Archive for May, 2009
Cwm Llafar Horseshoe… in reverse
After spending the previous weekend on the Snowdon Horseshoe with hordes of other walkers, I felt in need of a quiet route to try out my new 70litre Arc’teryx Naos pack. Having walked in the Carneddau during early 2009 in the snow, I fancied another look at the group of 3000ft+ peaks that made up the Cwm Llafar Horseshoe. So on the 3rd of May I went back to Snowdonia.
Kit
As mentioned I was testing out my new 70l pack so I packed extra kit than was needed and 8 litres of bottled water to begin with to take the total weight carried to around 11-12kg (knowing I need to build up to being strong at 15kg for Aconcagua). Remembering the route area had plenty of rivers and with rainfall over night I stuck with my Scarpa Mantas to keep my feet warm and dry. I also took an OS Landranger 115 map given we were in a more remote area for the day.
Getting there/The route
First thing is to get to Bethesda and park if you’ve drove. And then up to the top of the town to an area called Gerlan which is marked on the OS map. There’s something of a crossroads on the road out, we took the road to the East which stays North of the Afon Caseg. Going South-East you find a trail that follows the Afon Llafar.
The road continues past some houses and winds its way upwards, it was around halfway that my calves told me 8ltrs was a little optimistic on top of the extra kit I’d packed. So I quickly drank some and poured the rest to leave me with 6litres of water, and a couple of litres in Lucozade. Coming to the top of the road it’s fairly obvious where the trail heads which is along the side of a ridge to staying high to avoid the marshy ground found near the Afon Caseg. We had a go at a more direct route to Yr Elen but quickly found ourselves in really boggy ground and soon went back up to the main trail. We crossed over Afon Wen and made our way up steeper ground into the Cwm on its left side, with Yr Elen looming to our right. Again on the steeper ground, I felt the weight on my back a lot more, so we stopped and I had a drink “to hydrate” (and reduce weight).
Once into the Cwm properly and with it levelling out, we crossed between a small lake and a little rise toward Yr Elen. We were soon traversing up onto the North Ridge which I’d been up earlier in the year in the snow. In normal conditions it’s not all that exciting really, there’s some scrambling if you really want it but not a great deal or prolonged and with the heavy pack I was just interested in getting up. The view/feeling of remoteness make up for the lack of excitement of the route though and coming up at the top, it’s quite a sight looking out toward Anglesey and the sea.
After resting on top for some food/drinks whilst checking out the view, we made our way off the summit and down to meet the ridge that joins onto Carnedd Llewelyn. The route now really clear is easy to follow to the top, which was covered in a sprinkling of snow when we were on top.
Then back onto a short ridge to Carnedd Dafydd, where I ditched the excess water given we’d be descending from then on and literally skipped over to Pen yr Ole Wen for some more food/drinks whilst looking out over the Glyders.
Coming down we ventured once again too close to the rivers after descending by Carnedd Fach (it’s the cairn between Carnedd Dafydd and Pen yr Ole Wen). It’d be much more sensible to cross over the ridge going up Carnedd Dafydd and into the Cwm earlier than we did to avoid the marshy ground and jump over a barbed wire fence.
The route, like the Carneddau as a whole, has a remote feeling, much more so than others found in Snowdonia. If you’re after a nice steady but long walk in, for a quiet and simple ridge up high, then it’s great. But with exciting (i.e. busier) ascents nearby it’s not perhaps the best option. I’ve heard plenty of good things about the Crib Lem Spur up Carnedd Dafydd so that may be the best for an exciting day in the range, so I’ll be checking that soon…
In terms of training, the extra weight was tough given I usually pack as light as possible. Whilst frustrating and realising I’ve got a lot to do, the real pain was felt in my lower legs which I can strengthen. Overall I felt strong coming back down and could’ve walked on. So I’m positive, whilst knowing I have a lot to do.
