First Ascent of Captain Blue on the Varasova Headwall
Kryoneri – Patras – Greece
170 m, 7+ A0. First ascent on 5 and 7 May 2026 by Ludwig Sandhacker and Julia Irsara.
How did this new route come about?
To be honest, when we arrived in Greece we had no real plan for where to go. The ideas ranged from Leonidio and Meteora to the big walls on the island of Anafi.
In the end we asked ChatGPT to help us decide, and it pointed us to the area around the Varasova summit near Patras. Apparently this is where Greek climbing has its roots.
Despite the long history and approaches that are often only a few metres, the routes are anything but polished or crowded. You can enjoy wonderfully rough rock, superb water runnels and steep cracks just a few metres above the sea.
On our second day, after only one route, we had the idea of putting up a first ascent on this mountain. The rock is good, and there still seemed to be plenty of unclimbed lines.
We even bought an inflatable dinghy to scout the walls rising straight out of the water.
It soon became clear that a new line straight up the headwall of this 650 m face would be a promising option. So far there are only four routes there (see the photo below):
Captain Blue
Enchanted (up to UIAA 6, clean)
Rubicon (up to UIAA 7, clean)
Shining Path (up to UIAA 8, a few bolts)
Routes on the right-hand side of the headwall, such as Alogiari or the upper part of Argonaut
The only drawback is the long approach through the lower, stepped part of the face, which involves climbing up to grade 3. We chose this line anyway – it gives the whole route an even more alpine, adventurous character.
No sooner said than done: the next day we followed well-trodden goat paths to find the easiest way into the upper part of the face. After 450 metres of height gain over easy scrambling and grassy, broken ground, plus around 120 metres of climbing up to grade 3, we finally stood below the headwall.
So there we were, with binoculars and heavy rucksacks, at the foot of the wall. There wasn’t much to discuss: it had to be the simplest, most logical line to the grand finale – the dark blue rock corner. The first belay was obvious, and all the others simply fell into place. As if the line had been made for climbing, every belay sits on a comfortable ledge where you can spread out.
Following plenty of good holds, footholds and steps, we found our way up to the light blue rock. The last pitch through the final steep section of the wall, however, turned out to be harder than expected. After three hours of climbing, drilling and hanging on until we were completely spent, we reached the final belay with huge relief.
During those three hours it also became clear what the route would be called. The blue rock, the blue thread slings, the view of the sea and the two bars in Kryoneri, “Captain del Mar” and “Blue Blue”, gave us the name: Captain Blue.
The protection is traditional but never dangerous. Climbers should be challenged, not scared. There are bolts at the hard sections; elsewhere a cam goes in nicely, and you’ll also find a few pitons, slung threads and even some fixed nuts. Every belay has at least one bolt.
A true alpine adventure – and in Greece of all places. We hope many more climbers will enjoy the great rock on this route.
Gear:
- One set of cams up to size 3 (Totems work best)
- One set of nuts
- 10 quickdraws
- 60 m half ropes
Approach:
From Kryoneri, walk 45 minutes to the start of Sendero Luminoso and Photino Monopati in the lower part of the face. From there, traverse right and follow a ridge (100 m, UIAA 3) into the upper part of the face.
Then continue for another 40 minutes, ideally through the water-worn part of the upper bowl and over slabs, to the base of the headwall. The route starts at a distinctive group of trees about 30 m left of the lowest point of the wall.
Total: 2–2.5 hours
Descent:
Abseil the route and return along the approach. The climbing on the approach can be avoided on the way down by two abseils on the right (35 m and 55 m). The first abseil anchor consists of two glue-in bolts at the end of the ridge; the second is a thread.
All information and topo to download:
Photos from the tour
