Five Ten Anasazi VCS rock shoes – Shot from the Five Ten website as it’s a far better representation of the shoe than my dirty/battered pair!

Why I bought the Anasazi VCS

They were my 3rd pair of shoes after Scarpa Vantage and then Red Chilli Durango VCR. I’d really got on well with the Durango VCRs and was pretty upset the rubber gave way after only a few months (of admittedly heavy use both indoors and outdoors – on some pretty abrasive North Wales rock at time) and with the fit starting to feel perfect (it happened to a friend with the Corona VCR… but for now we’re putting it down to “poor technique” whilst trying out other shoes). Anyway, having arrived at Redpoint in Birmingham to climb for the day and the hole in the Durangos even bigger, I found myself trying on lots of different pairs of shoes. I ended up torn between the Anasazi VCS and Katana, despite feeling the Katanas held my feet a bit better I was drawn to the Anasazi due to fantastic reviews I’d previously read (and heard from my mate who swears blind loyalty to Five Ten) and the extra feeling of stiffness in the soles which I thought would help with edging.

How I got on wearing them

I bought them tight and suffered at first but soon developed far greater confidence and interest in my footwork, being much more careful how to position my feet and then trusting it would stick. Whilst it’d be easy to say these shoes on their own brought my grade up, I think any similar shoe would’ve done the same thing and that a large chunk of this improvement was a mental change in how I climbed.

They were mostly used indoors but outdoors I predominantly climbed on Limestone where they felt better than others I’d used previously.

Frustratingly for me the longest period of outdoor climbing in these shoes came after 3 months away climbing (torn ankle ligaments from a bouldering fall) and as they started to give so that there was space in the shoes. These two things combined (plus my style not really suiting limestone… I’m working on it) lead to a reduction in the confidence I previously had wearing the shoes and my overall climbing, which lead me to point the finger too much at the shoes and not at how I was climbing.

Wearing the shoes climbing on the Costa Blanca

Overall feelings on the Five Ten Anasazi VCS

• After a couple of sessions I genuinely felt I could stand up on anything, a brilliant combination of super sticky rubber and well designed shoe
• In particular they’re fantastic for edging
• Brilliant fit for me, I’ve got wide feet and they held me feet better than other shoes (including I think my new pair of Katana shoes)
• Super simple but quick/easy velcro straps means they’re on/off in seconds – The padding above makes them really comfortable too
• It’s perhaps that they last so long that by the end they were a bit too loose on my foot but lots of wiggling and tightly done up they hold okay
• It may be just the increased climbing I had when I started wearing these but they seemed to smell a lot more than other shoes I’ve worn – For the performance it didn’t bother me though
• The heel – It seems you love it or hate it. Perhaps my size was too big to start which lead to this but a pocket developed in the heel which meant a heel hook didn’t feel anywhere near as solid as it does now in my Katana shoes

Looking back, these were by far and away the best rock shoes I’ve worn and I’ll be getting them re-soled so I can use them for easier routes indoors/outdoors. Thanks Five Ten!

Tomorrow I Will Be Gone from Outcrop Films on Vimeo.

Straight Out Of Africa – FEATURE LENGTH from Louder Than 11 on Vimeo.

The Cobra

I’d been tempted to buy the Peak District Bouldering guide released in May but without that came to find a couple of useful online resources, firstly the fantastic peakbouldering.info website helped to work out a few possibles and then finally this page was great to give topos and photos with routes shown to provide us all we needed for a long morning at Burbage South.

Me on top of The Briquette

We luckily bagged the last of 3 spots at the small car park at the end of Green Drive on the A6187 near the Fox Inn House and set off on the short walk up to the boulders.

Over a few hours we toured almost all of the boulders, completing routes on The Cobra, The Tank, The Whale, The Brick, The Briquette and The Kidney. As the pages online suggested, there’s a great range of lower grade problems with pleasant landings should you slip, which we were fine on with just a single mat.

Pete starting Sitdown Arete on The Tank

Pick of the routes for us that morning was probably sitdown arete on the small rock next to The Tank, a lovely short route with a heel hook taking you perfectly to a small crimp before a dynamic move onto a great hold on top (I struggled for lack of reach, but made it once not as part of the full sequence so will go back to finish one day). As ever with Gritstone bouldering, I rounded the day of in style with the most inelegant and drawn out top out on a route on The Kidney that left us both in tears laughing.