La Sportiva Nepal Evo GTX
Over the past few months I’ve had to go on a bit of boot buying mission. What with various trips booked and an interest in regular wall climbing coming at once it seems to be every month I’ve got a new specialist boot to break in. So it was after being squeezed into some Scarpa Vantage rock climbing shoes, taking a battering from constant distance running in trainers and then walking round the house in some Sportiva Spantik B3 double boots (for Aconcagua), that these came along to further confuse my feet.
So why have I bought them? Well with a trip to the Alps at the end of July where my regular winter boots (Scarpa Mantas, older style B2 boots) wouldn’t have cut it on the more technical routes and left my feet cold, I had to look at a options for summer Alpine B3 boots. It didn’t take long from reading around, advice from people I know and also notes on what to take for the trip that I was soon set to try on some Nepal Evos. As everyone knows, buying kit is massively important and also quite a treat! I was happy going to Snow & Rock in Birmingham, but you do pay for shopping there and wanted to see what else was around so went to The Outdoor Shop in Stony Stratford (North of Milton Keynes).
I tried on both the old style Nepal Extreme and the Nepal Evo GTX and found the Evo a lot more comfortable. I was kind of suspicious of just how comfortable the boot felt compared with the Extreme, as I expect B3s to feel heavy/cumbersone. The fit on my heel was fantastic and the extra movement above the ankle in the support felt great. The locks to keep laces held before going up the boot to the eyelets work well and so far the inner tongue has made things even more comfortable. After walking around the shop, getting excited about other kit and forgetting I was still wearing them, I was happy enough to make my way to the til and hand over my credit card (these cost roughly around the £290-£350 mark at the moment, not a cheap boot).
Quick thoughts on The Outdoor Shop. I’d rang up and checked on stock which was put aside (the salesman even came over in the morning, saw me looking at the Evos and asked if I’d asked for some put to one side which I thought was great). Advice was good and honest. The stock held was great and surprisingly top end. In short, I’ll be going back.
As they Evos were the same size as the Spantiks I’d bought I was able to transfer my custom footbeds over and start walking around the house and office (up and down the stairwell at lunch) to get used to them and be sure the fit was good. Still feeling comfortable the next step was to find something outside to put them through their paces and get used to them on different terrain.
So first up was a trip to the Brecon Beacons to complete a loop of Cribyn (from Cwm Sere) via its North Ridge and then over to Pen y Fan and back. The boots took a little getting used to on uneven terrain and I had to loosen the laces quite a bit before they started to feel okay. On the steep section of the route to meet the main ridge up Cribyn I found them actually pretty good going side to side to get up. The rest of the day and coming down they felt fine, if not very hot (but these are insulated leather and it was a hot day in the mid 20s).
After a nice grassy/worn trail route in the Beacons, next up I wanted a really rocky route. So off to Snowdonia for an early morning scramble on the Glyders, up Tryfan’s North Ridge and then up Glyder Fach via Bristly Ridge. Whilst being too big/stiff to be really suited to scrambling, they felt absolutely fantastic. The grip was good and they dealt with everything the grade 1 scrambles threw at them. No trouble from them all day, apart from the laces coming undone on my right boot (but that’s my fault) as I came down off Y Garn.
Before taking them to the Alps I’ve got a couple more similar weekends to wear them on but even after just two days out I’m really happy with the boots. Christ, I’m looking forward to wearing them again and I’m not even in the snow yet! If they’re anything as good on snow (which I’m sure they will be and more) then I’ll be completely won over by them. Thank you very much Sportiva!
Mt Blanc/NY Marathon/Aconcagua Training Plan
I’ve managed to set myself a fairly daunting list of activities for the next 9months or so. And whilst I’m in decent shape at the moment, it makes a lot of sense to introduce more structure into the work that I do to make sure I’m ready to run a competitive New York Marathon in November and go to Argentina in January 2010 as has been suggested “in the best shape of [my] life” for Aconcagua.
