In the autumn of 2024, I jumped into the world of climbing by joining EOSTH's beginner climbing school. EOSTH is the Greek Mountaineering Association of Thessaloniki. Before this, I had been sport climbing in a gym for a few months, but my experience was pretty much zero outside that. The school was set up like the mountaineering course I took a few months prior — two-day weekend lessons spread over five sessions, mixing both theory and practical climbing.

Nea Zoi

Our first weekend was a bit of a washout since it rained on Saturday and we couldn’t climb. Instead, we gathered for a meet-up where we chatted about the history of climbing, different types of it, and all the gear we'd need. We also discussed the risks involved in sport climbing. Afterward, we bonded over coffee, which was a nice way to kick things off!

The next day, we headed to New Life crag near Nea Zoi, Skydra, and finally got to do our first top rope climbs! We learned how to secure a climbing partner. I loved that the rock had plenty of holds to grab onto and top roping gave me a warm feeling of security as I climbed.

Sidirokastro

For our second lesson, we made our way to Sidirokastro. On Saturday, we tackled Plaka Australou crag. The place was lovely and the routes were well-maintained, but I quickly realized that smooth slab rock isn’t really my jam. It was tough going! We continued with top rope climbs and focused on perfecting our belaying technique. That night, we camped out next to the crag — building a fire and staying up late chatting and sharing stories. It was such a great bonding experience!

On Sunday, we moved closer to Sidirokastro village and climbed at Faragaki crag. This one was way more my style, especially a route that featured an awesome dihedral.

Serres

Next stop: Serres! We hit both the "Street Fighter" sector and Mikros Viros crag. Saturday was super exciting because we got to try lead climbing for the first time! Certainly upped the stakes a bunch. This crag was fantastic — so many routes with different styles and some really fun moves. We learned all sorts of new techniques like safely clipping in with one hand and practiced rappelling.

However, after sending a tough route on Sunday, I got cocky and decided to push my luck with some harder climbs. Closing to the end of the day, we were tired and stopped paying attention. That's when things went south — I took a fall while above my third anchor. My leg got tangled between my line and the wall during the drop, which resulted in a nasty twist on my knee. I felt a sharp pain and knew right away that it wasn't good. A week later, an MRI confirmed I had torn my ACL 🤦‍♂️

Thankfully, it didn't affect me badly psychologically. I had some anxiety, stressing about possible permanent damage and how long recovery would take. I know thought that injuries are part of sports like this, so I don't fret too much. Still, I wish it hadn’t happened in such an avoidable way — it was just my own recklessness!

Meteora

The next lesson took us to Meteora! Even though it was just a week after my injury — and despite my doctor’s advice — I couldn’t resist going! Climbing in Meteora was one of the main reasons I signed up for this school in the first place. During this weekend, we learned about multi-pitch climbing and even attempted our first climb of that style! It was an absolute blast with stunning views all around. My knee gave me some trouble now and then, but I managed to push through it all. Plus, we had an amazing time camping out and enjoying a BBQ together! I’m so glad I didn’t sit this one out!

All in all, I learned so much and really connected with this sport. I made some great friends along the way, and I'm super excited to get back out into nature and climb again with them! Sure, I got injured and missed out on the last lesson, but overall it was an awesome experience that I'm really happy I took part in!