Snake Valley is one of the newest Kalymnos crags (autumn 2023). Located near sectors Symplegades and Ourania Cave, in the direction of Kamari village, it is a very welcome addition to the island’s established crags. Snake Valley features 32 well-bolted routes across five small sub-sectors: The Pillar, The Canyon, The Goat Pen, The Gym, and The Wall. The heart of Snake Valley is without a doubt The Gym, with short steep routes full of big holds (7a climbers rejoice!). Names and grades are written on the wall. As with all new crags, most routes need traffic to improve, and helmets are strongly advised.

Snake Valley was established mostly by Hannes Webhofer, with the support of an experienced bolting team (Stefan Koz, Andreas Bergmann, and Magnus Wiklund). Bolts were sponsored by Climb Kalymnos and Dave Lane.  

Climbing
Technical and athletic, on compact, pocketed rock of good quality. Best for climbers who comfortably climb grades from 6b–7b.   

Routes/Grades (go to your app for complete photo-topos and route info)
Up to 5c+ (0)
6a to 6b+ (8)
6c to 7a+ (16)
7b and up (8)

Sub-sectors
The Pillar: Slightly overhanging face climbing. Sun all day. 

The Canyon: Only two lines there so far. Shade in early morning and late afternoon.

The Goat Pen: A very cool place to hang out. Four interesting lines. Shade in late afternoon, around 16:00. 

The Gym: Short but intense. Perfect for gym climbers—steep and juggy. Shade in early afternoon, around 13:00. 

The Wall: A bit of everything. Some moderate grades here and mostly vertical wall climbing. Still sharp in places. Shade in late afternoon, around 16:00. 

Conditions
Good for afternoon climbing in spring, summer, and fall.

Shade (Exposure: SE)
Mostly in the afternoon, after about 13:00. Check each sub-sector for details. 

Kids
No. 

Approach (Walking time: 18–20 minutes)
From Masouri, drive in the direction of Pothia, the port. At the top of the steep zigzag turns (just past a big white house that looks like a castle) turn left onto a narrow road towards Kamari. Go uphill and start counting the little side roads. At the 3rd road, turn left onto a very narrow uphill concrete road. At the first junction, turn left again. There are wooden signs reading “Climbing routes” at every turn. Continue until the road levels off at a big gate. Park there and make sure you don’t block the road (36.985664, 26.938151). Please respect the property owners, who have installed a functional small access gate for climbers. Go through the side gate and close it behind you. Walk up to the 1st turn of the uphill road. Look for a gate on the left, in the wire fence. Go through this gate and close it behind you. Walk straight along the well-defined path until it splits. Follow the cairns straight ahead, until you are at the same level as sub-sector Mystery. From there, follow the gully, go through the fence twice using the two small gates (close again behind you), and follow the cairns to each distinct sub-sector. 

Snake Valley is now available in the Kalymnos Guidebook app. Happy climbing!