Climbing Mt. Olympus, Greece

Mount Olympus is the highest mountain in Greece (2918 m). It’s also one of the highest peaks in Europe in topographical terms (measuring the height relative to the lowest contour line encircling it).
Mount Olympus has not one, but 52 peaks !
The highest peak, Mytikas, meaning "nose", rises to 2918 m .
Olympus remains the most popular hiking summit in Greece as well as one of the most popular in Europe.
Mount Olympus typically takes 2 days to climb, with one night spent in a mountain refuge along the way. Of course, there are a variety of routes and a variety of mountain refuges on Olympus, but the majority of those climbing the mountain start from the town of Litochoro and follow the road to Prionia where the hike begins. We started from Prionia at 15:30. The hike to the refuge Spills Agapitos takes ~3.5 hours (1000 m height gain, 7 km). At the refuge, we had a rest during the night. On the next day, we started early, climbed Mytikas peak, and returned back to Prionia and then to Litohoro.
The majority of the Mount Olympus ascent isn’t a technical climb, but the finale can be tricky. The final section of the climb, from the summit of Skala (2,882m) to the peak of Mytikas (2,918m) is categorised as a YDS (Yosemite Decimal System) Class III rock scramble. For context, a Class III is defined as: “Scrambling with increased exposure. Handholds are necessary. A rope should be available for learning climbers. Falls could easily be fatal.”
An alternative route, if you’re not up for the scramble, is to take a narrow ridge line over to Skolio Peak, which is at 1,911m. While nearly 10,000 people climb Mount Olympus each year, the vast majority only reach the Skala and/or Skolio summits.
According to the Greek mythology, Mt. Olympus is a home to the 12 Olympian gods of the ancient Greek pantheon. Mythology makes it so different to other mountains... During the climbing you are trying to feel the presence of gods...
We climbed this route at September 2018.
Mount Olympus is not a volcano. It was formed of sedimentary rock laid down 200 million years ago in a shallow sea. Various geological events that followed caused the emergence of the whole region and the sea. Around one million years ago glaciers covered Olympus and created its plateaus and valleys.

[@Scic1st]

Hey, is it well marked and can one just follow the "paths" without maps? Thanks

[@HappyTrail-rv5ox]

Yes, the trail is well marked. First you go from Prioniya parking to "Refuge A" (Spills Agapitos), about 3hours; after this you take E4 rout to peak Skala; From Skala, take route to the right, marked by red marks, that leads to Mitikas. This section is challenging and require some climbing . There is also detailed description in the video.

[@Scic1st]

​@@HappyTrail-rv5oxperfect, thanks! 🤙