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1773 Hits
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72.08% Score
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2 Votes
Page Type:
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Mountain/Rock |
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Lat/Lon:
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38.01074°N / 23.76363°E |
Activities:
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Mountaineering |
Season:
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Fall |
Elevation:
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1033 ft / 315 m |
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Overview
A big towering rock located on the Phsixiko hill amidst Athens. The rock is a part of a multi rock plateau at around 200m of altitude. This tower being the second highest at approx 310m (GPS; maps show 291 everywhere for some reason) it is a straightforward technical bouldering peak with around 80m of direct ascend from the lowers route (South Col). At the time of writing it has 4 Routes on two distinct faces with three of them using ridges.The geology of the peak is interesting as it seems to be created by debry of some sort, with different kinds of rock depending on the face. It is the most prominent and the most visible peak on the complex and can be seen throughout Athens. Even so it is not the highest peak on the complex being about 7 to 8 meters shorter of Three Tree Rock the nearby larger less prominent peak.
Getting There
https://goo.gl/maps/SMuF3ahNvKq here you can see the route with a bus to reach the trail head at (38.011455, 23.765347), you can also walk or drive, whatever suits you.
Routes
There are multiple routes you can use to summit, check their individual pages for detailed information, here i will be looking over some basics about each route. Remember that this peak i extremely steep and has no fixed ropes or harness clips, climb this peak with care.
3D map of all the routesDenoted with green is the West Ridge
Denoted with blue is Escape Velocity
Denoted with orange is Infinity Ridge
Denoted with red is Surprise Chimney
North Face Direct
This is the route i used to initially reach the summit, it is the easiest and most non technical route on the tower with a challenging but fun ascent and a difficult and grueling descent. To climb from here you must reach the base coordinates that can be found on the routes page.
The north face routeThis was the second route i opened on the Tower, this route follows the West Ridge and after a steep entry it traverses the face and connecting ridge called Thin Mans Ridge. This route is way more technical than the previously mentioned route and should be attempted with caution.
West Ridge from nearby Dragon Fang (303m)Escape Velocity
The appropriately named escape velocity route is a climbing route that is possible from the West Ridge. It is a variation of the standard route mentioned above and meets with the route on Peak 2.
Infinity Ridge
The most unique and extreme route on the tower, this long route begins away from the peak and approaches thought a connecting ridge. This is by far the best route on the tower although it is the most technical.
Faces
NORTH FACE
The main face of the tower home of the North Face Route You can see in the following image the East Ridge the North Face, the West Summit and the West Ridge. The North Face is mainly created from corrosion and rockfall making for the steep gully in the middle. The north ridge (left) is made from harder and presumably granite rock whilst the Peak 2 face (right) is mainly red corroded rock.
North FaceEAST FACE
The first face you will see coming from the main trail head. It is by far the scariest and steepest face on the tower. There is bearly one route up the east face that is a very high level scramble. It is almost fully a one piece rock that is very steep and has limited climbing possibilities.
The South Face is populated by the South Bowl, a bowl created by the south and west ridge. There are two possible routes on the south bowl, The West Ridge and The Infinity Ridge. This face is a combination of rock and fallen rock.
South BowlWhen to Climb
Since it is in athens there isn't any chance of snow almost any time is great. Although it is recomended to not climb after rain since there is a posibility that there could be very dangerous. Since it is more of a view spot better climb it when the weather matches the view you want.
4 Routes