The boys at Liverpool

Simon and I looking a lot more relaxed than at the beginning of our lecture 

Just look at all that ice !!

Hi All

We are in the mix again here in North Wales and have been since early last week. Conditions have been very good in a variety of places and look like to improve. Its the best period for a few years.

There have been new ascents, major 2nd ascents and ascents of some timely classics within the last week.

I have had many pictures and updates over the last week and my thanks goes to all those who have taken the time to send that info over to me.  I do apologise for not making really good use of this, but I must mention Dave Gary's repeat of Pete Harrisons new grade 10. Wow !! good effort. full details on Daves Blog

I will do an end of season update, so please do keep sending info etc on new routes and second ascents

Last Thursday,  Simon Panton and I delivered a lecture in Liverpool talking about the development of North Wales Winter climbing in recent years and highlighted a lot of the key players. Apparently,  Simon and I did an excellent job, well thats what we got told, maybe they were just being nice !!! so our thanks goes to all of your who made the effort to attended and support the lecture.

I am sorry to say that this post is the last blog post  for this winter.

I Hope the conditions stay and that you all manage to  get some great climbing in.

As I mentioned before, I will do an end of season update, so please do keep sending info etc on new routes and second ascents. Thanks again for all of you that support and use the blog. Sorry the blog will not going whilst we actually have a decent winter this year.

Best Wishes and keep cranking on those axes

Baggy

Biggest News for years -Lateo X-10

I am able to give you further info on the new route that got done on Tuesday.

It came form Pete Harrison,  who many of you will know has added some quality and hard routes to the Welsh winter scene over recent years, including Wale's first grade X-10 some time back.  Well now he delivers another X-10

Thanks for Pete for sharing the info, as he had to be pushed, as he very modest with his achievements.  I just felt it was such an outstanding route and contribution then it would be a real shame not to share it.  With this in mind, this post is factual without any glam attached.

Pete is also keen to ensure the style of ascent is recorded.

Text below from Pete

The route took seven days spread over 3 winters. One of the main issues with the route was getting it into proper condition .i.e being properly rimed up.


On the first attempt yesterday I fell above the lip of the roof and, not being in the fittest condition, thought I'd blown any chance of doing it that day. Tom had a go and fell from the lip. After an hours rest I went again powered up with Rhubarb and Custards and this time hung on and kept it together. We climbed ground-up with no pre-inspection. On the second pitch Tom slipped barely 2 metres out from the belay, lowered down and went again only to slip at the same spot. He climbed the second pitch clean from there. He could have lowered the fully 2m to the belay to start again, but it doesn't make any difference to the difficulty. He still did all the difficult climbing on that pitch clean.

Couple of other things - in terms of difficulty I think it's solid at the grade. However, I can only compare to other routes I've climbed or attempted. 

Lateo   X 10   ***  85m

An independent winter-only line tackling the compelling 'come-and-climb' me crack leading directly to and out of the sentry box belay of Stratosphere (E3), before joining Travesty at that route's mid-height steepening. The first pitch blasts directly up through the steepest part of the cliff giving a brilliant strength-draining pitch. The second pitch is more technical and no pushover. A route of the highest quality, solid at the grade.

22m  10  Climb turfy ledges and a corner until below the roof. Arrange gear and move across rightwards to a ledge at the top of the rock fin. A stein-pull gains the lip of the bulge/roof where things quickly turn difficult. Make hard moves leftwards along the lip to reach a vertical crack which is followed to a belay in the sentry box. Sustained.

43m  7  The diagonal crack which leads out leftwards from the top of the sentry box isn't as easy as it looks. Join Travesty just below the mid-height chimney and climb this and the gully above to a belay below the final steep wall.

20m  5  The steep final wall of Travesty.
Pete Harrison, Tom Livingstone 15.1.13


Photo by T Livingston

Photo by Rob Pitt

Topo showing the line. ( Topo by Pete Harrison )

MINT

Have been out on the hill today and conditions for rocky mixed climbing are mint, actually perfect. In addition to this, there will be plenty of turfy/rocky mixed routes in perfect nick also.

Today

Good covering of dry rime, which is easy to brush off.
Dry cracks
Solid turf
Nothing covered in vast amounts of snow
No snow ploughs to get to routes
Nice and cold
Freezing level at 200-300 ms
Top that with no wind today

Will get some pics and more info on later, just got  back off hill. See how kind I am !!!

Also, if your in the Liverpool area this Thursday evening then you might decide to come and have a listen to Simon and I talking about Welsh Winter Climbing

Check out for details

Arch Gully on Glyder Fach was done in great nick and people reported great winter sport on Bristley Ridge , see Dodie Palmer in photo below.

Few pics for today

Craig Daffyd and Black Ladders

Oh its big news

More details to follow, but today a major new route was put up and its a beauty and its hard. A fantastic effort

On top of that, its been a cracking day and now that we have some good weather we can see that conditions for mixed are very good higher up.

For a summary of  conditions you might as well go to here, let the fun begin, hip hip hooray. 

Its come back for the mixed action and building for the rest.

This morning it was warmer than they had forecasted. It was one of those damp, cloudy days and the snow level had risen to about 700m. Even then it did not look like there was a good covering. The crags at around 700-800m in Ogwen were black, to cloudy to see higher up. But for example,  Tryfan was bare.

I took a few snaps of Ogwen this afternoon, but an hour later it started to rain and hail at sea level. So those pics are out of date. We will have to wait and see what the morning brings. But it is a good sign and the warmer temps this morning will have helped soften Sunday's snow up, ready for it to freeze.

Snow is falling

This afternoon the snow decided to show its face. We had flurries down at 100m but that did not stick. However, what I can see of the hills from my house, the lower 200-600m  is they look a lot more white than this morning.

I would think higher up, the ground will have more snow cover. This will hopefully mean that the mixed routes should hopefully be worth looking at.

Shaping up nicely

With cold temps for the last few days , a clear sky this evening and cold weather forecast for Sunday, this has given the ground time to freeze before any snow comes are way. Hopefully this will happen Sunday eve/Monday.

No snow on the hills today, all very green.

No snow on the hills today, all very green.

Friday 11th jan

It has been a cracking day here, but no snow has arrived ( 6.00 pm )

Reports from the tops is that the ground is not really that frozen, often boggy and soft in many places.

However, verglass around

Might get snow overnight and it looks cold for a few days