Realistically the focus is Aconcagua, it’s going to be a much harder prospect than any other physical activity or climb I’ve ever attempted. As I run a lot this will form a large part of any training and so also work well as my build up for New York. And well anything I can do now as part of a plan looking to the future will help me out in the Alps too.
A quick look on Google and there’s a lot of material out there. I actually decided to begin using a Denali training plan as this puts further emphasis on carrying loads which is something that I’m keen to sort out. So I’m starting off with the Denali training plan by Alpine Ascents, and then the plan is to arrive in the Alps having completed the first two months and then hold there for the third month once I return. And then build up slightly more gradually to November when I’ll run the marathon, and have a week break off after followed by removal of running for a further fortnight which I’ll replace with cycling/swimming. No doubt things will change as time progresses but I don’t want to get too hung up on detail yet, the plan starts fairly close to what I’m doing at the moment (so I’ll get into it without too great a problem) and progresses in a way I think I’ll cope with.
So for the first few months, the aerobic training will be predominantly running (I’ve got a half marathon and a 10km race before the Alps to train for) and playing squash, with some spinning classes thrown in for variety too. The strength sessions will be sit ups, press-ups and free weights… oh and my poor climbing technique (i.e. dragging myself up the wall) will help with arms for now. Recreational activities will be the climbing and walking (with a weighted pack when I get the chance to go up something steep).
So this is how I’m starting. I’ll be keeping a log of everything I do that I’ll occasionally bring out and comment on how it’s going and what is working/not working.
Everest Base Camp Kit List
Kit is always important on a trip, not just to have the right level of equipment and clothing but also for you to be comfortable in it. So I’ve listed everything (well everything I remember) I took to Nepal for the trek to EBC. Packing for a decent length trip the first few times is tough, you’ll over pack and take things you come back having not used. You’ll probably also be horrified by how much your kit weighs when it’s finally packed. Hopefully the list below will help.
Before moving onto the list, there’s a couple of important considerations to remember:
- Time of year: I went in the middle of November, which is considered the main trekking season. Conditions do change in the valley depending on whether you’re there chasing the snow up or it’s chasing you back down. We didn’t walk on any snow at all on our way.
- Porterage: The main pack was carried by porters all the way up the trail so we only needed to carry a daypack.
- Weight limit: I worked toward a weight limit of 15kg for my main pack.
- Accommodation: We stayed in the tea houses all the way up. Had we stayed in tents then obviously changes to items related to sleeping would’ve been different.
So the kit I took, from the top…
Head
- Thermal Hat – Mountain Equipment thermal beanie style hat
I prefer not wearing a hat most of the time but when it got cold this was fantastic to have. Thermal liner inside is definite plus and helps keep your head nice and toasty when needed. - Neck Gaiter – Berghaus thermal style
Gave this a go after finding a balaclava uncomfortable. Really like the flexibility of the hat/gaiter combo. This works a charm and can be adjusted to cover more of your head in case it’s particularly cold or not wearing a hat (it can also be made into a hat). For Nepal it was handy on the last few days but given they’re pretty cheap, are worth it alone for UK winter walking. - Sun Hat – I didn’t take one…
Doh! Forgot to take one and paid for it on the acclimatisation day up above Namche (we’d also not taken enough water to compound it) and got pretty bad sunstroke, not ideal when you’re trying to stay 100%. So a decent hat to cover your head, if possible something light to cover the back of your neck is a necessity.
Body
- Long sleeve baselayers – Helly Hansen, 1x Polypropylenee, 1x Merino
For their weight and layering potential (if it comes to it I can put both on at once) they’re indispensable. Beware that the active baselayers usually don’t shield you completely from the sun, put sun tan on under, or else you’ll burn. - T-Shirts – 2 x Berghaus lightweight wicking
- Lightweight (100/200) Fleeces – 1xBerghaus (100 weight), 1xMountain Equipment (200 weight)
Actually didn’t need to wear them out walking but they were great in the evening. - Down Jacket – Mountain Equipment Vega Jacket
Lightweight down jacket with decent loft worked a charm. I used it from around 4000m up at night in the teahouses and then on the final day going up in the morning. - Waterproof Jacket – Mountain Equipment Kongur Jacket
I’ll say it again, I love this jacket. As the final part of layering it’s fantastic and helps me to stay almost always at the perfect temperature. You’d be fine with a lighter alternative but a good waterproof jacket will be flexible for other trips/walks, I definitely believe this one is good value given the use I’ve had out of it.
