Ascent of Olympus on 2018-06-11| Others in Party: | Laura Friedrich
| | Date: | Monday, June 11, 2018 | | Ascent Type: | Successful Summit Attained | | Motorized Transport to Trailhead: | 4x4 Vehicle | | Peak: | Olympus | | Location: | Greece | | Elevation: | 9573 ft / 2917 m |
Ascent Trip ReportWe stayed at the Villa Pantheon in Litochoro - really nice little spot with great views and close to all amenities. Following waiting out a rain day, we drove up to Prionia and needed to park about 500m from the end of the road due to construction - not a big deal as it's relatively flat anyway. The hike up to Skala is gorgeous - beginning in open forest which gives way to higher alpine relatively near the summit. Being a Monday, there are few others on the route, and most folks were coming down from Refuge A. Having just done other Balkan highpoints, we didn't really spend any time resting on the way up - though there are numerous options to break up the relentless uphill sections.
From Skala we dropped our poles and threw boots and helmets on for the traverse to Mytikas. Your opinion of the route will vary with your prior experience: lots of scrambling/climbing, then it's a straightforward, easy-to-follow scramble on mostly very solid rock up and over a couple of pinnacles. If it's your first time scrambling, then you will likely find it somewhat unnerving with the yawning exposure in spots - though it's not difficult. We considered it a typical YDS class 3, with the middle section being about class 2-3. Watch for in/under-experienced people on the route accidentally kicking down loose rock.
Once on the main summit, we hung out for about an hour chatting with fellow summitters who'd arrived about 15mins after us. The clouds came and went, as did the views, but otherwise the weather was perfect for the day. After heading back to Skala and snagging our poles and me throwing runners back on, we decided to take a quick jaunt up nearby Skolio. This peak is simply a walk-up, but afforded some inspiring views of Mytikas, Skala, and Stefani. Worth the extra 15-20mins while you're there for sure.
We then scooted back down to the car and brought a few hitchhikers down to Litochoro with us who'd taxied up the prior day (Jan, Kinga, and Kinga). A terrific outing and easily achievable as a day trip with just the essentials along. Bring a good amount of liquid with you, as others have also said. Mid-June seems ideal with lower temperatures though no snow, fewer people, etc. |
| Summary Total Data | | Total Elevation Gain: | 8117 ft / 2474 m | | Extra Gain: | 1027 ft / 313 m | | Round-Trip Distance: | 8.7 mi / 14 km | | Trailhead: | Prionia 3510 ft / 1069 m | | Grade/Class: | Class 3 | | Quality: | 6 (on a subjective 1-10 scale) | | Route Conditions: | Maintained Trail, Scramble, Exposed Scramble | | Gear Used: | Ski Poles | | Weather: | Pleasant, Breezy, Partly Cloudy | | Ascent Statistics | | Time: | 3 Hours 59 Minutes | | Descent Statistics | | Time: | 2 Hours 56 Minutes | Ascent Part of Trip: Skala-Mytikas-Skolio
Complete Trip Sequence:
Total Trip Gain: 8383 ft / 2555 m Total Trip Loss: 8383 ft / 2555 m |
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