Following a fatal climbing accident on Kalymnos: Almost 400 routes have been refurbished with titanium bolts.

Since the fatal climbing accident on Kalymnos in the spring, route refurbishment on the Greek island has accelerated. According to the local initiative Rebolt Kalymnos, 383 routes have been completely re-equipped – with titanium instead of stainless steel.

There are almost 5.000 routes on Kalymnos – many of which are in need of repair. Nearly 400 of them have now been given the green light. The organization was founded in 2025. Rebolt Kalymnos has spent the last few months painstakingly repairing questionable or already unusable routes.

Tragic accident accelerates renovations

Rebolt Kalymnos has been renovating old routes on the island for over a year. The fatal accident of a 60-year-old man this March The accident shocked the climbing community and painfully highlighted the urgent need for maintenance on Kalymnos. The victim fell approximately 15 meters onto a rocky ledge after both the anchor bolts and two other bolts on a 24-year-old route broke.

Recent material tests currently being conducted in Australia indicate that the bolts themselves were defective – “although further testing is still needed,” the organization stated. Because the maritime climate nevertheless causes increased corrosion, Rebolt Kalymnos is now using titanium adhesive bolts for the island-wide renovation.

Mammoth task for volunteer team

Maintaining the nearly 5.000 climbing routes on Kalymnos in a safe condition for the long term is a major undertaking for Rebolt Kalymnos. The initiative consists of about a dozen experienced local climbers and route developers and also works with volunteers.

The renovations also involve the question of costs – Renovating a single route costs approximately 250 euros. The equipment is provided in-kind, without any additional costs. While the organization receives temporary government funding, it remains dependent on donations. Ultimately, what's needed isn't just occasional re-secured tours, but rather "a systematic and long-term approach to maintenance," according to a spokesperson for Rebolt Kalymnos. This system now needs to be established.

The historically grown maintenance gap is to be reduced.

Rebolt Kalymnos was only launched in 2025, but first renovations found on Kalymnos as early as the 2000s Instead. At that time, however, there were only 200 routes on the island – this number rose to more than 1.600 by 2010. In the following years, Kalymnos' popularity as a climbing hotspot grew, and with it the number of routes continued to increase. The renovation efforts simply couldn't keep up. From 2015 onwards, most of the new protection was carried out by the climbers themselves.

In spring 2025, the non-profit Kalymnos Climbing Association, known as Rebolt Kalymnos, was founded. The initiative prioritizes routes based on... Age and condition of the bolts, material, popularity as well as the reports submitted by climbers.

First, urgent maintenance work was carried out on approximately 100 routes using stainless steel expansion anchors. Thanks to support from the climbing community, the system was then switched to certified titanium adhesive anchors. These are more corrosion-resistant, but had previously been too expensive for widespread use.

In the second half of 2025, Rebolt was able to Kalymnos Two entire sectors with more than 80 routes will be almost completely re-protected.In the five months following the fatal accident in spring 2026, the initiative renovated hundreds more routes in many other sectors, including Kalyna, Symplegades, and Summertime. The progress of the renovations is publicly available. on the website of Rebolt Kalymnos visible.

The initiative calls for long-term and systematic renovations.

Since its founding, Rebolt Kalymnos has re-bolted almost 400 routes with titanium hardware and epoxy resin. Cost: more than 100.000 € in material procurement as well as thousands of hours of volunteer work. Since April 2026, with Bolt Beta a central online reporting system where climbers can report problems.

From Rebolt Kalymnos' perspective, the long-term goal is to integrate the existing know-how on the island into a long-term concept.A comprehensive, scientifically and technically sound program for re-securing is needed.“This is based on planning as well as clear criteria and priorities,” said a spokesperson for the initiative. It is also important not to judge routes solely on the number of anchors – and to completely switch to titanium glue-in bolts. The organization is open to collaborating with partners.

"It's about the safety of the climbers, but also about the reputation of Kalymnos"

The continued influx of climbers to Kalymnos is extremely important for the Greek island and its approximately 16.000 inhabitants. "Climbing tourism is one of the most important pillars of Kalymnos' local economy and a lifeline for many," reads the statement from Rebolt Kalymnos.

The climbing season on Kalymnos is relatively long, lasting eight months a year – many local businesses are directly or indirectly dependent on climbing tourism. Therefore, when it comes to route maintenance, the safety of climbers is just as important as the reputation and future of Kalymnos as an international climbing destination.

Those who would like to support the restoration work on Rebolt Kalymnos can find more information here: How to help – Rebolt Kalymnos.

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Credits cover photo: Rebolt Kalymnos