The Rock and The Party - Petzl Roc Trip Report for BASE

This report was first published in BASE Magazine, Summer 2022 (Issue 08).

Stood in a field with the setting sun on my back, I took stock. I could see the terracotta roofs of the Greek village of Manikia to my right. Opposite, grey and yellow limestone cliffs drip with tufas. In the Petzl Base Camp, Greek locals and international climbers smiled and swapped stories over bowls laden with feta and tomatoes. The DJs warmed up for the party as more people flooded into the field after their day of climbing and clinics. As Steve McClure said, ‘visiting Manikia for the first time back in October with Petzl I realised it was a special place. The scenery, the rock, the climbing movement, the climate, culture and the people; a beautiful mix.’

The concept of the Petzl Roc Trip is simple: visit an interesting sport climbing destination, add climbers from all walks of life, and enjoy a festival with routes, superstars and parties. Since 1998, the event has been to France, America, the Balkans, Argentina and China (amongst other destinations) and now here: Manikia. It’s nestled on the sleepy Greek island of Evia, a few hours north of Athens.

I was interested to see a new twist for this Roc Trip. Petzl wanted to leave something long-lasting, sustainable, which locals and climbers from around the world could both benefit from. They revived and encouraged development of a sport climbing destination which was already known - but not frequently visited (you can see Manikia in the ‘Climb Greece’ guidebook from 2017). Local Greeks welcomed the tourism, bringing life to a quiet and dwindling village. An emphasis was placed on reducing the event’s environmental impact. As Manu Moreau (one of the organisers of the Roc Trip) explained, ‘we didn’t want to encourage - or participate in - flying thousands of people to visit this region for a weekend. We wanted to inspire them to visit for longer, in the coming years.’

Back to my field, I walked over to the Base Camp stage to see some of the world’s best sport climbers presenting their short films. They’d been produced just before the event as part of the Creative Onsight concept. I won’t spoil the surprise for you, but if you want to see Alex Megos speaking Greek, Conrad Anker dressed in a toga, four famous climbers getting kicked out of a car, and the future of VR climbing, you can find them all online! The crowd laughed, cheered, and Steve McClure put on his wig again…!

The first route in Manikia was bolted in 1995 by a Greek man named Dionisis Stravogenis (did you guess from his name?). He was originally from Athens but decided to bolt a line ‘to see what climbing was all about.’ I don’t know what inspired him, but it’s a good job he started!

It wasn’t until 2005, however, when the first sector arrived. Locals developed ‘Dragonera,’ one of the most visible and impressive crags in the area. The rock in the cave is a striking burnt red colour, with tufa blobs dripping from the walls and roofs. Despite looking improbable, on closer inspection there’s plenty of holds (as I was later to find out).

It wasn’t until about 2019, when visiting French climbers opened several sectors, that Manikia became close to what it resembles today. However, the region remained quiet and rarely visited. In the village itself, the usual old men sat outside the only bar, but most youngsters from the region moved to nearby cities. The prospects of the residents in the valley weren’t optimistic.

Over the last two years, Petzl has worked with residents of the Manikia region to set up a long-lasting, non-governmental association to manage what’s become known as the ‘Manikia Project.’ It’s a collection of about 40 locals which aims to continue development of climbing, trekking and mountain biking in the area. It also handles the continuous maintenance and improvement of the climbing infrastructure.

Of this development, the chairman, Kostas Argiris explained, ‘we have visited other areas, like Leonidio and Kalymnos, to understand what climbing can bring. We have had the opportunity - and the mentality - to speak with others, listen to what they say, and improve the Manikia project. Within this local association, consisting of about 40 members, we can bring climbers to the area, share some routes with them, and provide tourist services. Petzl became our friends, helping us to understand the right way to develop the region. It’s a beautiful island, with the sea, hills, and nature all around. We have great weather, mountains, canyons, beaches, rivers… and very good climbing!’

Members of the Manikia Project were also on standby as a rescue team during the event - trained and equipped by Petzl - but thankfully not needed, despite their eagerness to help and wave yassas! (hello!) every time we passed. We should keep an eye on the young Greek climbing scene, because several schools near Manikia hope to build small climbing walls for the children. Other local area actions (such as footpath renovation, updating the guidebook and bolting) are also part of the Project. To avoid competition and to distribute benefits, actions are shared amongst the nearby villages.

Now, Manikia has over 700 routes from 4c to 9a; combine this with a reliable, pleasant year-round climate and you have a destination which I’m sure will be on every sport climber’s radar. The routes are mostly brand new, so there’s no polish and the limestone is sharp and grippy (but fragments can break, so wear your helmet). There are giant, pumpy routes where you carry 20 quickdraws and swing between tufas (with plenty of knee bar rests, thankfully!). This is the style I enjoy most, being a European-style climber at heart (I like having a lot of rests, that’s all!). I climbed one 8a at Kentro crag which used most of my 100 metre rope!

You also have short, bouldery test-pieces which demand strong fingers; we watched as Will Bosi walked up a powerful 7c+, no knee-bars, chatting away. He even left the draws in for us to have a go - cheers!

It was great to see something for everyone at the Roc Trip. Throughout the festival there were clinics open to all, covering sport climbing, canyoning, Deep Water Soloing, bolting a route, wilderness camping, and a night in a portaledge. Evening presentations illustrated paraclimbing, bolting, and the bird ban which was temporarily in place for some sectors (rare and protected eagles nest in the ‘North Face’ and ‘Canyon’ areas so climbing is not allowed there between January and June).