Hands
- Glove liners
- Warm gloves – Mountain Equipment Guide Gloves
Used only toward the top but they worked perfectly, and would have been fine without the liners.
Legs
- Boxers – 4x Polypropylenee (2 HH and 2 LoweAlpine)
So much better/more comfortable than wearing cotton. Perhaps another pair or two would’ve been nice, but I coped.
- HH Merino Baselayer
Used these on the final day over 5000m and found them okay but overkill really. In the morning I was glad of them but should have taken them off when I had the chance. Well worth taking in case the weather turned though. - Haglofs Thin trouser/shorts
My lightweight trousers for the trip doubled as shorts due to handy zips. The material was some special “clima-cool” that definitely made a difference on the lower sections of the trail. Shorts were also handy to have when it was warm under 3500m. - Berghaus Standard Walking Trousers
The main walking trouser I wore on the trip. Strong but lightweight material trouser with useful side vents high up on the outside leg for when it gets warm. Ideal. - Berghaus Deluge Over-Trousers
Waterproof over-trousers, used more than anything for extra warmth when protecting against strong winds on the final few days. We only had a bit of rain on the way down that didn’t merit them but still given weight/size and use as a shield from the wind/rain they’re essential.
Feet
- Scarpa Mantas (older style B2 rated)
I used these are my main pair of walking boots on the trip. Given the state of the trail and conditions they were overkill. Having ankle support was good at times but a much lighter weight boot would’ve been fine. Earlier in the year chasing the snow line they’d be much more useful. Still the most important thing was that despite being a too warm most of the time, they were comfortable as I’d walked in them a lot before Nepal. No blisters or other problems with my feet on the whole trek, so job done. - Merrels
No idea what model they are but they’re the standard lightweight summer trekking shoes you’d find in most outdoors shops. Wore them most at night but realistically would’ve been fine up until pretty high on the route given how warm it was. - North Face Down Slippers
Nice enough and keep your feet warm, but I wore them 2-3 times at most. A luxury, didn’t need them and weren’t practical in teahouses, too slippy.
Day pack
Berghaus Freeflow 20l
I’m a big believer in carrying only what is essential so was fine with 20l. My friend took a smaller pack and was also fine. Other members of the group opted for much larger packs… and managed to fill them with kit that they didn’t need. We were perhaps lucky with the weather so I’d probably advise 25/30l but I’d stick closely to what you’re comfortable with as long as it’s not wildly out from that. Somewhere on the outside of your pack to stow a water bottle is really handy.
Main pack
Berghaus Mule 80l
A hold all was the main pack style of choice. It makes getting to kit easy given the wide opening and was a lot easier for the porters to carry with the less rigid design. Not having lots of strapping/support also cuts on the weight of the pack so you can pack the same… but lighter.
