Its back on the Menu and was 5 star today

It always amazes me how suddenly the winter just comes back. Well I suppose it does not just come back, but it often feels this way.

Today we were blessed with a perfect winter day. Low temps, clear sky, light wind and great turf and what about all that neve which is covering many parts of the hills. It is top notch. Oh what joy.

I ventured into the Black Ladders today with Greg Cain and climbed Birdsong. This route was put up early Jan 010 by Adam Wainwright. Having recived a few repeats it has gained a reputation for good climbing. I would agree with this, the crux pitch does cover some steep rocky terrain at a grade which would seen unlikey from below and gives really good climbing. Good find that pitch. The route is 5 pitches once you reach the base of the difficulties of western Gully.

Steve Long and Paul Platt added a more direct start to pitch 1 a few weeks ago


We topped out to sunshine and great views. Days like this you need to make the most of. Needing to be home for 5, certain routes were out. However, we went and soloed Playschool III-3 and then Eastern Arete II-III, what a craking route that is. Need a grade 2, with the odd step of 3,mixed, then this is for you.

I spied 14 climbers, on routes such as Pyramind Gully ( good ice in there ), Western, and Eastern Gully

Pics below all of Birdsong

Greg topping out on first pitch



Greg Starting 2nd pitch



Me on crux pitch near the end of the difficulties



Greg at top of 4th pitch



Greg starting pitch 5



Greg on Eastern Arete




Hey Baggy,

Yet another stunning day in Snowdonia. Climbed 'C' Gully (II) in Cwm Clyd in good condition, excellent mix of neve, ice, frozen turf, along with a few patches of not-so-nice graupel. Fair few folk climbing 'B' Gully (I/II) which also looked in good condition.

Cheers Chris

Cwm Clyd below summit of Y Garn



From Tim Jepson

Cwm Cneifion, Saturday 30 January

Cwm Cneifion (The Nameless Cwm) was doing an excellent impersonation of the Alps again today with acres of rock hard neve, ice in abundance and sunny top-outs! A steady stream of climbers arrived in the cwm from 8.00am to midday, chose their grade and ensured that ascents were made of most classics from Tower Gully to El Mancho. Clogwyn Ddu Left hand, so often short of ice this year, had a continuous run from bottom to top and looked eminently climbable, but when we left, around mid-afternoon, it was still under siege by the first party to try it. Despite a biting northerly wind the summit plateau of the Glyders was as beautiful as we have ever seen it. Another great day!

Tim Jepson
Dodi Palmer


Clogwyn Ddu




Dodi on R/H Branch



Summit of Glyders

The weather has been cold today with a good wind chill on hills. Some new snow fell , not loads and mainly above 600/700ms. We had groups on the hill today, snow was neve higher up on Y Garn, and neve and ice etc on rocks above south summit on Tryfan.

Need to go fairly high this weekend. However, it is a good forecast for Sat and Sun

Enjoy

Gloggy got a little hammering along the way

Cloggy is a strange crag, in that it is not often in good nick when other crags are. However, this winter it allowed climbers in.

Whilst Wales was under is's magical, Tim Neil, alongside a range of partners made numerous trips up to Cloggy. In doing so, 2nd ascents, new routes and classics were climbed, making it the most productive season on Cloggy for some years.

Route 68

First off, with Ray Wood, Tim climbed, ( which we think is the second ascent ) Route 68. This was first climbed by Mick Fowler back and Paul Ramsden in 2005 and they gave it V. This year, the boys thought that was a very traditional grade.
.

Route 66

Next up, with lots of other crag approaches being wade fest, Tim took the Cloggy option again. Finding a nicely trampled Snowdon path led to the split, then a short effort into the cliff.

From here Chris Parkin and Tim started via pitch one of Route 68. Where it steps left into the steep left facing groove, they went straight up a steep right facing one to a big ledge with handy spike. Next pitch took the big corner above, moving left through roofs at the top.

This new route was named Route 66, VI,6, good gear and steep.

Not content and needing to get off, they moved right and did Camus,V, ( another Fowler route ) which made a great combo.

From here a quick descent down bomber snow and ice via Eastern Terrace.

That day, NO ONE ELSE on the crag and people enjoying skiing down the Llanberis path

Chris Parkin on Route 66



Black Cleft VII-7

A route with a historical background and one which has seen many a good climber back off due to poor conditions and hard mixed climbing.