As with most days, I went for a swim in the Mediterranean (you’ve got to!), before driving 30 minutes towards Manikia. The road twisted and wound through small villages, (don’t forget to shout ‘Yassas!’ to the usual old men sitting outside the bar). Finally, the road gained altitude and I arrived at a wide valley, with the village of Manikia nestled at the top. There isn’t the industrial feel of Leonidio (with its poly-tunnel farms and tractors), or the impressive views of the Grande Grotta like in Kalymnos; I got the impression of something different here. There’s no aim (or need) to compete with other destinations. Manikia seems a quiet, almost-forgotten countryside, like discovering a secret. I drove on, and as the cliffs in the distance grew, so did my excitement.

The climbing is split into about five major sectors: Mpougazi, Upper Valley, Lower Valley, Canyon and North Face. Teaming up with friendly locals and wads for the day, we headed to ‘Dragonera.’ A ten-minute sweaty walk-in saw us at the base, craning our necks at the frozen wave of rock. It was very hot at this time of the year (May) so we chased the shade; perhaps autumn is the best time to visit Manikia because you can go to Canyon and North Face sectors without disturbing the nesting eagles - or baking in the sun. It was great to see climbers of all levels getting advice from Anak Verhoeven, Benjamin Bouissou, Symon Welfringer and Federica Mingolla during their clinic; the crag felt a little busy but the atmosphere was friendly and everybody tried hard. Mountain Guides were also on hand to make sure everyone stayed safe.

With all this excitement, I forgot to curb my enthusiasm and tried to warm up on a 7b+. Flash-pumped in seconds, I cursed and then took the airtime. Thankfully it went second go, but it put up a fight! I don’t think the grades are particularly generous.

The local guidebook isn’t cheap (30 euros) but it directly contributes to the route setting and maintenance. The guide says ‘a route costs 150 euros without labour.’ It also stresses ‘all other topos do not contribute to the bolting and don’t tell the truth.’ This perhaps indicates some discontent from other popular climbing destinations (which often rely on guidebook sales to cover their costs or maintain routes) who are upset with selective guidebooks that describe many areas and give no proceeds to the locals.

I’m also curious as to how Manikia will change in the coming years, should climbers continue to visit. I hope the locals will remain friendly and welcoming, and not put off by the development. I expect there will soon be places for people to camp, park their vans, or rent an apartment (but these facilities need maintenance and to be treated with respect; from Siurana to Céüse, popular destinations have had to build toilets and bring fresh water to parking areas - but usually at a small daily fee to climbers). I hope the access arrangements continue and people respect the bird bans here. Time will tell and although there might be some growing pains, I’m optimistic.

Climbing tourism is interesting - just think of Kalymnos or Leonidio before they were world-famous destinations. For decades, they were probably quiet and relatively poor areas, with an ageing population. Now, they welcome tens of thousands of climbers every year with hotels, bars, restaurants and gear shops. Youngsters see the benefits of tourism and an outdoor lifestyle. But there’s another side to this development: severe environmental and wildlife degradation, combined with resentment from nearby regions which don’t reap the benefits. I hope locals and climbers share the profits of the Manikia region (both in terms of quality routes and tourism).

After our days climbing, we returned to the Base Camp field. We feasted on fresh tomatoes, feta cheese and moussaka. Meeting good friends and making new ones, we shared our impressions of the day and recommended routes, miming moves in the air and laughing at our falls. The cleared area of the Base Camp would soon become a car park for nearby sectors like Kentro and Bal Con, but for now we danced crux sequences in the dust. The clearing of vegetation leaves it up to the Manikia Project to make something of this area… or let it grow back into shrub land.

The band began to play at dusk. Shorts and shirts were covered by down jackets and trousers in the cool air of the night. I’ll always remember the Saturday night fiesta, which was well fired by DJ sets from Lafouche and Dave Graham. Local beer and souvlakis kept coming throughout the rave, climbers of all nationalities dancing side by side under the stars. As Sunday morning dawned and the church bells of Manikia peeled, there were still a few characters enjoying the festive vibes!

Raves happen everywhere: in muddy fields, dry desert soils, in forests and in the mountains. But rarely do you get to dance with the old and new generation of climbing legends. I can confirm that some of them are real party animals, and it makes me wonder if it’s this which makes our sport so attractive: a quest for excellency firmly linked to a festive and supportive community.

It’s within this same community that you could bump into friends and superstars at the crag the following day, cheering for 6a or 8a attempts alike, or drinking coffee and sharing giant salad bowls of more feta and tomatoes. Steve McClure summarises it well: ‘bringing together climbers from around the world, mixing with locals, enjoying the surroundings and partying into the night. I've been to a lot of Petzl Rocktrips over the years, nearly all of them, and this one has been the best! As with all Petzl trips the the underlying principle has been to bring people together, and this time they really nailed it. Perhaps its been the last few years, but everyone was just so happy to connect and share. And the creative-onsight concept; what a blast! Camaraderie like that doesn't come along very often. Now back home in Sheffield, I feel I was part of something very special indeed.’

I asked Neil Gresham for his thoughts after the event. ‘The RocTrip has always kept climbing at the heart of things. It’s an authentic event and not just a PR stunt. With Manikia it was more important than ever to be respectful of the environment and Petzl went about this with a painstaking attention to detail. The result is that climbing will grow here in a way which benefits the local people and with minimal impact to the land. But above all, it was just amazing to get people together and so inspiring to see some of the worlds best climbers in action on the crags, not to mention the dance floor!’

And that’s definitely what this Manikia Roc Trip is about: gathering athletes, wannabe crushers, beginners, pros (in summary: climbers) and having them share their passion for the sport, the rock and the party. If such an event can also revive a local community and sustainably develop an area… rock on!