Telendos South Face (pillar between the village and the Inspiration sector) · Kalymnos & Telendos · Greece
Easy to bailBolting confidence: high
The most accessible of the Telendos south face multi-pitches: eight pitches up a clean pillar above the village on titanium glue-ins. The first pitch is the 6b+ crux, thin face climbing straight off the pedestal; above, the climbing eases to mostly 6a and 6a+ with comfortable belay ledges and a big terrace, the Grand Goat Hotel, one short pitch below the top.
The route
Prometheus climbs the prominent pillar that dominates the skyline between Telendos village and the Inspiration sector. It is 200 m long in eight pitches and, unlike the routes further west on the south face, it starts only 35 to 45 min from the ferry and does not feel remote. The difficulties are front-loaded: the first pitch is the crux, the obligatory grade is 6a, and after the fourth pitch nothing is harder than 6a. The equippers named the pitches (It's a Beauty, It's All Greek to Me, White Shield, Put a Zeus in It, Lightning Bolt), and the bolting in titanium is as good as it gets on the island.
The climbing
| Pitch | Grade | Length | Notes |
|---|---|---|---|
| P1 | 6b+ | 35 m | 'It's a Beauty'. The crux of the route: thin face climbing with the hardest moves low down, protected by bolts at waist level. A 2017 party thought it nearer 6b. |
| P2 | 6a+ | 35 m | 'It's All Greek to Me'. Sustained wall climbing. |
| P3 | 6a+ | 35 m | 'White Shield'. A pale shield of rock with a lot of enjoyable bridging. |
| P4 | 6b+ | 25 m | 'Put a Zeus in It'. A sea of chicken-head holds. The equippers' topo gives 6b/6b+, Rockfax 6b+. |
| P5 | 5b | 20 m | An easier linking pitch (F5 on the equippers' topo). |
| P6 | 6a | 20 m | 'Lightning Bolt'. The zigzag groove high on the pillar that inspired the route. |
| P7 | 4b | 15 m | Easy climbing to the Grand Goat Hotel, a spacious shaded terrace. Can be linked with pitch 6, but you will not hear your partner. |
| P8 | 5c | 15 m | A short final pitch to the summit plateau. Climb it on its own to avoid rope drag and to stay in earshot. |
Getting there
Base yourself in Masouri or Myrties on the west coast of Kalymnos, reached by ferry from Kos (the nearest airport) to Pothia. Most climbers hire a scooter; buses also run from Pothia through Masouri. Small ferries cross from Myrties to Telendos about every half hour (3 euros each way in May 2023). The equipper took the first boat after a 06:00 coffee in Masouri so as to walk in during the morning shade.
35 min according to the equippers, 45 min according to Mountain Project. From Telendos village follow the approach for the Inspiration sector, then head upslope at a junction marked by three paint dots (yellow originally; a 2026 party found them repainted red). Waymarks and cairns lead to a fixed hand-line on a short slab, then up to a shady tree at the foot of the cliff, where more hand-lines protect an easy traverse left to the large pedestal at the base of the route. In April 2026 the first fixed rope was barely visible from the path and looked due for replacement. That party also warns that the Rockfax GPS map puts the start in the wrong place; follow the equippers' description.
Loading map
The point marks the crag, not the exact start of the route.
Point from OpenStreetMap node 13721341684 (base of Pericles, a short distance past the Prometheus pillar)
Contains the route point. 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.
Coordinates: 37.00479, 26.91104 (crag)
Getting down
Walk off. Follow waymarks and cairns up across the summit plateau to the far ridge, then descend a gully as a short cut to the chapel of St Constantine, and continue down the north side of the island to the coastal path and the village. Mountain Project took over an hour; a 2026 party found it very long, steep and slightly exposed in a few places but not difficult. The route is also equipped for abseil with titanium rings (seven or eight abseils); a 2017 party abseiled it and found it worked well despite some bushes. Mountain Project prefers the walk because abseiling can dislodge loose rock from beside the route onto parties below.