Tim teamed up with Chris Forest and they found good conditions and a route with quality and hard climbing. The route had quite a few ascents after this, then it all went warm

Chris Forest starting up Pitch 3. This is where often there is not enough ice to allow one to get up to the higher mixed section.



This picture of me in 2008 shows the ice in its normal state ( thin and fragile ) Not long after this we aborted our attempt due to thin and poor ice



The amazing thing regards this route was that Tut Braithwaite Soled it !!! in 1982, not a bad day out, oh yes he also nipped into the pass after this route and soled Central Gully V and Crown of Thorns IV

Finally

No report on Cloggy would be worth its salt, if Jubilee Climb was not mentioned. A route which which oozes quality in every mixed sense and one which is good value for its V grade.

This pictures shows Libby Peter on the 3rd pitch ( depending on how you pitch it ) being belayed by Olly Sanders who gave it 4 stars .

Looking for " more excitement and deciding what use is a guide book " as Olly put it, a possible new variation finish might have been climbed that day.

So Cloggy gave up some of it's treasures but it was short lived

Its coming back in

Hey Baggy,

A quick update, went up to Clogwyn Y Garnedd and climbed Left, Central and Right Trinities; all in good condition today, can't say much about any other routes as I couldn't actually see them (it was very claggy!).

Chris Hooper

Also Nameless Cwm is in good nick with lots of routes climbed over the last few days and I have had reports that some of the routes on the Ladders look in good nick.

Warm on wed, but cold after that, get out there

Did you Know Bono came to Wales for the action

Looking at the forecast as no doubt many of you have been doing, it does not look promising for next week. A few cold spells but they seem short lived.

As expected, there is still quite a lot of snow on the hills. Lets hope some of this stays around long enough, to give some good easy gully climbing once it goes cold again.

I will be away working for a week, so no blog updates until next weekend at the earliest, lets face it we all need a break. Well I do !

Thanks for all the beta, etc, since I started the blog back up for this winter back ( at the end of November 09 ) . Its the reports which help make the blog so useful. I for one, did not imagine I would have to work this hard so soon. But hey, its been fantastic.

Who would have thought that N Wales would have undergone its craziest period for new routes and repeats for many years. It has been a stonker. There is so much to look back on, just where do you start.

I leave you with a few images to see you through the dark nights

This pic is for Jonny and Jamie

Tony Moody on Central Ice Fall Direct on Sunday 10th Jan 010.

Its hard to imagine this is North Wales 45 mins from the road.



This years Mr Motivated and Mr Keen - Tim Neil

more of his antics to come in later postings

Here, Tim is climbing the main pitch of Back in Black ( Monday 11th Jan 010 ) . This is found on Equator Walls in the Pass-Grade ? some say V-6 this year, some say VI-6, that was last year as the ice was much thinner and less of it. Anyway does not matter that much, this is a great 55m pitch with a ab point at the top. Quality. After this Tim blasted around into Cwm Hetiau and ticked a load of the classic ice routes off. Not a bad back garden to have.

Mr Welsh Winter Wiki

The first ascent of the route above was done by Pete Harrison in Jan 09. Pete is currently Mr Welsh Winter Wiki. Without his enthusiasm for the Wiki and the info he is using to put topos together, all would be lost. Pete is laid up with an injury this winter. Keep up the good work Pete


Old Man Rescused in IDWAL

You may remember? I reported this dramatic event some weeks ago and Simon Panton gave a full account on this Blog. The person in question turned out to be the ‘Great White Trouser Wearer’ – Well he was out there again in these damm god hills of North Wales last week and I am very pleased to say was back to his finer form. All thoughts of that day were a distant memory and chatting to his partners that day, they both seemed to be in awe of him. The persona that was oozing from him could be felt vibrating around the cwm. We are all allowed our off days and by the look of one of his partners, the one in the balaclava maybe it was his turn.


Bono

On hearing how good conditions were in North Wales, Bono , decided to sample for himself what all the fuss was about.

He can be seen here topping out on Chequred Wall VI-6 ( sunday 10th Jan 010 ) one of Cascade's siblings


Finally

This person needs to be found, captured and escorted of the hill in winter. If you do see him, approach with caution, be nice and mutter words such as moss, dirt, scrappy rock, gogarth, loose shite and he will become accommodating to your wishes

Central Ice Fall Direct - A distant memory alongside a massive Thaw

It came, it lasted, it blew all of us away and boy has it gone quick. The rapid transformation of winter wonderland has no doubt left us all wondering what we are all going to do. Lets just focus and train for the next spell alongside taking the memories away.

