What a Difference A Week Can Make!

  The weekend before last was saw me squeezing the schedule so I could get some more winter miles before the thaw.

 Leaving work at 1am in Leeds I packed my kit and set off on the 2.5 hour drive to the Ogwen Valley in Snowdonia.

 After around 2hrs sleep in the car I was awoken by my mate Alan tapping on the window. Alan and I had met on a trip to the High Atlas in Morocco during 2014. Alan would be joining Rob Johnson in Scotland in a few weeks and wanted to sample a lo grade winter climb as a idea as to what he was in for.

 We made our way through ever deeper snow to the foot of the chimney that would take us up to Bristly Ridge and on to the summit of Glyder Fach. It was at the foot of the route I found I'd left my crampons in the car, again!! I blame it on the sleep depravation. I should make it clear that if the temperature had been lower and the snow firmer I wouldn't have carried on but I felt confident I could make the climb of the chimney in my boots and then the 'mushy' snow would be passable with a little extra care.

 After negotiating the chimney we found ourselves in deep snow before getting on to the ridge proper where it was obvious there had been a number of people crossing the ridge over the weekend.

  We then made our way past the 'Cantilever Stone' before finding our way through the murk towards the Gribben Ridge which we would descend.

 A good accessible route for a winter day though I would recommend crampons!

Well done to Alan for what was his first winter mountaineering route and maybe just a little insight into what he can look forward to in Scotland.

Monday morning I met up with my mate and occasional climbing partner Rob Gurr of Summit Adventures. Rob is also on the Winter Mountain Leader Scheme so was eager to get out and get a few miles under his belt.

 We decided we would head up to the summit of Snowdon via Crib Goch. Crib Goch is arguably the most famous ridge in the British mountains, possibly due to its accessibility from Pen y Pass car park.

 We made our way up to the ascent into the ridge where we put on crampons (remembered them for a change!) as the snow became firmer as the temperature dropped.

Visibility was low as we crossed the ridge and made our way up to the summit of Snowdon.

 At Snowdon summit we decided to continue on and completed the 'Snowdon Horseshoe' rather than walk back down by the Miners or Pyg track.

 Covering the summits of Crib Goch, Crib y Ddysgl, Snowdon and Llywedd Bach the route is just under 12km long with just under 1000m of ascent and it took us a respectable 6.5hrs I. Winter conditions.

 A good day and especially good to catch up with Rob to spend the day setting the world to rights.....

 What a difference a week can make as the thaw set in and saw heavy rain clear most of the snow 😕

 These pictures show the entrance to the summit cafe on Snowdon, around 6ft of snow cleared within a week due to a warm front and heavy rain.

 Also after finding that I was definitely getting winter stronger and fitter I managed injure my back doing absolutely nothing adventurous, not the best week!!

Snowdonia Scrambles & Showers - April 2013.

 Not being one to let the chance of a trip to the hills pass me by, I jumped at the opportunity to meet up with my mountain expedition roomie Simon 'wild camp Master Chef' Small & my adopted mountain son Brett 'Ey Bert' Savage for a couple of days on the hills of Snowdonia.

Looking back to Tryfan from Bristly Ridge.

 In the days before meeting up in Capel Curig, Snowdonia, we had discussed various routes we would like to cover during the 2 days. Over a curry and a Cobra (or 2!) the long routes over the Glyders & Carneddau we had planned soon went out of the window in favour of a scrambling route up Tryfan 'North Ridge' followed by a second scramble up Glyder Fach's 'Bristly Ridge' and descent via 'Y Gribbin', with day 2 to be decided later.

 Day 1 -After an overnight camp near the Ogwen Cottage we readied ourselves and donned the waterproofs against the constant drizzle. Making our way up Tryfan over the boulder strewn path we reached the foot of the scramble and started in a more vertical direction!

Brett leads the way fresh from success in his SPA assessment.

Simon picks his way up the wet rock.

Brett 'Ey Bert' Savage reaches the end of the scramble!

As we gained height we began to lose the protection of the mountain and became exposed to strong gusts of the South Westerly wind, which, when added to the slippery wet rock surface made the climb more 'interesting'. We soon reached the top of the Grade I*** scramble and made our way to the summit to be greeted by Adam & Eve.