Equipment
- Head Torch – Petzl Zipka
Definitely take a head torch. Any should do you fine, but do try it out before going. Saw people unwrapping them on the trip and not knowing how they worked and struggling in the dark. - Knife – Leatherman Knife
My mate I travelled with assured me a knife was essential. I used it once to prize apart chocolate digestive biscuits. A decent knife is always handy so take one and perhaps be happy if you use yours in a similar way. - Water Bottles/Bladder – 3ltr Platypus and 2x 1ltr Nalgene Bottles
Platypus first. Not ideal in my opinion… it’s great in the UK on day walks, in Nepal I found that it took on the taste of Iodine despite using neutralising tablets, was harder to keep check of how much water I was drinking and finally the pipe froze despite having fitted insulation. My advice, go with the Nalgene bottles. Why 2? Use one for your water, there’s plenty of places to fill up on the trail and mark the 2nd one as for in the night if you don’t want to get out of your sleeping bag to go toilet. Just make it obvious which is which! - Water Purification – Iodine drops/Neutralising tablets
You can buy bottled water but most people stuck to the Iodine route. Your stomach will probably hate you and show its displeasure on this route but it’s part of the trip, no? Just make sure you’ve got enough so that you’re not rationing Iodine and not drinking enough. - Waterproof Stuff Sacks
It was dry so the waterproof side wasn’t needed but it’s well worth having anyway. Fairly standard to pack using these. Knowing how best to pack with them, so that you don’t empty them each and every day to get clothes/kit, is the hard bit! - Medical Kit
Key parts to the kit… blister plasters, wet wipes, pain killers and well I took some Diamox in case. I got a bad head at Orsho, took some Nurofen and felt fine, then woke up that night in Dingboche feeling awful. In the morning half a Diamox and I was perfect again. At base camp before going up Kala Patthar I had to take another half tablet which made me again feel a lot better. Definitely take pain killers and talk to your doctor about Diamox, there’s so much conflicting advice/opinions about it that I’m going to put together an article on it. For now, know I took some with me and it worked fine. - Hand sanitizer
You’ll definitely want some of this. It seemed that it was more stomach complaints that hit our group and not the altitude. Trying to adapt to radically different environment, food, altitude is bad enough so try to introduce some hygiene by keeping your hands clean. - Reading Material – “The Climb” – Boukreev
Not that you’ll finish it, but good to take a book along to pass some time. I like to take something related and there’s plenty of material on the regio!
Casual clothes
Interesting one this, I took some clothes with me to wear in the evenings to get out of my walking kit and keep it as fresh as possible (actually to not smell so much at night). Couple of t-shirts made a difference, as did some warm jogging bottoms. But beyond that the walking kit got used in conjunction. So forget hoodies/jumpers, your fleece/down jacket are perfect for this.
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And that’s about it, any questions about kit you’re thinking about taking then feel free to ask and I’ll try to help.
Cheers, Ian
Everest Base Camp – Lots of articles to come!
It seems a common thing with people I meet who walk/climb to either have done the Everest Base Camp trek in Nepal, or want to do in the future and have lots of questions about what’s involved, the training needed, what the altitude is like etc etc. So I thought I’d write a series of articles to cover…
- The training I put in prior to Everest Base Camp and the sort of fitness I began the trip with.
- My Everest Base Camp kit list for the trek, what worked well and what didn’t. What else needed organising/sorting.
- What was hard and what wasn’t so bad.
- What I’d probably do differently if I went back.
- And throughout answering the practical stuff, importantly what the trek was like and a couple of personal highlights.
I’ll start soon with a bit of background on why I chose to sign up for the trek and the initial day out to gauge fitness before thinking about proper training.
And after finishing all of that I’ll cover where it left me and also consider the impact of mountain tourism/guided trips.
Mount Toubkal Winter Climb
Posted by Ian in Ascents - Over 3000m on May 4th, 2009
With a trip to the Alps planned in the Summer of 2009, I’d spent time in Snowdonia in February 2009 building on winter technique and wanted to go practice this as part of a trip. So in March 2009 I travelled to Morocco to attempt an ascent of the non-technical Mount Toubkal (4165m, 13,665ft) in winter conditions. I was also planning a year of charity events for 2009 to raise money for The Stroke Association, so climbing Mount Toubkal worked perfectly as one of the larger draws to get attention for the drive for sponsorship.
Training
Running has formed a large part of my build up to trips. To give an indication of the fitness I had going to Morocco, I’d ran the the Brighton Half Marathon a fortnight before, in 2hrs 5mins with feet bleeding for the last 3 miles from badly fitted shoes (obviously not intentional! but worth mentioning as I’d aimed for just under 2hrs).