I am sure many of us have recently ticked routes that we have spent many years dreaming of and looking at in the guide/cold climbs. It might have been Idwal Stream ( which one day had over 50 climbers on the route all at the same time !!!) or some harder route. If you are one of these ? then I am sure you found the experience very fulfilling.

I for one, manged to tick the route which has been at the top of my list and has eluded me for years.

The route was Central Icefall Direct.
I got the opportunity last Tuesday, full details and pictures click on this link

This route was a coupe for Mick Fowler who claimed the first ascent many years ago. It was climbed last Sunday for the first time since the mid 90's ( I may be wrong here ) and received quite a few ascents upto Thursday, even a night ascent !!





In view of the current weather Tim Jepson summed it up

Tim was with his PGCE group from Bangor University today in Cwm Idwal and he witnessed the rapidity and completeness of the thaw brought about by today's high temperatures. By 9.00am the cwm was full of knee-deep slush and brown streams. What had been magnificent, climbable 'cascades de glace' only 15 hours earlier had become 'cascades d'eau' rushing down to the sea, and the snow was being stripped from the hillsides as they stood and watched. The product of four weeks of cold weather gone in one morning of warm wind and rain.

Do not despair, stay keep tuned to the blog as I have more details of routes, new, rare and first winter ascents over the last 4 weeks. alongside the Big Interview

Luck on the last day in particular for my client Alistair

Today was one of those days, when in the end, it all works out. I thought my plans for today were well sorted and for once early. Having missed another days climbing on Wednesday due to the school being shut yet again !! I had arranged with Dave Evans by mid morning Wednesday to go and have a go at the Black Cleft today. This is a classic ice and mixed route up on Cloggy at VII-7.

However, by 7.00pm last night it was off due to that damm school again. With the Cleft out of Radar, I phoned Alistair up one of my clients asking him if he could get Thursday off. He was keen for the Appendix this year and it looked like Thursday would be the last day of this good period. Need to grab it while you can. A few hours later and the answer was YES from Alistair. However with the forecast suggesting temps above the summit for Thursday there was that uncertain outcome.

With a late start today, you guessed, it that damm school, we arrived at the base of the route with only 1 team ahead and conditions looking good. Great It is on.

One had to be quite gentle on the first pitch, in particular stepping onto the column. I ran the last two pitches together to avoid and awkward belay with this pitch proving a little taxing on the traverse high up. Topping out in the sun was the icing on the cake.

With an hour left before Alistair had to leave, we squeezed the Devils Kitchen. Thanks to Dave and Sue Walsh who let me push in front of them.

All in all, a good day at the office and maybe the last for some time. Well at least this office.

The amount of ice in Idwal is more than I have ever seen and there were a whole bunch of locals out today making the most of it.

Pictures of Bottom pitch ( All pictures taken by Mike Raine )

Baggy in yellow and Alistair in Blue











Maria - A little Gem of a route which no one does for years, then half of Wales does in a week. Nice one. Tim Jepson, Chris Hooper and Owen Hayward felt they too just had to get in one more route today before the forcasted thaw arrived. Having successfully negotiated lethal black ice on the A5 (which caused at least two crashes) they were rewarded not only by Maria in excellent condition but by an inversion which left the Carneddau bathed in pink morning sunshine, above a valley full of cloud. Route climbed, they abbed from the tree belay and went back to work. Excellent!

Photo:
Chris Hooper nearing the top of Maria, Gallt yr Ogof



Avalance Update

2 Avalanches In Snowdonia recently . Quite big ones, worth having a look at links, not seen these for some years in N Wales. Enough to do harm or even worse.

Worth considering with the amount of snow we have, and if a thaw sets in

See BBC news at http://news.bbc.co.uk/1/hi/wales/north_west/8458967.stm

Also from the BMC website

There was a full depth avalanche on the Nant Peris side of Y Garn last night, as rapidly rising temperatures take hold.
The crown wall of the slope that released was over a metre high, and the debris spread a long way down the mountainside. With the last few weeks being a winter mountaineer's dream, the next few days look like being a soggy nightmare, with rain forecast in Snowdonia over the weekend.

Maybe it will go cold again, but for the time being, it would not be surprising if there were more avalanches in Snowdonia.


Lost- ANYONE Help

On Monday, after anther cracking day on the Black Ladders James and I cocked up massively. He left a DMM Rebel Ice too and I left a brand new pair of BD poles, by our car in Gerlan. As soon as we realised we drove straight back someone had already picked them up.

