How is bolting financed at these crags?

[Anonymous]

For your info we post also here a discussion from

http://climbgreece.com/the-three-new-guidebooks-of-2017/

Neil

April 14, 2018 at 12:48 pm

Hi Aris

I have a few questions about these guidebooks, and also the Kalymnos one which will soon have competition in the form of the Rockfax guide. As consumers I think it’s important that all publishers provide this information so that we can choose wisely.

How is bolting financed at these crags?

Are the guidebooks produced in concertation with local equippers?

Do they contribute to the bolting efforts?

Thanks, Neil

Aris Theodoropoulos

April 16, 2018 at 7:26 pm

Hi Neil,

Thank you for the question. It gives us the opportunity to inform climbers about some of what we do that they may not be common knowledge. But I can only speak for my own guidebooks, i.e. Kalymnos and Best of Greece—not the Meteora or the Argolis guidebooks, which are made by others.

In response to your questions:

1. How is bolting financed at these crags?

Generally, bolting for new routes at most crags (both in Kalymnos and elsewhere in Greece) is financed by the equippers themselves, but local municipalities (especially smaller ones) have increasingly been financing new routing projects. As an example, the municipalities in Leonidio, Kyparissi, and Kalymnos (among others) have all financed new routing on occasion.

My personal contribution is this: Since I started equipping routes in the late ‘80s I have largely paid for my bolts out of my own pocket. Then, starting with the publication of my first guidebook in 1996 (Varasova) I began contributing a large amount of money towards bolting—often more than I could afford. For many years I did not make any money from my guidebooks; in fact, I paid extra money out of pocket for bolts. As the number of routes increased (especially in Kalymnos) and the guidebooks became bigger, the need for rebolting also increased. So I started contributing a larger sum of money for bolts, with a particular emphasis on rebolting/maintenance over new routing, to ensure the hardware used is placed safely and appropriately, that it is never dangerously worn out, and that it is always up to the latest UIAA specifications. I do not keep all these bolts to myself, nor do I do all the work myself. I work closely with a handful of experienced friends, all volunteers, as well as provide bolts and anchors to other experienced equippers. Please note two important things: First, I do not give bolts to just any enthusiastic, eager climber who is willing to help. I always make sure the persons getting bolts from me are experienced, know what they are doing, and follow the equipping guidelines set by the Greek Federation of Mountaineering and Climbing. Second, the bolts I buy are always UIAA-certified and in compliance with the latest safety standards specific to the climate and environment of Greece. Most recently I have been buying Raumer marine grade 316L bolts. Since 2010, without fail, I pay well between €3500–€5000 for bolts and anchors every year—regardless of whether or not my guidebooks turn a profit.

2. Are the guidebooks produced in concertation with local equippers?

Yes, to the very best of our ability. Collaboration with local equippers is always a priority, and in my opinion it is the only way to produce a guidebook of the highest quality. Again, I can only speak for my Best of Greece and Kalymnos guidebooks. Regarding Kalymnos, well, I have been one of the main equippers since climbing started there in 1999, but I have also worked closely with the local municipality ever since. Furthermore, I have a close working relationship (and in many cases close friendships) with the vast majority of the other equippers of routes on Kalymnos.

In the rest of Greece, I collaborate with the local communities and/or equippers in most crags featured in the guidebook (as well as many other crags not featured in the book, such as, most recently, Tarsos and Agios Petros). There is a solid core of experienced equippers and friends in Greece with whom I am lucky to collaborate often, such as Yiannis Torelli (Patras, Varasova, Mytikas, Nedousa, Leonidio, Lagada, Zobolo, Kyparissi); Dimitris Titopoulos (Athens, Zobolo, Frygani, Kyparissi, Agios Petros, Solomos, Crete); the Remy Brothers (Leonidio, Kyparissi, Zobolo, Varasova, Nafplio); George Kopalides (Leonidio, Kyparissi); Claude Idoux, Angy Eiter, Charlotte Durif (Kyparissi); Simon Montmory (Leonidio); Aristos Thanopoulos (Patras, Lagada); Vangelis Batsios, Christos Batalogiannis (Meteora); Peter Lappas (Kipoi); Thomas Michaelides, Antonis Skevofylakas (Athens); Georgis Milias (Symi); Kostas Tsoukleidis (Nafplio); Tasos Georgitsis, Pasquale Zafiriadis (Pyli, Mouzaki); George Malamas, Stavros Psiropoulos (Nedousa, Kardamyli); and, last but not least, our deceased friend Chris Boukoros (Almyros). Sometimes we equip routes together, sometimes I finance part of their new routing, sometimes I advise or train them on best equipping practices, and they supply info I need on their home crags to feature them in my guidebooks. I always run the final drafts of their local crags by them before publication, and take their feedback very seriously.

3. Do they contribute to the bolting efforts?

See my answer to your question #1 above. In short, yes. A significant part of the proceeds from my guidebook sales every year is used to buy bolts and anchors of the highest quality standards. Besides me, other qualified equippers get bolts from me for new routing and maintenance of existing routes. This adds up to thousands of bolts and hundreds of anchors. (We started to keep an online log on Climb Kalymnos a few years ago recording the bolts, anchors, and labor we contributed, but it quickly became unsustainable. It added up quickly, and unfortunately neither of us had the time to keep it updated.) Countless equippers in Kalymnos and the rest of Greece can attest to the support they have received by me personally, whether in bolts, anchors, or actual equipping hours (equipping and rebolting are both very strenuous, unglamorous, highly specialized and demanding jobs that are often underestimated). I feel it is also impo

rtant to note that all equipping or maintenance I am involved in happens in compliance with the equipping and safety guidelines of the Hellenic Federation of Mountaineering and Climbing (eooa.gr), with which I have had a close working relationship since the mid-1980s.

I hope I have sufficiently answered your questions. In the next few months, we will follow up with a more in-depth article detailing exactly what we do and all the ways in which climbers support Greek climbing by buying one of our guidebooks.

Lastly, some related information can also be found here http://climbkalymnos.com/climbing/#maintenance and http://climbkalymnos.com/climbing/#history.

Cheers,

Aris

Neil

April 17, 2018 at 1:12 pm

Thanks Aris for taking the time to reply!

As you undoubtedly know, the British guidebook publisher Rockfax is bringing out a competing Kalymnos guidebook in the coming weeks. I have been banned from UKClimbing forums for criticizing the Rockfax business model, particularly with regards to their Haute Provence guide (UKC and Rockfax are the same company), so I appreciate this opportunity to discuss how your guidebooks operate.

In a recent thread, Alan James, who runs UKC/Rockfax, admitted mistakes had been made with the Haute Provence guide, but claims they now operate in an ethical manner. In the same thread, he hinted that Greek guidebook publishers (I assume he meant you) were guilty of jaw-dropping examples of malpractice. The exact quote is: “Kalymnos is very complicated. I am not able to go into details here because what I have found out since starting this project has dropped my jaw to the floor on a number of occasions.”

So basically he is discrediting your Kalymnos guidebook, while not providing any evidence, or even details of what he is criticizing you for. This doesn’t give the consumer much clarity when trying to decide which topo to buy!

This is basically what prompted my questions and I appreciate your long reply. However, I think the detailed report you are planning to bring out will be welcomed by all climbers who visit Kalymnos. In this age of competing guidebooks, it is important for all parties to provide clear information on what they do to support the local bolting efforts, including time and money spent on all related activities.

In any case, thank you very much for the immense amount of work you have invested in climbing in Greece over the years. I hope I’ll be able to visit soon

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