Myself, Simon, Brett with the famous Adam & Eve.

  Adam & Eve are approximately 2metres tall, twin, vertical rocks which stand on Tryfan summit and can be seen from some distance below in the Ogwen valley (on a clear day!). It is traditional to climb the stones and attempt to 'step' the 1.2metre gap from one to the other. Deciding to break from tradition (mainly due to the very high chance of slipping on ones arse and landing painfully on the boulders 2metres below!) we pushed on and descended Tryfan to head to Glyder Fach via Bristly Ridge.

Simon goes through the Bruce Forsyth stretch routine at the foot of Bristly Ridge.

 Both Tryfan 'North Ridge' & Glyder Fach 'Bristly Ridge' are Grade I*** scrambling routes. In my (very humble) opinion 'Bristly Ridge' is a much more interesting scramble with a number of optional steep climbing and exposed sections available.
 Myself and Brett had climbed the route before, including whilst under full winter conditions just 3 weeks earlier, it would be a new 'tick' for Simon.

Simon climbs above the cloud.

Brett avoiding 'exposing' himself on Bristly Ridge!

  Making good time (mainly due to Simon not allowing us a break!) we chose a route which took us over the more 'spicy' exposed upper sections of the scramble rather than the optional lower path. On completing the scramble we headed to the 'Cantilever Stone' for a photo opportunity and a well overdue food & water stop.

Brett crossing some of the exposed pinnacles of the scramble.

 

Simon & Brett on the easily found Cantilever Stone on Glyder Fach.

  Having given us just enough time to take a photo, the weather began to close in with the mist of low cloud wrapping itself around us, perfect opportunity for Brett to practise his navigation and guide us off the summit.

Descending through the mist.

  On descending back safely to the Ogwen Valley we headed for our overnight 'wild camp' site (to be covered in a future blog!).

Day 2 - After a night spent 'wild camping' we headed straight to the Pinnacle Cafe for a breakfast and to discus the plan for the day.
 Brett would not be accompanying us on our second route as he would be travelling home, and in fact only realised he may miss his ferry whilst taking a break from his calorie overload fry up. Missing his ferry by just minutes Brett still escaped the soaking myself and Simon received!

 After considering the heavy rain showers and 50mph winds forecast for the day (Mountain Weather Information Service/ Met Office Mountain Weather) myself and Simon decided against crossing Crib Goch and instead opted for a walk to the summit of 'Carnedd Moel Siabod'. Standing at a height of 872m 'Moel Siabod ' would normally be overlooked in favour of its higher and more popular neighbours, but with the Snowdonia spring weather being a little short of dismal it was good choice for a new 'tick'.

Leaving the shelter of the woodland at the start of the route.

Yep, that'll be the low cloud and rain the forecast mentioned!

   The views during the muddy slog upwards were only of the front of our boots or the inside of the cloud as we walked head down into the winds and rain and it was a very brief pause at the summit before retracing our steps back down to the shelter of the car we had left at the 'Plas y Brenin' outdoor training centre.

Moist and not in a good way.

Move on, there's nothing to see here!

   Although a short route it was enough in the conditions and well worth the effort!

British Summer Time - Winter Routes!

 As the clocks changed to signal the official end of British Winter Time it seems nobody remembered to tell the Jet Stream!
 With the Jet Stream having a 'kink' in it which meant it was racing across the skies above Southern Spain, cold air from Northern Europe and strong Easterly winds were the major influence on the weather over the British Isles - bad news for most, but not if your wanting to get out on the mountains for some bonus winter routes!

April in the Lake District from Blencathra.

April Fools Day in the Lake District. - Deciding I could not miss the opportunity to get out on the hills whilst still under winter conditions, I set off at 05:30am for an early journey to the Lake District.
 Arriving in the Lake District in cold, bright but breezy conditions I aimed to ascend to the summit of Blencathra via Hallsfell Top Ridge, which would give me a Grade I winter climb, and descend by the iconic Sharp Edge which would give me a Grade II climb for my Winter Mountain Leader log book. I would also have the option of descending via alternative routes should Sharp Edge look a bit 'dodgy'!

Hallsfell Top and Blencathra in above the snow line.