If the person who found them reads this can we please have out gear back?

We'll each buy you a pint or two in return!

Cheers,

Tom Ripley 07760992614

Oh my god have you seen the forcast - Help !!!!

Where did that come from. Oh so sudden, lets not get down just yet.

Back to Biz

Chris Hooper has sent in a revised topo of Foel Goch showing Tim Jepson and Dodi's variation finish to The Curver

"The Straighter (variation finish) Grade: III+ (?)
Break out left across the side wall of the Curver to climb an icy, slanting groove and then the snowy headwall to the top, 70m.

Tim Jepson / Dodi Palmer 2/1/10"



Its good to have some pictures from Mid Wales on the blog and see folk travelling down that way. These falls look very great and I know Hugh Gilbert has commented on howegood they are.

Shots of Maesglasau Falls from yesterday. Did it with Streaky and Dafydd Davis. We made the mistake of taking a right hand line on the main pitch and ended up in a loose/collapsing horrorshow (a truly heroic lead from Streaky!), but apart from that it's an amazing route. (the other team skirted under the steepness and went up the left side of the fall)

Si Panton


Pictures of Maesglasau

Hooper Clocks Up more new routes for Wales

Chris Hooper as been out enjoying the variety of routes this recent good spell has offered. In the process, he has been avoiding the crowds and having the crags to himself ( and at times his climbing partners ) However, the main news here is that he has been clocking up a few new routes in the process amd grabbing a few ascents of routes which have not been climbed for years. In addition to this, Chris has also been putting topos together for the nation to use. Tops marks to Chris on all accounts.

Route Descriptions on Foel Goch

Cherry Gully 150m II/III (?) 30 metres left of Red Gully. Start by climbing steep flakes to the left of the large block this leads into the gully proper and is broken up by a number of icy / rocky steps. Continue to follow the gully, at its end veer right, up a tricky step, which leads up into a groove; then out onto the rib which you follow easily to the top.

Chris Hooper solo 31/12/09

Raven Gully 160m II (?) 25 metres left of Red Gully. Start by following the gully to the right of the large block. This leads you towards a small cave. Climb the slab to the right of the cave entrance then head directly up towards a large 'notch'. Above this the angle eases, follow the shallow snow groove to the top.

Chris Hooper solo 31/12/09

Been back up to Foel Goch today with Jim Potter to do another line on the crag, again can't find this one recorded anywhere, so will name and grade it for now.

Seal Gully 200m II (?) Start at the top of the snow cone between Red Face and The Curver. Follow the obvious gully above, protection is fairly sparse on the first pitch (55m). Second pitch continues up the gully and climbs the rock grooves above (left) to a belay on threads/spikes (55m). Follow the rib above to the gully headwall and traverse diagonally right bringing you out onto a uniform snowslope (avalanche danger) leading to the summit ridge.

Chris Hooper / Jim Potter 2/1/10

Good to see two teams on The Curver and a team on Yr Esgair. Just a bit of info... with the change in wind direction and fresh snowfall Easy Gully (descent) is being loaded with windslab and shearing easily on the old base.


Went into the right hand side of Cwm Cywion and climbed 2 routes that are not in the guide, so if anyone knows their names etc please let us know! Route 1 (IV, 4+?) has a fantastic steep ice pitch which leads onto a pitch of (III) then a snow/mixed ground (II) to the top. Route 2 (II) has a great first pitch of ice and then good snow to the top. Easy descent via a grade I gully (it has a few steps in it). Go check them out... but be aware the top of this crag gets the sun and so an early start is recommended.

Then went over to the False Banana Gully area and did No.1 Gully (III), a route in great condition. North East Ridge descent to finish off, meeting lots of folk on their way up enjoying the views.

PS - if someone else has climbed them before then let us know, don't want to claim something that has been climbed by someone else!

Cheers,

Chris Hooper




In addition to this he made a very early visit to Cwm Silyn

John Tatam and I headed into Cwm Silyn today ( Monday 4th Jan ) , no-one else around! Climbed Mask of Death in good condition, shorter screws very useful, a grade V in current conditions, 2 excellent pitches. Next was Bedrock Gully, I climbed the meat of this route in one long 50m pitch, sketchy ice in places and very little gear, more like a grade V in current conditions. Colin's Gully also looked in nick, although a bit thin in places.

