Trad Multipitch Adventure - Olympus 2022

It was the summer of 2022. Iason had been climbing with Dionysis, and although I had only met Dionysis briefly once and had never climbed with him before, he suggested a climbing trip to Mount Olympus. It was a chance to get to know each other better while doing what we all loved—climbing. Both Iason and Dionysis had more experience with trad and multipitch climbing, whereas I had never done it before. Still, I agreed to go.

We packed our bags with climbing gear, sleeping gear, and food (Dolmadakia and tuna), and set off. We drove to Prionia, at the base of Mount Olympus, and began the hike. Our bags were heavy, and I found myself struggling during the last hour of the hike. By the time I finally made it to the mountain hut, Iason and Dionysis were already there, resting. I was still trudging my way up, but eventually, I arrived, exhausted but relieved.

Once we set up camp, I realized I had made a big mistake—I brought the wrong tent poles! They didn’t fit. "Ah shittt!" I cursed, feeling embarrassed. Iason wasn’t thrilled, but he came to the rescue, using our hiking poles to stabilize the tent. It worked—even in the windy weather. "That’s the benefit of having an older brother," I thought. We had dinner at the mountain hut with other hikers and went to bed early, eager for the climb the next day.

The plan was to hike up to the base of Stefani and climb "Komisti." The people at the mountain hut helped us map out the route, and thanks to them, we were able to find the beginning without much trouble. Dionysis led the first pitch, Iason was belaying, and I was just mesmerized by the view. After some route-finding, Dionysis reached the first anchor, secured himself, and belayed us from above. The climb felt enjoyable, the weather was warming up, and the terrain was easy.

On the second pitch, Dionysis led again. The climbing was straightforward, and there weren’t many opportunities for trad placements. He eventually reached the end of the pitch. It was my turn to follow. I made the first few moves easily, but then I grabbed a rock that suddenly came loose. Thank God I was on top-rope! The rock fell to the side, cutting the last five meters of one of our ropes. Once again, Iason was there to solve the problem. I took a quick rest and continued the climb.

When I got to Dionysis, I told him what had happened, and he just laughed. We waited for Iason to join us. The third pitch was a dihedral that started on the left and ended at the top right. Dionysis initially went right, but halfway through, he realized he had taken the wrong way. He had to traverse back to the left, with no protection below him, but he managed. A few pitches later, we reached the top of Stefani. It was our first multipitch route together, and with it, our friendship and shared ambitions grew. Afterward, we descended and then ascended to the Mytikas summit. By the time we returned to camp, the day had come to an end.

The next day, we decided to climb "Agladi," another trad route. Dionysis and Iason led the way, more confident after the previous day's success. We finished the route in just four hours and stood proudly at the top. After hiking down, we returned to the mountain hut for lunch. We entered the hut still in all our climbing gear, feeling pretty proud of ourselves. Even though I hadn’t belayed or led any pitches, I enjoyed every moment.

On our final day, we decided to end the trip with "Mati," an iconic trad route on Stefani. Dionysis led the first pitch, and then Iason took over, leading the next two pitches with no loose rock, thankfully! After some route-finding on the last pitch, we made it to the top and rappelled down. That afternoon, we packed our bags and began the hike back to the car.

We reached the car after dark, only to discover it smelled worse than we did—I had left five bananas inside for five days in the heat! Laughing, we drove down to the seaside, set up our tent, and slept by the beach. From the highest point in Greece to sleeping by the sea, all in one day—that’s what I call a perfect adventure.

Even though I didn’t contribute much to the climbing, I had the time of my life. I knew, from that moment, that I wanted to climb with these two—Dionysis and Iason—again.