Kit
I took the following, using a Berghaus Mule 80l to hold the majority of kit on the way up to the Neltner Mountain Refuge and then a Berghaus Freeflow 20l as my day pack.
- B2 Boots – Scarpa Mantas – Perhaps you could get away with waterproof B1 boots but glad I had a fairly rigid and stiff boot for the trip and would advise something similar, especially as you’ll almost certainly wear crampons during the ascent. They kept my feet nicely warm along with…
- Socks – 3 x Combo of Brasher heavyweight socks and Bridgedale thermal liner socks
- Underwear – Couple pairs of Helly Hansen polypropylene boxers. Much better than cotton!
- Trousers – Standard pair of berghaus walking trousers
- Overtrousers – Berghaus Deluge. Simple lightweight waterproof overtrousers.
- Gaiters – Mountain Hardwear Xenon Stretch gaiters. First outing for them, worked a charm.
- Long sleeve baselayers – 2 Helly Hansen base layers, one with zip up neck, other round neck. Neither were the merino thermal version.
- T-Shirts – Mixture of lightwight dri-fit/wicking short sleeve t-shirts.
- Fleece – Berghaus 100 weight. Rarely use a fleece when I’m walking, keep it in my pack incase I get cold or for when I stop. Didn’t use it on the trip but still essential to take extra lightweight/warm layers in case.
- Waterproof/windproof jacket – Mountain Equipment Kongur – Always carry (and some people would argue I always wear) this jacket, fantastically windproof and never lets water in. Consider it my most important item of clothing.
- Neck Gaiter – Berghaus thermal style. Great for when it get’s windy cold as it’s super flexible/adjustable. And works well with…
- Hat – Mountain Equipment thermal lined hat
- Sunglasses – Oakley Nanowire Cat 2 lenses. Get a decent pair of sunglasses for the trip, it’ll be bright in the snow!
- Down Jacket – Mountain Equipment Vega – Only used it in the hut, but it’s nice carrying a lightweight down jacket in case of an early/cold start to a day.
- Ice Ax – DMM Cirque
- Crampons – Grivel G12 New Matic
- Head Torch – Petzl Tikka. Absolutely essential on any trip like this, you don’t want to be staggering down wet/dark steps in a mountain hut without a light in the night. Or if you fancy reading in the dorm at night.
- Ear plugs… Snoring at altitude is horrific and you’re in a hut so there’s plenty of people getting up at silly times.
- First Aid Kit. Important bits include blister plasters, Iodine, Diamox, painkillers, various bandaging, nail scissors, and lots more. I’ll write an article about what I carry in the future… and talk about Diamox more too.
- Sleeping Bag – MacPac Sanctuary 700. Found it too hot personally but better than too cold.
- Sleeping Bag Liner – Rab silk liner. Great for extra bit of warmth and keeping sleeping bag relatively clean.
I didn’t take thermal underwear or walking poles, some people did and valued having them. I felt warm and steady enough without but if in doubt would definitely take them.
The ascent
It was on our second day when we made for the top after calling it off due to bad weather the day before. From the Neltner Mountain Refuge (Club Alpin Francais Hut) we carried on up the valley briefly before turning to the East to face a steep wall of snow where we’d begin the climb proper. Due to heavy snow fall in the days/weeks before, the snow was very deep and soon the guides became slightly anxious (along with other members of the group) about the potential risk of avalanches. Also, it had been a few days before that anyone had completed even this first section of the ascent, so we were breaking a new trail all the way over at times instable ground.
Above: Neltner Mountain Refuge, looking North down into the valley toward Imlil.
However, we were soon over the steep section of snow where it appeared most threatening and we carried on up. The depth of snow made going up more tiring that normal, bit the group managed to stay fairly close together all the way up to the top of the slope and start of the cwm (what’s a cwm? It’s an “amphitheatre like valley” from Wikipedia article). At the top of the slope, we stopped for a quick breather, drink and to check everyone was okay.