Retreat
Easy to bail
The route was equipped for abseil, with titanium rings at the stations, and a 2017 party who abseiled it reported that it worked well despite some bushes. With the 70 m rope the topo asks for you can retreat from any belay.
Safety
Sun and weather
South facing and low, so it is hot from mid-morning: the first ascent was made on an airless October day and the party ran low on water. Start with the first ferry. Spring and autumn are the season. The belays are comfortable ledges on most pitches and the Grand Goat Hotel terrace offers some shade.
Sun on the wall · S-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.
| Measure | Jan | Feb | Mar (usual season) | Apr (usual season) | May (usual season) | Jun | Jul | Aug | Sep | Oct (usual season) | Nov (usual season) | Dec |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Mean daily high °C | 13 | 13 | 15 | 17 | 21 | 24 | 26 | 27 | 25 | 21 | 18 | 15 |
| Mean daily low °C | 10 | 10 | 11 | 14 | 17 | 21 | 23 | 24 | 21 | 18 | 15 | 12 |
| Rain days 1 mm or more | 12 | 11 | 8 | 5 | 3 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 2 | 5 | 8 | 13 |
● 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
15 quickdraws and a single 70 m rope (equippers' topo); Mountain Project suggests 16 draws. Simple belay kit is enough. Helmet.
Derived from the route data; check it against a current topo
From climbers
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 Prometheus.
Worth knowing
Open questions
Provenance
Same area
Greece · Kalymnos & Telendos
The first route on the wall (Odermatt and Keller, 2008), climbing a long, exposed line on sharp, grippy rock right of the huge roof. The lower pitches are easy for the grade. The two 6a cruxes are a short odd corner over a small roof and a traverse high up, and they come with big exposure. Pitches are short, so you can link them with long draws.
6a11 pitches250 m
Greece · Kalymnos & Telendos
A sustained, varied line on sculpted limestone. It starts with an easy slab and builds to slightly overhanging jugs with huge exposure on the top pitch. Mountain Project and camptocamp grade the crux 6a+ (Rockfax says 6a). With a 70 m rope you can link several pairs of pitches.
6a9 pitches265 m
Greece · Kalymnos & Telendos
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).
5c+6 pitches175 m
Committing
Greece · Kalymnos & Telendos
Thin moves over small bulges, stemming and big jugs on 'cauliflower' limestone. The crux is P6, which ends at a hanging belay. Mountain Project gives the pitches in YDS only (5.8–5.10b), so French pitch grades are not listed; the overall grade is 5.10b (6a+), and some listings give 6b. You can link P3–P4 and P5–P6.
6a+7 pitches152 m
Read the cautions
Around 6b+ · about 8 pitches
Spain · Montanejos
Eight pitches up a vertical prow deep in the Maimona canyon, on orange rock full of pockets (agujeros means holes). Sustained at 6a+ to 6b and physical throughout, with a huge roof start to the crux pitch and a bench to sit on at the third belay. Closed from January to June.
6b+8 pitches235 m
Read the cautions
France · Ariège Pyrenees
The finest line on the big grey slabs of the Peppermint sector, a notch harder than Peppermint itself. A reachy 6b+ move and a chimney-corner start the day; a ledge splits the wall; the two pitches above it, a corner and a thin, sustained 6b slab, are the highlight.
6b+8 pitches280 m
Italy · Sardinia
A sea-level start reached by abseil, then seven short pitches up the seaward face of Pedra Longa. The third pitch is a wildly exposed traverse above a line of roofs; two easy pitches on rock that needs care lead to a technical 6b and 6b+ finish on grey slab.
6b+7 pitches175 m
Turkey · Aladağlar
Often named as the best route in the massif: seven even pitches of 6a to 6b+ that move from delicate slabs and giant flutings through a steep, rough wall to mountain-style ground at the top. The 6b pitches are no harder than the 6a ones, but the bolts are far enough apart to keep you thinking.
6b+7 pitches235 m
Read the cautions
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.