Pics of routes







Maesglasau

We climbed Maesglasau today (excellent but I fear that it may have fallen down by tomorrow) and when we arrived there was a pheasant shoot going on. All good fun watching the tweed claded gentry release a barrage of lead into the sky and we got the opportunity to chat to both the game keeper and the farmer. They are more than happy to see climbing going on but the approach route given in the North Wales guide book is no longer viable as it cuts right through the middle of the pheasant pens, and as I've seen today this is big business round these parts. In actual fact I guess the route was never a legal right of way. The best way to approach the falls is to traverse in around the back of the cwm from the east. There are a couple of paths marked on the OS map and signed on the ground that lead you to the start of the traverse. All of the traverse is then done on CROW Act Access Land.

Cheers,

Huw Gilbert

More new routes keep coming two at VII-8 - with the Ladders in the thick of it again

Firstly two requests.

1 ) Anyone who has put a new route up , can you get the details on the Winter Wiki.

2 ) Currently, whilst conditions are so good, I have decided just to post new routes or rare ascents.

Cheers for all your help

These new routes keep coming and the ladders is having a battering this year. Flanders, hardly anyone had done this last year, now its a classic and now its nearly been climbed true summer line. Chris,s routes are now well known, but no can keep up with him as he keeps adding more.

Also Mr Parkin cannot drag himself away from his crag, the ladders. Back again with Steve Long for another new route.

Hedd Wyn VII - 6, 6, 4, 6, 3, 2

Full details visit this link to winter wiki

Baggy

Simon Frost and myself finally managed to get up the summer line of Flanders (Black Ladders) on Sunday.

Well not strictly true, we did most of the summer line but took a slight deviation on the fifth pitch trending a little further right from the belay overlooking Western Gully up some turf ledges and regained the summer line at the next belay.

The line and pitches were great each giving interest and with a character all of their own. “The Citadel” but in North Wales was mentioned.

Over all we think its worth about VII 8, but the crux pitch is bold and 50ft lobs can and have been taken if you mess it up.

Simons my view of the grade; pitch1, 6 pitch2, 8 pitch3, 6 pitch4, 6 pitch5, 5 pitch6, 5.

Dave Gary

Crux Pitch



Hi Baggy,

Had a good week last week which started with Steve Mayers and myself putting up a new route on Tryfan which is a better start to Green Gully and went at about V. I also did The Devil’s Cellar (with the direct start) and found the top pitch to be in very different condition from last year and is more in keeping to a IV than the steep narrow pitch that was there last winter. We were out again yesterday expecting to encounter some crowds but we didn’t have a problem getting on any of the routes we wanted to do and found South Gully (IV) in fantastic condition as was The Devil’s Kitchen but I would say it is more a V in its present condition.

Cheers for now

Berwyn Evans

Steve on Green Gully



The Kitchen



Hi Baggy,

Climbed Pipes and Screen – (I recon we should start up a Café Called ‘Baggy’s Butties’ just below the entrance the kitchen, we’d of made a killing yesterday). Also, the start of the Pipes –starting to look a little chopped up.

Alistair Borrett

Alistair on start of pipes





Saturday 9th January
Carnedd y Filiast

In an attempt to avoid the weekend rush, Tim Jepson, Dodi Palmer and Dave Williams went up to the Carnedd y Filiast slabs and did 'The Ribbon' as per the old guidebook. The ribbon of ice is in good nick, varying between one and eight metres wide, thick enough to take screws in places, but otherwise devoid of runners or meaningful stances. The whole route is 300m long, of which approx. 200m is ice, at a constant easy angle, and the rest straightforward snow. The old guidebook gives it Grade 4, on account of the lack of protection. Technically there is nothing above Grade 2, a good candidate for a long, mountain solo! While there is plenty of scope for aimless exploration on this crag, the two routes described in the guidebook look as if they are the only ones worthy of any attention.

Tim

Dodi Palmer climbing the narrow section of 'The Ribbon'






Idwal lob!!!!
.
Witnessed a guy lob off The Ramp at Devils Kitchen. He was soloing between 4 other teams. He fell about 10M before getting entangled in another teams rope, preventing him falling to the bottom of the route.
Lucky sod.

Steve

Pics off adrian trendall off the APPENDIX over weekend- Unknown Climber



FINALLY AS CONS ARE SO GOOD FOR THE TIME BEING PLEASE JUST SEND INFO OF NEW ROUTES AND RARE ASCENTS OF ROUTES. KEEP ON HAVING IT FOLKS