Above: Top of the initial steep slope on the ascent.
At a much more relaxed gradient the next problem was soon visibility, with clouds coming down and filling the cwm it was soon hard to see more than 15m ahead. Several times the guides stopped and contemplated returning, in fact on one occasion telling us that we’d need to turn back with visibility making the summit ridge dangerous. However, a small group of Spanish walkers who’d be following us pushed ahead whilst we considered carrying on. With them ahead of us breaking a trail, the guides were once again keen to carry on and hope for the weather to clear.
Having made it to walls of the cwm we began the ascent of the slope up to the ridge, in thankfully slightly better visibility. The slope is the last steep section of the walk. After finding the start of the ridge there is either some scrambling along the crest or dropping down to the left an easier route which brings you out onto the ridge proper. As if by fate it was at this point, that the visibility suddenly improved drastically to expose the entire ridge that snakes up North and finally North East to the summit. The ridge is particularly sheer on the Eastern side and was fairly corniced when we walked along it, so it’s well worth staying a few feet to the left of the crest.
Above: The ridge to the summit of Mount Toubkal.
Having completed the ridge in clearing visibility, I reached the pyramid that marks the summit of Mount Toubkal at just after 1pm on March 11th 2009, in bright sunshine after an ascent in grey murky cloud. The view from the top, even with clouds all around us was spectacular and well worth the climb up. We sat around, took photos (I produced a fluorescent running vest for mine) and had some lunch together, pleased that the whole group of 8 had made it to the top.
Above: Me on the summit of Mount Toubkal on the 11th March 2009.
Coming down with the weather brightening up and being on top of the mountain later than expected, we all got down as quickly as possible. Back down off the mountain by half 3 (7.5hrs after setting off), I was first into the refuge and able to enjoy a fantastic hot shower and copious amounts of sugary mint tea.
Above: Descending from the ridge back into the Cwm.
Overall thoughts
Mount Toubkal was an enjoyable climb, more so than I expected. Experience varied wildy in the group, I was glad of having had experience of similar winter conditions and felt strong all the way up, but others who had never put on crampons before (and hadn’t really ever walked in the UK) were fine too. Having said that and whilst it’s not a technical climb at all, I’m not sure that learning to put on crampons and use an Ice Ax at 3000m in Morocco is your best bet. For those with experience walking in the UK (in winter too) looking to pick up an easy 4000m peak then its perfect.
As is normal a lot of the time, fitness was by far the biggest factor (apart from wanting it naturally) in getting to the top and enjoying it. One member of the group suffered pretty badly from altitude sickness, but feeling unwell before perhaps would’ve been better not attempting the ascent, still they got up and down (with help from painkillers) and wasn’t completely put off further future ascents.
In terms of my build up to the Alps, I was really pleased how comfortable I was on the ascent in terms of coping with altitude and stamina in the deep snow. It’s nice to come back out of the mountains having completed a decent walk, still feeling fresh and knowing previous work had been built upon. I’m assuming the Alps will be a lot harder, so the training has been ramped up considerably. But it definitely felt like a step in the right direction (up) and was a lot of fun.
Snowdon Horseshoe
Posted by Ian in Ascents - Under 3000m, Routes on May 1st, 2009
It’d become something of a long standing joke that every time I tried to summit Snowdon, I’d been beaten back by awful weather (a severe weather warning and wind strong enough to knock you over on Crib Goch). So on the 25th April 2009, with the prospect of some good weather, I made my way over to Wales for the day, to try to finally complete the Snowdon Horseshoe.
Kit
With showers and occasional gusts expected but nothing too cold I went with my trusted base layer/tshirt, Mountain Equipment Kongur Gore-Tex jacket on top, walking trousers and Scarpa Manta boots (B2 boots more because I wanted to wear them than needing to) combination. Then a light fleece and over trousers in my 43litre pack, if it got particularly cold/windy/wet on the route. My friend also kindly packed the contents of the car footwell in my pack to “help with my training”.
