Multipitch Atlas

3 Stripes

Kalymnos – Spartacus (above the Grande Grotta) · Kalymnos & Telendos · Greece

CommittingBolting confidence: high

Kalymnos's best-known introduction to multi-pitch: a series of steps and slabs, always with plenty of holds, finishing on top of the Grande Grotta. The upper pitches feel very exposed. Real pitch lengths are shorter than the guidebook says (20–25 m).

The cliff above the Grande Grotta: 3 Stripes starts on the second-to-last spur on the left and finishes up the shaded wallPhoto: Athanase Percevalve · CC BY-NC-ND 3.0

Photo

The cliff above the Grande Grotta: 3 Stripes starts on the second-to-last spur on the left and finishes up the shaded wallPhoto: Athanase Percevalve · CC BY-NC-ND 3.0
Hardest pitch
5c+
Pitches
6
Length
175 m
Approach
30 min
Aspect
NW
North-west-facing
Rope
1×60 m
(walk-off); 2×80 m for the Grotta abseil

The route

Overview

Six pitches up the spur immediately left of the Spartacus sector, finishing on top of the Grande Grotta. It is a run of steps and slabs on sculpted grey limestone that always has holds, with bolts as close as on a single-pitch route. The first two pitches are a warm-up, the wall steepens on pitch 3, and pitches 4 and 5 are short steep steps that need a bit of reading and feel exposed. It is the standard first multi-pitch on Kalymnos and is used for guided courses, so expect queues. The line runs diagonally, so you have to top out, and the walk down needs care.

The climbing

Pitch by pitch

PitchGradeLengthNotes
P14a35 mEasy warm-up. Lengths are the guidebook figures; climbers report the real pitches are shorter (see discrepancies).
P25a40 mMore easy climbing.
P35b30 mThe wall starts to steepen and the exposure begins. Doubled belay (two pairs of bolts).
P45c20 mA steep step that needs some reading but has good holds. Two 2023 to 2024 reports found it physical and the hardest pitch.
P55c+20 mAnother step, similar in style, in a fine position. Rockfax gives 5c. Doubled belay (two pairs of bolts).
P65b30 mGentle exit to the top.

Getting there

Approach

To the parking

Base: Masouri. Park at the Philoxenia Hotel at the north end of the village (most people arrive by scooter). An hourly bus runs between Pothia and Kastelli along this road.

On foot · about 30 min

From the Philoxenia Hotel follow the steep track to a goat gate, then on to a lone olive tree. Head up left towards the Grande Grotta, and just before the cave continue left along the foot of the cliff to the Spartacus sector. 3 Stripes starts at the foot of the spur immediately left of Spartacus. 25 to 30 min.

Map of the walk-in

  • Crag
  • Parking

Loading map

The point marks the crag, not the exact start of the route.

Coordinates · crag

37.00422, 26.94464

Parking

37.00379, 26.94072

Parking marked on bergsteigen.com

Point from camptocamp waypoint 103792

For your phone or watch

Download GPX

Contains the route point and parking. Opens in most mapping apps and GPS watches.

Points are compiled from published sources, with the precision stated above. They were not surveyed on the ground: check them against a current topo.

Getting down

Descent

Walk off: from the top go down to the left, facing inland, following blue paint marks on the ground (in places almost worn away) and cairns, with a few easy down-climbing steps. camptocamp gives 30 to 40 min, recent parties took 35 to 50 min, and Rockfax allows 45 to 60 min. A 2025 party called it delicate but well marked. You cannot abseil the route itself because it runs diagonally. Two abseil alternatives are mentioned but not described in detail by any source read in full: Rockfax notes the 'Panorama' abseil with a 70 m rope and says it is usually slower than walking, and a 57hours writer describes a free-hanging abseil through the Grande Grotta that needs two 80 m ropes. Do not attempt either without the current guidebook description.

Retreat

Bailing off the route

Committing

No, not by abseiling the route. Sources say you cannot abseil the line because it runs diagonally, and a 2025 party notes you are expected to finish. The way off is over the top and down the marked walk-off.

Retreat from
Not documented. The first two pitches are easy (4a and 5a) and reported as only 20 to 25 m long, so a very early retreat may be feasible, but no source describes one.
Point of no return
Effectively from the start, according to the sources, because the line is diagonal. The wall steepens and the exposure begins on pitch 3.
Carry
Nothing specific is documented for a retreat. Carry slings or cord anyway: the belays are two separate bolts that you link yourself. The Grande Grotta and 'Panorama' abseils mentioned by some sources start from the top, need 2×80 m or a 70 m rope, and are not a way off from part-way.
Basis
Part stated, part inferredCamptocamp and a 2025 trip report state that the route cannot be abseiled because it is diagonal and that belays are unlinked bolts; the possibility of an early retreat from the first two pitches is inferred and is unconfirmed.

