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Routes : Europe : Turkey : Kocaeli : Ballikayalar Canyon

Ballikayalar Canyon

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Climbing Sections:

About Ballikayalar Canyon:

Ballikayalar Canyon is the most popular sport climbing area in Turkey. The canyon has routes from 7 to 35 meters high, mostly from 5.10 to 5.12 (We usually use UIAA grades in Turkey to determine the difficulty of routes). Most of the routes are completely fixed with bolts. Routes are very easy to see and you can usually find other climbers there, especially on weekends. Feel free to ask them for any information. All seasons are suitable to climb, especially March to June and September to November. Camping is also possible if you wish to climb more than one day. Use the upper plateau on the left section to camp on. We organize a climbing festival every year, end of the summer. You can find more details about Ballikayalar Canyon on the ROCK&ICE Magazine-the issue of November 2000.
Climbing Ethics: Bolts are OK but no pitons are allowed at all. Although most of the routes have bolts on them, you may need to carry small quantity of nuts or cams. Usually we do not fix bolts just beside the cracks if it’s suitable to place a nut.
Nearest town or city: Gebze
Directions: It’s very easy to get there if you have a car. To reach Ballikayalar without a car, go to the Harem bus terminal, on the Anatolian Side of Istanbul. Ask for mini-bus to Gebze. Change for the village of Tavsanli (don’t confuse it with Tavsancil). From there, it’s a 2km walk. You can see the canyon the whole time. It’s very hard to get lost. (Haldun Aydingun, ROCK&ICE Magazine-November 2000).
Latitude, Longitude:
Access Issues:
Camping: Yes
When to Climb:
Quantity of Climbs: Lifetime

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Kadinlar (Women)
Kadinlar (Women)
Gidiyorum (I'm Going)
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