St. Constantine

Saint Constantine is a tiny white chapel surrounded by scattered medieval ruins on the wild northeast side of Telendos. But more to the point for climbers, it is also the name of a very remote—hence not busy—crag with lots of shade and quality climbs in equal measure. Those keen to avoid crowded crags or polished routes, take note. The walk-in is long and more traffic is needed to clean the rock, but at the other end of these small inconveniences you will find untouched terrain and an increasingly hard-to-find sense of calm. Six crags with very distinct characters. The surrounding terrain is wild and undeveloped. __Busy__ 1/3 __Climbing__ On almost everything from smooth technical walls to steep athletic caves to alpine-style expo rock. __Conditions__ Afternoon shade, therefore good for climbing in spring, summer, and fall. Note that the long walk can be brutal in the summer heat, though. __Shade (Exposure: NE)__ Starting at 12:00. After 12:00 (Tower of Power, Lost World), after 13:00 (Purgatory) _Falcon Kingdom_ After 13:00 _Underworld_ After 13:00 Stronghold_ after 14:00 __Kids__ No. __Tower of Power__ is a small crag with a distinct alpine feel and slightly overhanging technical routes. Lost World is an amazing place with colorful rock and varied climbs. Well-protected, but helmets are strongly advised. All routes were bolted by Hannes Webhofer in 2016. __Purgatory__ is a small crag created by Hannes Webhofer in 2014–15. The vertical and slightly overhanging wall is similar to that of sector Lambda (p. 574), but steeper and more demanding. Helmets advised. __Falcon Kingdom__ is a long band of grey slabs plus orange rock with big huecos and small tufas. Climbing is mostly on technical grey slabs and walls with very sharp holds. Routes could still use traffic to clean the sharp and crumbly bits. __Underworld__ is the remotest crag on Telendos: a lone-wolf place for true adventure seekers and introverts created by Hannes Webhofer in 2012. Routes are as hard as one might expect, in an insane overhanging cave with good holds and some big tufas. At __Stronghold__, a geometric cliff bolted by Hannes Webhofer in 2016, a high concentration of classic old-school climbs on geometric rock full of cracks, flakes, arêtes, dihedrals, and some walls. The texture and structure of the rock will likely intimidate climbers not familiar with this style. All routes are well bolted, but helmets are advised. Stronghold is a five-minute walk up from the chapel of Saint Constantine.