Wales oh yeh.
Looking back towards Pen Y Pass YHA
So 28th Dec arrived with the plans in place to head up into Wales, target Tryfan and the surrounding crags. Everything is set, excellent conditions with constant snow fall and cold weather fronts being active all week.
Trips are great, but rarely go as you had planned. I had a rough idea to park up at Ogwen cottage lay-bys and head up into the Cwm below Cneifion arete and climb some of the small ice falls and gullies which are abundant in this area. Obviously this didn't happen, starting from the outset things had to change, they always do. Picked dean up at 06:30 on the dot, put all his kit into the van and headed up to Capel curig were there is a fantastic little cafe called Moel Siabod (https://www.moelsiabodcafe.co.uk/)
https://www.moelsiabodcafe.co.uk/
Arriving at the cafe we were met by a friendly chap announcing that breakfast was not served, nor would it be. Oh my god what a catastrophe, no breakfast we will surely perish. Seemingly the cook was blocked in by snow in blaenau ffestiniog and would not be coming in to cook.
Plan "B" kicked in really fast due to the severity of our hunger pangs. Petes eats in Llanberis was the next stop.
http://www.petes-eats.co.uk/
Firstly we had to get over the Pen Y Pass, which was in full winter conditions. Well you guessed it, plan "B" was smashed as soon as we had rammed our way up through the snow onto the top of the pass, definitely wasn't going for a slide down into Llanberis.
So we parked up in the car park which amazingly had spaces, this must have been due to the conditions as most people would not have got up the pass on road tyres, winters only. Walked into Pen Y Pass YHA to the smell of full cooked breakfast and coffee, you guessed it. Sorry chaps wev'e finished serving, "Oh no".
https://www.yha.org.uk/hostel/snowdon-pen-y-pass?utm_source=google&utm_medium=maps&utm_campaign=google-places
So pumped up on caffine and cake we headed out to do business with the mountain, oh by the way plan "B" is no longer, plan "C" just kicked in after cake and caffine. We decided to stay put and head up onto Crib goch and do a winter ascent, which in these conditions would be fantastic.
Summer
Winter
https://www.thebmc.co.uk/how-to-scramble-crib-goch
Ok, after consulting UKC Dean found that Central Gully on Trinity face had been climbed in the week and had given good conditions all the way up. So plan "D" was now in full swing. geared up at the van and headed out with blackened skies looming over head. 200 yards up the track and the rain and high winds came in, bollocks. Well, its a case of just dealing with it on and upwards. within a few 100 yards the rain stopped and it opened up into a fairly clear sky. The Pyg track was icy and wet, spikes would have been ideal and crampons a bit over the top.
Description on Llanberis Mountain Rescue web page, worth a visit before you head up. There is some good advice contained within there web site on attempting the snowdon summit.
PyG Track
This is the most rugged and challenging of the six paths up Snowdon, which leads along the foothills of Crib Goch. The route up Crib Goch and along the ridge is extremely dangerous and should not be attempted by novice walkers.
Its a long climb up until you meet the intersection at the miners track, this is the point at which you turn off left to Trinity face. SH61494 54855
Trinity face.
Two guys were heading in the same direction, well ahead of us. As we got closer i could see them digging a platform high up on the slope's below the entrance to the gully. We bashed our way up the slope, deeper and deeper the snow became. We finally got to a section just below the mouth of the gully which had recently avalanched, giving a fantastic carpet of snow ball formations all over the surface of the snow slope. This i believe is caused by rain hitting the snow pack and producing snow ball type structures which then flow down in small avalanches.
INTERESTING GOOGLE SEARCH.
There are three main types of avalanche: Powder, Slab and Wet. Often start from a single point and accumulates snow as it moves down the slope forming a snowball effect. This type is most common following heavy snowfall of one inch per hour or more and often on a smooth surface such as after rain or frost.
This is only a search, read up on the subject as it is a very intensive and scientific subject. If in doubt seek advice.
On inspection the snow pack was firm and compact, so we headed out to the right side of the chute and up onto a small flat-ish section just below our two early bird climbers. A quick check that we had in fact arrived at the right climb and it was time to gear up. First things first, digging out a platform with your ice axe to stand on is a must, this is so you can get your harness and crampons on without sliding down the slope. Gear on and we are off, alpine style to start (Un roped) then asses as we head up. The two guys in front quickly handed over the lead as we approached them, i said not to worry we were not in any rush, on that note they headed on up the gully. We encountered easy sections over banked out boulders and small rocks with occasional frozen turf in place. We are both moving well and making good progress, catching the two early bird climbers at the chock stone which was clearly going to be and interesting maneuver.
Dean back and footing the tight chimney to gain access to the top.
I climbed passed and into the back of the small cave which had been produced by the snow pack flowing over the boulder as the two climbers were happy to allow us first crack at the beast. I clipped my rucksack to a 240 strap and headed up into the icy tube. Throwing the strap out onto the upper snow slope it held long enough for me to get through and haul my rucksack up. Dean followed and we left our two early birds to there own devices. At this point the snow was soft and deep in places with little if no protection via Wharthogs and Bulldogs.
Not much by the way of rock spikes or cracks in the wall for protection, being fair thou it was good climbing and the need to stop and place gear didn't seem necessary. We were both climbing well with Dean just below me catching my debris which was chipping off as i placed my axe and boot. The occasional "F" word and please refrain from dropping ice on me did arrive. As we gain height the climb is beginning to thin out, ice coming away in sheets as its so thinly bonded to the rock. Technical moves with the axes, torques and such required to get good purchase on the iceless rock. Tight moves in confined spaces which would normally have been bombed out with good snow pack forced us into corners with no or little ice to get purchase on for that stretched out move to good ground above. The route is graded I/II 2 which means grade 1 or 2 with a technical difficulty of 2. So what does it all mean, basically not to difficult with winter climbing experience. After the climb we both agreed on a grade of III/3 as it was very lean with just about no gear placements. You could not have place ice screws or wharthogs as the ice was to thin and the snow pack to weak.
The "Scary" bit.
As i am heading up to the last section i came across a sheet/tarp or cover of some type. My mind at this point was thinking fallen climber. It looked like a ruck sack cover and food inc wrappers were buried in the snow as i tried to dig down to see what was there. I was thinking fallen climber early in the season had been buried and as the thaw came he had been exposed. Well bated breath over, it was just rubbish, tent by the look of it that had blown off the summit.
Dean took over the lead and topping out onto the exposed ridge below snowdon summit was met by a savage wind. The wind was in excess of 40-50 mph, howling like a banshie. We headed off down the track and quickly made our exit out over the cornice and onto the Pyg track. As soon as we had gone over the edge it was like a calm summers day, no wind and sublime views down towards Pen Y Pass.
Below is a link to the video shot from the summit, giving an indication as to the severity of the conditions we had to deal with. Please be mind full that full winter kit is required for such a trip inc good navigational experience.
