovakia will be pleasantly surprised as the country has lots of beautiful nature, impressive medieval castles and many interesting places to visit. For climbing, Slovakia has several well established and good quality venues and surely much more areas that haven’t been developed yet.

The view from the Súlovsky Hrad Castle
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A Brief Insight and Tips for Climbing in Frankenjura

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Frankenjura is a well known climbing destination, although perhaps it is less popular now than areas like Kalymnos or El Chorro. The routes are old school, often being sportingly graded and sportingly bolted. Needless to say any route you climb near your limit, you will feel you’ve earned. Don’t be discouraged by this, endless amounts of quality rock make Frankenjura a really special place.

Smooth grey limestone crag filled with chalk pockets.
The quality shaded sector Reichelsmühler Wand
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Sport Climbing and Bouldering in Bosnia and Herzegovina

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Bosnia and Herzegovina is a beautiful country, with relatively few tourists compared to nearby Croatia. Sadly, when some people think about Bosnia and Herzegovina, the war is what comes to mind. What most people don’t think about is gorgeous mountains, crags and crystal clear rivers. So we don’t want to talk about the war, which so many already know of, we want to talk about all the great things on offer for climbers and tourists today.

Large waterfall
Vodopad Blihe
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Climbing, Coast and Adventures in Albania

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Albania is a beautiful country, often overlooked and underestimated. The landscape has everything from dramatic mountains to white sandy beaches. Albania has a fascinating history and rich culture, there is a lot to love about this country. Anyone visiting, for climbing or otherwise, has a lot to look forward to.

White sandy beaches with the clear sea lapping on it it. There is a crag right on Gjipe Beach.
Gjipe Beach: a Gorgeous Place to Climb
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Sport Climbing in North Macedonia

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After our bouldering trip to Prilep, we decided to spend the rest of our time in North Macedonia sampling the sport climbing. We bought a small information booklet about the sport climbing along with our bouldering guidebook from Hristo, in Prilep. This guide had the same information as this website. We found that it was easy enough to match the list of route names and grades, from the website, to the ones written under the routes.

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Bouldering in Prilep, North Macedonia: Europe’s Lesser Known Block Heaven

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Arriving in North Macedonia, we were dropped off in Skopje with only our bags, no Macedonian dinar and in search of where on earth our rental car company was. With no guidebook but a name of a city and a Petzl RockTrip video from 2014 we set off on our journey.

Two bouldering pads strapped together looking out towards a boulder field. The city of Prilep is in the background.
Pad hauling, looking out towards Prilep from sector Kamena Baba.
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