Local rock climbers Jeffrey Camilleri and Simon Alden have teamed up with international climbing personality Stevie Haston to produce a new sport climbing guidebook to the Maltese Islands.
The guidebook showcases the wide spectrum of sport routes in Malta, with many quality routes to be found at all grades of difficulty.
The publication of this guide has been eagerly awaited by the local climbing community, whose numbers continue to grow as more adventure-seeking youngsters take up the sport.
Sport climbing offers a physically challenging activity in often exhilarating and beautiful, natural surroundings. Many of the climbs in Malta are world class, and it is expected that the availability of the guide internationally will considerably increase the number of people travelling to Malta to climb here in the winter months, when it’s simply too cold to climb outdoors in the rest of Europe. That’s good news for the local tourism industry.
The guidebook features 168 pages of colour photos of the spectacular Maltese seacliffs, valleys and inland ridges and superb shots of climbers enjoying some of the exciting climbs.
It provides information on more than 500 routes of all grades that have been developed there and also general information useful for first-time visitors to our islands, as well as tips about respecting the local flora and fauna and countryside.
The guide was launched during a local entertainment venue, where many local climbers gathered to have a drink, chat with other enthusiasts and secure a signed copy.
Before symbolically cutting the seal of the first box of books, Mr Alden took the opportunity to thank the other authors and collaborators, as well as all those climbers whose hard work over the past few years had led to the creation of so many new climbs.
Mr Haston, who is a 57-year-old grandfather and whose late mother hails from Nadur, last year set up a new climb in Gozo which hit the headlines of international climbing websites and magazines due to its uniqueness, beauty and high grade of difficulty.
He called the route, which features 55m of continuous roof climbing, King of Kings as he completed it on Easter Sunday.
The guidebook is available for purchase from the authors – send an e-mail to tufapublications@gmail.com – or can be ordered from local adventure equipment and service providers.