Czech climber dies on Kalymnos, raising safety concerns for international climbing destination

Sixty-year-old Petr Hruban from the Czech Republic had precocious completed the astir challenging climbing way of his career. He celebrated with friends astatine his location connected Kalymnos, an land helium considered a 2nd location where helium spent astatine slightest six months each year. Last Friday, while climbing successful the “Jurassic Park” country connected the near broadside of a steep cliff, Hruban fell astir 10 meters. He had followed each climbing protocols correctly, but two bolts failed, sending him into escaped fall. A chopper attempted to scope him but could not land. Hruban died a fewer hours later.

Lithuanian climber Kestutis Skrupskelis, who happened to beryllium nearby, rushed to assistance on with others and instantly called 112.  In a lengthy Facebook station successful the Kalymnos Climbing group, helium wrote that the archetypal relation did not speak English, and neither did the second. After being connected to a third operator, they struggled to communicate. “We had to repetition respective times that we’re successful Kalymnos, not Kos, specify which sector, the entree point, and so on.” Eventually, they were informed that the rescuers had been dispatched. He said the team arrived two and a fractional hours aft the archetypal call, carrying lone a basal αυτοκίνητο first-aid kit – nary splints, nary stretcher, nothing. About an hr later, helium said, a 2nd team arrived with a stretcher and amended equipment, but without a doctor. At slightest they had a humor unit monitor. By that time, helium said, the victim’s systolic unit had begun to drop. Skrupskelis concluded: “In Europe. In Greece. On an land that relies solely connected radical coming present to climb, there are nary rescue teams connected standby… there is nary on-call doctor… rescuers person a hard clip navigating the terrain… I don’t cognize if I want to spell climbing successful a state where the guarantees of assistance are connected par with Bangladesh… and we don’t urge it to you.”

Aris Theodoropoulos, a upland guide, climbing coach, and manager of the mountaineering and climbing schools of the historical Mountaineering Club of Acharnes – the antheral who archetypal recognized Greek cliffs arsenic a improvement accidental and turned Kalymnos into a world-class climbing destination – expressed his shock. “This is what we feared for years,” helium told Kathimerini. “Petr was highly experienced and careful. He didn’t take immoderate reckless risks. But the bolts failed. And the rescuers arrived late, albeit, to beryllium fair, under highly challenging conditions.”

Around 15,000 climbers from crossed the globe visit Kalymnos each year, staying an mean of 15 days, to standard cliffs that erstwhile deterred tourists. The land has flourished arsenic a “Mecca of climbing,” but, arsenic Theodoropoulos notes, it lacks a due information network. “I tried to person authorities to found a nationalist assemblage to negociate climbing areas crossed the country. In vain. I got stuck astatine the Ministry of Tourism; the Municipality of Kalymnos didn’t help, and my hopes were dashed.”

Maintenance of climbing routes is simply a large problem. Of the 5,000 routes connected Kalymnos, astir 1,000 are much than 20 years aged – the approximate lifespan of the metallic bolts that unafraid ropes. Corrosion implicit clip makes replacement essential. “Seeing the information this posed to overseas climbers and ourselves, since we ascent these rocks daily, we founded the Rebolt Kalymnos association. In conscionable 1 year, funded by donations, we replaced stainless steel bolts with titanium bolts – which past indefinitely – connected astir 300 routes. But we can’t bash everything ourselves.”

Last year, the municipality allocated €600,000 for trail improvement and way maintenance. Rebolt Kalymnos offered their expertise, but when they learned that the caller bolts would beryllium metallic – which would besides property and yet request replacement – they requested clarification but received nary response. Two meetings were scheduled with Mayor Ioannis Mastrokoukos, who did not attend. (Kathimerini attempted to scope him without success.)

The quality of Hruban’s decease has spread worldwide, raising concerns among climbers astir information connected the island. “Beyond bolts and chopper rescues, it is important to station a occurrence brigade unit connected the land with experienced, decently trained, and physically acceptable EMAK rescuers. Although astatine slightest 20 incidents a year necessitate stretcher evacuations successful highly hard terrain, there is presently lone 1 volunteer occurrence station with three nonrecreational firefighters and a fewer volunteers,” Theodoropoulos said. “We are racing against time. If different mishap occurs, Kalymnos could vanish from the climbing map.”