Getting there/The route
If you’re driving then by far the best option (if you can get there early enough) is the car park at Pen y Pas, although with limited places and us setting off from Leicester there was no chance of getting a space. The next best option is to drive down the road back toward Llanberis, look for spaces on the road or head to Nant Peris and make use of the Sherpa Bus park and ride service (cost £4 for a car then £3.50 return to Pen y Pas).
There’s countless sites/books out there that provide a far better and more detailed discussion of the route than I can, so find links to those sites below…
and I’ll just cover the exciting/interesting parts of the walk on the day.
Quick information
The route is listed at around 7 to 7.5miles, gains over 1150m over the route and should take around 6-7hrs. We got round in around 5:30hrs at a decent pace in good weather. It’s not considered a walk as such but a Grade 1 scramble, which means there could be a fair bit of exposure to heights and you’ll most likely need to use your hands to clamber up rock to complete the route. In bad weather it’s not worth attempting unless you know exactly what you’re doing as terrain is regularly exposed, steep and rocky.
You’ll pick up the summits of Crib Goch (923m), Garnedd Ugain (1065m), Snowdon (1085m) and Y Lliwedd (898m). So 3 of the Welsh 3000s and the highest point in Wales, not bad!
The walk
The initial walk takes you out of the top right of the car park onto the pyg track and ascends at a really nice gradient to get you going. By the time the track divides, with options to go either left to Snowdon or right for Crib Goch, I felt warmed up at the decent pace we’d set off at.
Naturally there was little discussion to be had, we were going via the knife edge ridge of Crib Goch to have some fun scrambling on one of the really famous routes in Snowdonia.
With clear weather and plenty of people going the same way, it was easy enough to follow the path up to the ridge of Crib Goch. Our attempt before we’d gone too far to the right and ended up on more exposed sections of rock. This time we made short work of the scramble up to the start of the ridge.
Once up onto the ridge, I was happy to at last see the summit of Snowdon, after the previous 3 times it was shrouded in clouds/rain.
The ridge itself whilst a little daunting at first, really isn’t too bad, if heights don’t bother you that is! So we took some photos, watched people move slowly like crabs across the ridge and then made our way across the top.
As notes will no doubt mention, if you’re feeling confident of your balance or there’s not much wind then walking on the ridge is no problem, if not then drop down to left (that’d be the Southern side) where you’ll find decent footing and be able to hold onto the crest for extra security. Not that if you were on the ridge you’d consider it, but the right hand side of the ridge is not a good place to go, it’s near vertical and has one hell of a drop! The true summit of Crib Goch is toward the middle of the ridge in an exposed position but with fantastic views, if you miss the cloud/fog.
A small climb down onto a grassy area is soon followed by a scramble up onto another ridge toward the summit of Garnedd Ugain. And then it’s a gradual slope down to meet up with the main trail and alongside it the train track that goes up toward the summit of Snowdon.
After what’s come before the trail is not only really easy going, you’re also in the company of the “prawn sandwich” crew up to the overcrowded summit. Still the view, if you get one, is worth whatever you’ve put up with en-route, which luckily for us on the day was pleasant weather.
After a bit of lunch looking out over the Horseshoe it’s down a steep scree slope to meet up with a path that heads up Y Lliwedd via a fun scramble that perhaps looks worse than it actually is. Coming down back after the summit my knees were feeling less than great, the terrain whilst interesting definitely takes it out of your joints if you’re carrying any weight.
The Snowdon Horseshoe is an amazing route, definitely one to try even if you just do Crib Goch, get to Snowdon then come back down the main trail. The views and sense of adventure you’ll get from the walk are fantastic and probably not matched on other similar options in England/Wales. But, and it’ll be mentioned time and time again, be aware it is exposed up on the ridges and if you’re not keen on heights or have never walked on a ridge before it’s probably best to build up to it or avoid it completely.