Rock Climbing in Episkopi, Paphos

Episkopi is a Cyprus village built on the west side of Ezousas River. It is situated 10 kilometers from Paphos and it is characterized by the steep limestone rocks that dominate the village.

Those limestone walls offer some versatile routes from vertical to slightly overhanging crimpy routes to steep athletic overhangs. With currently 30 routes ranging from 6a up to 8b/8c and a lot of space for potential new masterpieces, Episkopi definitely worth a visit from mid-grade to high-end sport climbers and developers.

Best season

Climbing is possible all year round but July and August are the warmer months and probably worth to avoid. Rain in Cyprus is infrequent but normally occurs in December and January. Despite the overhang character of the lower sector, the rock gets wet (except a couple of routes) after one day of consistent rain and it takes longer to dry up. The rest of the routes dry up quickly.

Access

Episkopi village can be easily reached due to the short distance from Paphos and it can be combined with climbing in the rest of the crags in the area. From the main roundabout in the entrance of Paphos follow the E710 road towards Episkopi which is 10km away from there. If you are driving from elsewhere and you are coming from A7 motorway it is also possible to exit and take road E606 for 6km and then turn left into an unnamed road towards the village. The sectors are in close distance from everywhere in the village so you can park your car and walk to the crags.

Lower Tier Left Side

A brilliant sector with vertical to slightly overhang routes. The sector faces south and it gets the sun until 12:00 – 13:00.

Follow the directions towards the overhang sector. When you reach the wall of the sector follow it all the way to its south end and then follow the cave to your right that takes you to ‘’Bat Trip’’ and then the rest of the routes in the sector.

1.	Propaganda	5c	10m
2.	Pre_episkopian	6c+	20m
3.	Nightfly	7c+	20m
4.	Planet Garbage	7c+	20m
5.	Yellow Fever	8a+	20m
6.	Bat Trip	6a	20m
7.	Bat Trip ext.	6b	20m

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Main Lower Tier

Currently the sector with the most routes. With steep overhanging routes is an ideal choice for climbing in mid-to-high range difficulties. Despite the east orientation of the crag, it gets the sun only early in the morning. It is notably cooler than the rest of the crags and it makes climbing possible even during the summer months.

From the main square follow the signs towards Nata but instead of taking the sharp right turn to Nata, keep going straight until you reach a road split. From there follow the right uphill road with the red sign for a holiday house. Then follow the road and take the second turn to the right and then follow a faint footpath that heads north-west to the crag. There are few parking places just opposite the holiday houses but the tenants have priority and they are often occupied.

8.	Dose	7b+	20m
9.	Overdose (ext.)	8a	20m
10.	Black Mamba (ext.)	7c+/8a	20m
11.	Battlecry (ext.)	Proj.	25m
12.	Exocet	8b	25m
13.	Punks out of gym	8a+	20m
14.	Smoked Herring	Proj.	30m
15.	Status Negativus	7c+	30m
16.	Red Thunderpussy	8a	15m
17.	Panda Koala	7a	10m
18.	Panda Koala (ext.)	7c	20m
19.	Blacksmith	8b+	25m
20.	Citius Altius Fidius	7b+	20m
21.	Hakuna Matata	7b+	15m
22.	Bad Choices	7a+	12m
23.	Go Granny Go	Proj.	10m
24	Bromance	6b+	10m

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Dome

This free standing pillar offers some short but worthy routes. The sector faces south and it gets in shade late in the afternoon or never depending on the season.

Follow the directions towards the overhang sector and just before you reach the wall head north to an open area and then a boulder field. Navigate yourselves in the boulder field and towards the crag that is visible from distance.

25.	Freaking Snake	6b	10m
26.	A Ton of Gas	6c	12m
27.	Nata…mas	7a	12m
28.	Partalians Barbeque	7a	12m
29.	Hipstermania	7a+	12m
30	Ezousas Arete	7b	12m

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Upper Tier

Massive crag but not developed yet. Some trad routes were established many years ago mainly on the left side of the crag and an amazing line following the most prominent feature on the wall, a cracked dihedral in the middle of the crag. On top of the trad lines, two new sport routes were recently bolted on the right side of the crag.

The development of the routes and the sectors on this post were carried out mainly by Andreas Parparinos, Stefanos Papadopoulos, Kyriakos Rossidis, Nikolas Patsalos, and Marios Hadjipetris. The majority of the bolts that were used were sponsored by Get Out store while the rest was funded by an initiative from the Cyprus climbing community.

Code of Conduct

An informal ‘’code of conduct’’ is suggested below.

1. Environment: Be thoughtful about your presence and minimize your impact. The inadequate monitoring and enforcement of environmental legislation in Cyprus leaves ecosystems vulnerable to individuals’ behavior.
2. Toilets: Try to use your home toilet or the public toilet in the center of the village before hitting the crag. If nature calls while in the crag choose a location as far away from the crag as possible. Bury your waste and take all the paper with you. Do not bury toilet paper since animals can dig and expose it. Contrary to popular belief, toilet paper does not disintegrate easily.
3. Personal Responsibility: Accept the risk of climbing and take full responsibility for your actions.
4. Respect: Be aware of the people in your vicinity and act respectfully to other climbers and locals. Refrain from playing loud music in the crags.
5. Litter: Take your litter with you (that includes your cigarette butts) and if possible collect some more from the already heavily littered crag.

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