  Carrying all the winter extra's - ice axe, crampons, rope, slings, carabiner's and spare clothing I made my way up Hallsfell and into the snowline on Hallsfell Top ridge where I was exposed to the biting Easterly winds for the first time on the route.
 On along the ridge I took out my ice axe and put on my crampons before the path became too exposed and a slip would of been fairly terminal. Rime ice and small cornice's were evidence of the strong winds and freezing temperatures of the previous week or so.

Looking back down Hallsfell Top.

 Reaching the summit of Blencathra the wind became much stronger with buffeting gusts of approx up to 50mph which started to cast doubt in my mind of crossing Sharp Edge. Walking across to the top of the ridge I was forced to put on my ski goggles as my eyes were streaming in the bitingly cold winds so I could assess the conditions as again a slip could be fairly terminal, not least because of the freezing temperatures meaning an immobilising injury could lead quickly into hypothermia!
 After taking a look at the route across Sharp Edge I felt it was do-able with some care, the main problem would be the winds though these were blowing along the ridge rather than at an angle across the ridge.

Sharp Edge dropping from left to right.

 Making my way down on to the ridge I escaped the worst of the winds and began across the sharp rock formation of the arete which gives the ridge its name. I noticed that 2 groups had set off from the opposite side of the ridge and had decided to turn back which was a little unnerving for a moment but I was committed to the route and continued to cross carefully.

the 'sharp' bit of Sharp Edge.

Sharp Edge in all its winter glory!

 As I reached the 3/4 point of the ridge I found the winds extremely strong and had to choose my moments to move on, this is probably what caused the other groups to turn back.
 I thoroughly enjoyed both ridges and the conditions made them all the more enjoyable by making them more challenging!

Snowdonia in the Snow- Following the my solo trip to the Lake District I made my way to Snowdonia to meet up with Brett Savage (Savage Adventures coming shortly!) to join him on a couple of winter routes in the Glyders.
 Wednesday we decided to head up Glyder Fach by following Bristly Ridge to the summit (Grade II Winter) and descending by Y Gribbin (Grade I Winter). Making our way from Lyn Ogwen we were straight into the snow which steadily got deeper as we made our way up to Lyn Bochlwyd.

Snow sculpture en route to Bristly Ridge.

 We made our way up the steeply rising broken boulders which form Bristly Ridge steadily as the climb was covered in soft snow and patches of ice and quickly gained height.

Brett gets the 'man leg' out!

 As the ridge rises there are sections which are very exposed with some sections of step overs which need care especially when under winter conditions.

More 'man leg' from the Savage, with Tryfan in the background.

"Yes Brett, the sweet shop is down there!"

 After reaching the top of Bristly Ridge we made our way to the summit of Glyder Fach and had lunch at the Cantilever Stone (photo's unavailable as Brett hasn't released them!!). We then made our way over to Y Gribbin which we descended back to the car park.

 It is worth mentioning that whilst leaving the summit we came across a group making their way up with a guide(?), non of the group had crampons or ice axes and one mentioned that they wished they did! I don't think its just personal preference, the mountains in winter are a serious undertaking and it always tends to be more difficult to get down than up when gravity is trying to speed up your descent!!

Thursday we headed back into the Ogwen Valley and past Lyn Idwal on our way to Cwn Cneifion where we had seen a climb in the North Wales Winter Climbing guide book by Simon Panton and Mark 'Baggy' Richards. A more strenuous walk in than we had origionally thought(!) we steadily made our way to Clogwyn Du where we planned to ascend Glder Fawr by climbing up Hidden Gully (Winter Grade II).

The walk in!

Brett leads the way on Hidden Gully.

  After the walk in the climb was all too short but still exciting in places in the conditions. Exposed to the strong cold winds on leaving the climb we walked to the summit point of Glyder Fawr (no cheating from us boys!) before making our way to the descent.

Looking down the Ogwen Valley.

 Back climbing down the descent I was regretting not putting on my as goggles as the wind whipped up the back of the Cwm blowing loose snow into our faces. It was then mainly a bum slide and some ice axe arrest practice all the way down to Lyn Idwal.

All in all 3 Winter Routes including 5 graded winter climbs for myself so time well spent!!

N.B No photo's were available from Brett (lazy boy) Savage for this blog!!!