Partly inferred from the route facts

Safety

Hazards

  • No abseil retreat down the line: the route is diagonal and parties are expected to finish it (2025 report).
  • The walk-off involves easy down-climbing and faded blue marks. Take care in descent, particularly with beginners.
  • Belays are two separate bolts that you must link yourself.
  • Crowding and parties above you on a popular beginner route: wear a helmet.
  • The Grande Grotta abseil is reported to need two 80 m ropes. A standard sport rope is not enough.
  • All rescue on Kalymnos and Telendos is volunteer-run and there is no state helicopter medical service (ExplorersWeb, April 2026). Treat a walk-off route on a remote face accordingly.

Sun and weather

Conditions

The Spartacus sector faces north-west and is described as in shade for most of the day; bergsteigen.com says the Grande Grotta area stays shaded until about 15:00 in summer. That makes it usable in warm weather, with ascents reported from April to October. Very popular: a 2025 party spent a long time waiting behind other teams, while an April 2024 party had it to themselves.

Usual season · Mar to May, Sep to Nov

Sun on the wall · NW-facing

Working out the sunlit hours for this month.

Sun on the wallDaylight, wall in shade● Usual season

Estimated from the wall's aspect only. Ignores surrounding terrain, gullies and the wall's exact shape. Clock times are local to the wall (Greek time), for the 15th of each month.

JanFebMarAprMayJunJulAugSepOctNovDec
Mean daily high °C131315172124262725211815
Mean daily low °C101011141721232421181512
Rain days 1 mm or more121185300025813

● marks the usual climbing season. Averages for 1991-2020 at about 136 m. Area climate from Open-Meteo reanalysis. Temperatures are adjusted to the height of the crag; rain comes from a grid cell of about 10 to 25 km, and summer highs on sea cliffs can read a few degrees low. The wall and valley can differ. Data: Open-Meteo, CC BY 4.0.

What to carry

Gear

14 quickdraws (camptocamp). Slings or a cordelette to join the two belay bolts, which are not linked. No source read states a rope length for the route; the longest guidebook pitch is 40 m. Helmet.

Checklist

Quickdraws
14
Rope
1×60 m (walk-off); 2×80 m for the Grotta abseil
Helmet
One each
Abseil device and prusik
The descent or the retreat involves abseiling
Slings
Mentioned for retreat
Cord
Mentioned for retreat

Derived from the route data; check it against a current topo

From climbers

Reader reports

Reader reports are not being collected yet. Until they are, check a current topo and the local club or guidebook publisher for recent changes to 3 Stripes.

Worth knowing

Tips

  • Real pitch lengths are reported as much shorter than the guidebook's 35 to 40 m (about 20 m, 25 m at most), so the route goes quickly: 1 h 45 min to 2 h of climbing, about 3 h scooter to scooter.
  • Start early or pick a quiet day to avoid queues.
  • Bolting is close enough that you do not need to clip everything on the easy pitches.
  • Local guides run it as a half-day course route for climbers leading 5c.

Open questions

Where sources disagree

  • Pitch 5 grade: 5c+ on camptocamp and bergsteigen.com; 5c in Rockfax, Manawa and Explore-Share. The guidebook reportedly prints 5c+.
  • Pitch lengths: camptocamp and Rockfax give 35, 40, 30, 20, 20, 30 m (175 m). A 2024 gulliver.it report says no pitch is longer than about 20 to 25 m.
  • Descent time: 30 to 40 min (camptocamp) against 45 to 60 min (Rockfax).
  • Abseil alternative: 57hours says two 80 m ropes through the Grande Grotta; Rockfax mentions a 'Panorama' abseil on a 70 m rope. These may be different lines. Neither is confirmed by a source read in full.
  • Rope: the 1×60 m listed here is not stated by any source read. bergsteigen.com's 80 m rope and 20 quickdraws refer to the Spartacus single-pitch sector, not this route.
  • Aspect: listed as NW, but the route gains the top of the Grande Grotta, so upper pitches may get sun earlier than the sector below. No source gives times for the route itself.
  • The UKC/Rockfax and thecrag pages could not be read in full; facts attributed to them come from search summaries only.

Provenance

Sources

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Compiled from published sources and last verified October 2026. Bolts, anchors and access change. Climbing is dangerous and you are responsible for your own decisions: check a current topo and read the disclaimer.