If Kalymnos magic was over – Five questions to the climbing community

[Anonymous]

Dear friends,

I put down some words after having spent my last holidays on our beloved island. I hope they don’t sound too rude.

…

I have just been for the third time in Kalymnos.

I would like to ask some simple questions to the climbing community about the effects of globalization, consumerism and mass stupidity on our passion:

– Why are some climbers going on leaving rubbish in crags, especially cigarettes and climbing tape for fingers? In time I’ve been able to see very original and horrible solutions, but the most common one remains leaving them in holes that are not ‘useful’ as holds. I don’t think those climbers love rock. Please, let’s take away every kind of rubbish from crags, even if it’s not ours: it just takes a minute, if not a second.

– Why do climbers not hide under-earth (or under stones) their ‘works of art’ and toilet paper when they use crags as a WC? In Kalymnos you have a lot of space, please walk as far away from the crag as you can and hide everything.

– Why do some climbers not respect marked paths to reach crags?

– Why are you expecting to eat “italian pizza” or “pasta carbonara” in Greece?!

This could sound hilarious, but the point is that we should approach and discover local traditions and not impose on local residents our ignorance or our absurd desires.

One last question refers to the page that appears on the last (now I should better say old) Kalymnos guidebook, recopying an article from the site 8a.nu about redpointing routes:

– Do you REALLY need to make chalk signs on the rock to climb your dream route? Do you REALLY think that memorization is not a skill/ability to learn/develop?

A climber who needs to leave ‘L’ and ‘R’ signs (!) on holds to climb a route maybe should better learn to climb on an easier level or stop climbing.

Anyway, we all should get used to clean everything with a simple toothbrush after our nice but very ‘useless’ ascent.

Basically, we should start to respect first nature and then each other: that will be ‘useful’!

Lore (Sera) – Italy

[Anonymous]

Although many months late I can add a few comments to this…

Climbing is becoming more and more popular… Before it was only the dedicated climbers that used to climb, now it’s everyday people that climb. Some of them are very good at it too, but they are still every day people that bring their everyday attitudes with them to the crags.

I am sorry to say it, but I don’t think you can change the everyday people attitude. You would hope that climbing would encourage new-comers to actually start to love nature and be willing to fight for it, and it does in some cases, but mainly it’s just another way of passing time.

Once a sport/activity goes from fairly obscure to mainstream, all respect for ethics is lost. Climbing is not there yet, but I think it will be fairly soon…

[Anonymous]

Honestly.

Lore Sera – great e-mail. I am with you. Hey people – wake up and take your garbage with you down to the trashbins!

David

[Author]

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