Urs Odermatt and Peter Keller—Swiss mountain guides, good friends of Kalymnos, and equippers extraordinaire—are back with a new sector: Griffig. The new sector was developed in spring 2022; the word griffig promisingly means “rock with many holds,” and the cliff is near sector Milianos, on the way to Vathy.

If the names Peter and Urs don’t sound familiar, the great climbing they have added to Kalymnos over the years definitely will: sectors Irox, Glaros, and Lambda, and the multi-pitches Wings for Life, Wild Country, and Three Stripes are all connected to them. So you are in good hands.

Griffig features 31 well-bolted routes ranging all the way from 3c to 8b+. Climbing is varied, on prominent features with big holds, technical walls with pockets and crimps, and steep, long, and challenging limestone. Urs and Peter have a track record of bolting high-quality routes, and this wall is “windy and amazingly cool, with a lot of shade; you will find good grip there most of the time, and many people will be interested during the summer heat.” In other words, a win-win.

The development of Sector Griffig was financed by various sponsors from around the town of Uster, Switzerland. The main sponsor was Griffig climbing gym. The bolts used are stainless steel double expansion bolts (316L marine quality) by Lappas Climbing.

The team were kind enough to create a comprehensive, downloadable PDF topo, included below, with all the info needed to start climbing right away. Photos are courtesy of Urs Odermatt unless otherwise noted. (Thank you Urs, Peter, Cécile & friends!)

As always with new sectors, helmets are a good idea, and more climbing and feedback are needed to confirm grades.

Enjoy, all!