It is great that there is a new guidebook and we should thank and commend Aris and his team for the enormous amount of work involved. It is probably also healthy that there are a number of on line guidebooks for Kalymnos available, I am sure appropriate competition will help keep everything fresh.

It is also entirely laudable that Kalymnos is striving to have a robust agreement on bolting, re-bolting and maintaining new and older routes. All climbers and route openers should welcome a fair, transparent and appropriately slick and agile approval process. However, in order for this to assure the climbing community of appropriate good governance, this approvals committee must be independent of any manipulation, have appropriate accountability and not be associated with any financial or pecuniary gain.

I still feel that this assurance is lacking from the recent on-line suggestions and proposals. Indeed, I am unsure about the level of debate or discussion that has occurred within the local and wider climbing community, it is also crucially important to hear different sides or options to any proposal. I also haven’t seen any evidence that this has occurred.

Maintaining a fresh, safe, sustainable and attractive climbing environment has been key to the rise in popularity of Kalymnos. Some of this has been dependent on the goodwill of visiting climbers and route equippers and some financial support for this activity has come from the bolt fund currently run out of the Glaros Bar in Masouri. It is pleasing to hear of a substantial donation to this bolt fund from the more recent alternative Rockfax guidebook (https://m.facebook.com/story.php?story_fbid=896934690502640&id=100005583511697).

I hope that this money will be put to good use for the enjoyment of all grades of climbers visiting. It currently appears that this may not now be possible unless the new route committee becomes more inclusive. This would be good for all climbers who love Kalymnos, whether they live there or visit.

Expressions of interest; I have no association with Terrain (Aris’ Guidebook publisher), Rockfax, the Glaros Bar, the Bolt Fund, or the Municipality. I have, however, opened popular routes on Kalymnos and would like to be able to continue to do so. I have received bolts and lower off’ s from the Glaros Bolt Fund to assist with this activity and I have also performed a number of maintenance activities on my routes and others, including replacing worn lower off’ s supplied from the Glaros Bolt Fund.