By Francis Haden

The Telendos South Face, a seemingly endless stretch of towering limestone, sentinel to the Aegean.
Development of this sector began in 2023, with the bolting of PERICLES F6b+ and THUCYDIDES F6b, both of which are receiving ascents. A brisk 35 minute approach from Telendos is rewarded with a bleached white wall, oozing with tufas and efficient abseil descent (or walkoff).

A year later I find myself, once again, rising early to arrive at Ethereal for 6am, a coffee to start the day before hiking up the north side of the island with a 33kg haul bag, 200m of static rope, rigging hardware and a drill.

Already climbers are gathering for the first ferry of the day and I’m in luck; we all want a drop-off at Irox! Without delay, we head off and so I arrive earlier than expected. This year does feel hotter and indeed the
temperature rises to 33 degrees with little in the way of any breeze.

After the customary chapel ‘pit stop’, I reach the familiar cliff edge along the South Face in two hours after leaving the boat at Irox. This year will be easier, I promise myself, with bolt belays to rig from on the cliff top and the first new multi-pitch line following the abseil line. With most of the belays already placed the previous year, fixing rope down the line should be considerably easier.

The plan is to establish a new route starting up the lower shared pitches of PERICLES and THUCYDIDES in order to gain the half height terrace then climb the wall directly underneath the abseil line, joining PERICLES for the final pitch.

I quickly rig from the cliff top bolt belay, descend the final pitch of PERICLES, peering down overhanging rock with hope the line will go free. The upper section, while steep, has sufficient holds; however, the stack of bulges, halfway down the upper wall, appears bereft of holds. I continue downwards, drilling in temporary expansion bolts for re-belays so the rope remains entirely free of rub points against the rock.

The steepest section is thankfully riddled with huecos, but will clearly involve a degree of thuggery to pass. Above the bulges, a cramped niche offers some partial rest—but the final moves to gain the bolt belay look distinctly like it could be the failure point for some! The groove below has excellent climbing, pockets with funky crossover moves, and decent footholds, all in a nicely exposed position below the looming stack of bulges. The pitch off the terrace is lengthy, with technical slab climbing into a vertical finish on smooth, grey rock. Three pitches to clean, drill and bolt, so should complete this in two days with sufficient time to re-rig then take a rest day.

Within a couple of hours, 200m of static rope has been carefully rigged and gear stashed at the base. From now on, I can hike into the base during morning shade with drill batteries recharged and sufficient hardware for each day of bolting. This is the benefit of rigging top down and adopting a single rope technique strategy.

Two days later and ATLAS is equipped, 200m of rope de-rigged and I’m back on the cliff top, repeating the process of descent and expectation for the next line.

The concept for developing this section of the South Face was to ideally bolt a multi-pitch with a reasonable approach, abseil descent, and amenable grades. The independent slab and potentially easier ground left of THUCYDIDES spotted last year has proved to be just this. A disappointingly average first pitch yields to easier ground and the promise of improving rock quality with height.

Multiple days of work cleaning and drilling result in HEPHAESTUS F6b. This route has five lengthy pitches, most of which are reasonable in escalating difficulty and a nicely positioned final pitch. This concludes the development of this sector and contribution to the South Face multi-pitch collective.

With bolting complete, time to de-rig 200m of static rope and hardware back to base. My Black Diamond Touchstone haul bag is stuffed to the brim, the static rope on top so I remain in my rope access harness to begin the very deliberately careful return to Telendos. Eventually staggering into ‘town’ I’m greeted with a cold beer and appreciation for work done.

With routes equipped it was time to invite friends from Asia for the first ascents. Team Singapore were on deck for a 6am coffee kick-off at Ethereal and conditions could not be better; overcast and low temperature.

With HEPHAESTUS in the bag, the main challenge of ATLAS was next. The first pitch off the mid-height terrace, while initially sharp in places, became increasingly fun with height, finishing on smooth grey rock below the belay ledge.

Above the belay, the wall steepens into a groove, with superb pockets and crossover moves up to a rest beneath the crux bulges. A solid ‘have it’ approach is the way with a final few moves to pass the cramped niche and gain the belay. A bouldery start the following pitch gives way to easier ground and a final section before joining PERICLES.

Acknowledgements
All this fun in the sun would not have been possible without approval to equip routes according to the Kalymnos New Route Protocol. Aris, thank you once again. Mike at Mike’s Bikes for wheels, car jack and crowbar. Jo and Stamatia at Ethereal Snack and Coffee for being on station at 6am every morning—the
day would never have started without you, not least for your cordless blower.