When I said Stunning

Here is the evidence of such a cracking weekend ( just gone )  If you were lucky to be out then a weekend to remember.

These were taken by one of the trainee instructors from Blue Peris Outdoor Education Centre based in North Wales. 

The next trainee intake at the centre is Sep 2015, interviews are in June,   full details on how to apply follow the link.


I drive up through the Ogwen Valley today. Snow is still there high up, but  it was hard to see how much due to cloud. However, I could see the back of the Kitchen and any ice looked  very thin and not climbable from the road.

First picture shows Snowdon ( R/H ) the Glyders and then Tryfan

Stunning & Alpine

These words sum up the weather and conditions this weekend. Sorry for those of you who could not get into the mountains this weekend, but its been one of those rare weekends. Crisp, clear, hardly any wind, sunny and winter climbing on tap. The pictures below are of Snowdon taken from the slate quarries this weekend whilst I have been directing a Rescue Emergency Care , 2 day first aid First Aid course for Blue Peris ( Mountain ) Outdoor Learning Centre. However, it has seemed warmer than in the week and the temps do look like they will rise over the next few days. Should be ok to help consolidate the snow, mind you some will go, not sure about any ice that is about, feel that will disappear.

More new routes will have no doubt been added over the weekend. For full details of last weeks ticks got to V12

Here are some pictures of the classic and often in condition Glogwyn Ddu Crag.  

Bob Johnson and Alistair Borrett.

Bob Johnson start of pitch two - main pitch

A winter we can be Excited about at last

Well its certainly winter here in N Wales. At last some conditions we can get excited about. Its been nearly two years since conditions like this could be found on Welsh Mountains. Its been a long wait and lets hope its going to keep lasting even if its on and off for the next few months. If so, we will have another bumper batch of new routes.

As expected people have been busy and new routes keeping falling. Visit V12 climbing blog for some recent new routes in N Wales , Simon has more time than me these days to keep you updated.

Tuesday and Wednesday this week were stunning days, really cold and blue skies, loads of climbers getting out and missing work by the looks of it.  Seems Glogwyn Ddu has been a busy place,  from the texts and e mails i have received off climbers This is expected being high up and often in condition. A possible new variation on the classic left hand branch may have been climbed.

The ladders is reported to have a lot of rime , but looks grand form Bethesda.

I took a variety of pictures yesterday, on my travels driving around the park,but I am afraid they got deleted by accident .


Hi Baggy,

Went out a couple of days back and got some proper Scottish conditions and did Right Hand Clogwyn Du with Rob Jones. We did a variation at the top  which was not in the guide (i.e. not the diagonal variation described). It heads left at the top of the gully and goes straight up a left facing corner initially, its steep but good pro, to pull onto a ledge and into a cave (signs of ab tat at this point). From here, make a bridge too far and gain a precarious standing position on a fin. Make committing moves through the large roof to arrive onto another ledge. Exciting stuff. Just when you think its in the bag, you're faced with a desperate undercut corner with a useless wide crack at its join. Turn your attention rightwards and scale the second fin and stand precariously on it (good sling runners) then,  lean left and hook your axes over the wall and commit to a swing and smear into the wide crack. Walk your axes along and yarn upwards swinging a leg, an elbow (or anything) over the top of the wall. A physical, well protected pitch.

Cant see it recorded anywhere and it looks a harder and better variation to the one described so were claiming it, unless someone else has been and climbed it.

Four Tool Direct V5 *** Stu Stanley/Rob Jones 2/2/15  35m 

Pictures of Rob

Also for those of you that are not aware, there is a temperature probe in Cwm Idwal which is giving us some really useful information in regards to air and turf temperature. It is an excellent addition to the Welsh Winter scene. This link will take you to all the info.

Feel free to send any pics/info over of any grade, the lower the better, as the I/IV grades are what most climbers climb . And remember UKC log books and the UKC Snowdonia thread ( of which JOSS is doing a great job ) are all great sources of conditions in NW.

Get out there, swing them tools,  get into the action and Enjoy.

Well its the best we have had for nearly 2 years

Firstly, a warm welcome back to my followers, I know its been some time since my last post, but the lure of the welsh winter scene is too compulsive when new routes are being ticked. For those of you that are new to the blog, then it may not be the font of all information it used to be, but I do hope it proves to be of interest.

So, why this post? Well looking out of the window with the white stuff settling on the ground and receiving another text of another new route, I was inspired to get on the keyboard to share the information.  It crossed my mind in the last spell over Xmas but I managed to resist, but not this time.

With the winter of 13-14 being a disaster then this season whilst not being a belter so far, is a great improvement and climbers are managing to get out and we have some new routes.

So does this mean the blog is back, I am afraid no, well not like it used to be, but if I get info of any new routes then those will be highlighted.

With the forecast looking very good, then things should improve nicely, but we do need more snow.  So I hope you manage to get out.

So where to start ?

Why not with today

The Eigiau 'Out There' *** Saturday 17th Jan 2014

This trip is exactly that proper out there, and utterly brilliant, very steep, sustained, fairly safe and in a wild position.  (Rich Stone and Andy Humphries)

Steps through Space (IV,4)

Is a cracking line through steep ground down in mid Wales. Huw Gilbert and Dan ? ( Dec 29^th 2014 ) Great find there lads.

Tryfan East Face and Crib y Ddysgl - 27^th and /28^th Dec 2014

No stopping Mr. Stone, in the last spell over xmas 2014 a few weeks back he managed to slot in another 2 new routes making a tally of 3 so far this season.

On solo (V/5) on terrace wall north tower and a variant on Gambit Climb help focus the mind for this winter.

No report could fail to mention the quite impressive and demanding first ascent of Wide Asleep X 9

This futuristic climb is another superb, bold, technical and demanding offering form local base talent Pete Harrision.

From a personal view, I am so pleased Pete never made it back to Canada where he was based for many years If so, then North Wales in winter would be lacking quite a few futuristic climbs. Keep them coming Pete.

I remember one new route I held the ropes, whilst Pete inched slowly upwards, in cool control. Climbing 40ms, with one runner up some insecure corner I was blown away how much harder  it was, than it had looked  from the ground. Not only this, but when I got to the section where Pete found himself hanging off one arm on some techy torque when the patch of neve disappeared he was standing on, I knew then he was in a different league of mine.

Wide Asleep gives a very hard route,  giving pumpy, insecure and bold climbing up the steep face 10m left of Cracking Up. Start at the base of a pillar below the centre of the wall.

30m 9 Climb to the top of the pillar. Traverse leftwards and up below the bulging wall. Swing out rightwards onto the steep face, and then climb the pumpy steep wall above on poor insecure hooks in a seam. Step right at an overlap to reach a crack, and then follow this to a good belay on ledges.

30m 6 Climb to the sloping terrace and continue directly above up a crack-line that cuts through a couple of steep undercut steps.

Pete Harrison, Ian Parnell 28.12.14. Onsight first ascent. No pegs placed.

If it holds the grade it'll be the first or second grade X on-sight first ascent in the UK?

Off on a slight tangent, but does highlight another example of what u do do with a few pointy pieces of steel

Nick, why do you want to go to the Tour Ronde, the Tour Ronde is for a Conville Course.” I had never attended a Conville Course, but if this is what they involved, it was obvious I had missed out – sign me up please.

This gave me a personal smile and i suppose many of you will not get the point. However, not to worry, if your like me , unable to burn that enthusiasm off, then keeping in touch with Nick's blog will either fully P!!!! you off or get you well motivated.  It's now the latter.

Interested http://nickbullock-climber.co.uk