Trying to look cool after a ridiculous drawn out top out on The Kidney

A brilliant morning and a great way to spend a Boxing Day morning out in the fresh air after the copious amounts of food/drink the day before.

Late 2010 and 2011 brought about a change in direction. After a huge year (2009/early 20120) of running and making a couple of trips abroad to walk up high snow covered mountains, I bought a house and everything changed. Not only was money to travel far reduced but I had a nagging feeling in my head that despite loving what I’d done, that I wanted to go back to basics and not skip steps, I wanted to be able to build towards something in the future with a group of friends who were taking more interest in getting out and about.

In July 2010 I went to Plas y Brenin to complete the Summer ML training, taking more notice of things like navigation/ropework which until then I’d brushed over and learnt just what was needed. After a horrendous wild camp in Cwm Eigau (stupidly taking just wine and no water as we thought we’d find some…) and a nice day walking the entire Carneddau with the first snow of 2010 on the tops, the year was coming to a close and my interests starting to shift.

Me and my friend who’d years before decided that a trip to Everest Base Camp was a good idea after more than a few pints, thought a cheap trip to the Alps to climb some easier 4000m peaks sounded like a good plan for the Summer of 2011. So on Boxing Day as part of our training we slogged up Y Garn in really deep powder and surprisingly cold weather, then in February met up with a guide I knew in Snowdonia to work on ropework (crevasse rescue/moving together etc) and get more time on the snow, despite seeing now snow, we learnt a hell of a lot and had “fun” climbing Lockwoods Chimney and scrambling on Tryfan Fach.

Up on Y Garn on Boxing Day

Scrambling on Tryfan Fach

With a now expanded group climbing, this took hold and early in 2011 we climbing regularly outdoors throughout Leicestershire (Markfield/Beacon Hill/Hangingstone Quarry) and then into the Peak District with great days at Stanage/Harboro Rocks/Birchen and Horseshoe Quarry. Walking was limited to a couple of outings and even when we did visit Snowdonia in early Summer it was to boulder and complete a stunning multi-pitch, Outside Edge Route (VD, about 150m I think and will get a blog post one day) on Craig Yr Ogof.

Vertex at Hangingstone Quarry

Two Loos (F4+) at Horseshoe Quarry

With my grade going up and full of confidence moving into the mid Summer, disaster struck. Casually traversing a simple V1 boulder problem to cool down, my foot slipped and my left foot went between crash mats, accompanied by a loud crunch/scream. I took a short trip to Leicester Royal Infirmary for an X-ray and to be told I’d torn 3 ligaments in my ankle.

Our trip to the Alps was just 3 weeks away and after a trip to a physio, that was cancelled and I began 6 weeks of painful rehabilitation. Coming back was difficult, not just because I’d lost some strength but more so that my confidence was shot to pieces. But by then I had something to work towards, whilst off I’d sat at the pub talking with my mates about the great days we’d had earlier in the year climbing, and so a plan was formed, to climb in Spain.

In late August, we flew out to Valencia and after getting horrendously drunk at the Tomatina tomato festival in Bunol, spent 10 or so days driving South towards Malage and climbing as we went. Frustratingly limestone continued to be more difficult for me that most other rock types, yet in such a stunning setting I enjoyed the majority of routes I climbed. As a side note, climbing at this time of year is a bad idea, it’s far too hot, so go in Winter!

Climbing at Forada in the shade!

After coming back from Spain, I’ve found myself concentrating a lot more on bouldering. Whilst my lead grade has if anything gone down from the Summer (still hovering around 5+/6a when before I was pushing towards 6a+ and even some 6bs), my bouldering feels far stronger (starting to complete and feel strong on V3, knowing with some work I’ll have them comfortable) and I know with improvements in stamina in the new year I’ll be pushing beyond what was possible before.

It’s been an interesting year and quite a change in my outlook since I last posted, goals for what to achieve over the next couple of years are more blurry than ever. But perhaps I’ve stopped worrying so much about doing particular things and instead found myself once again really enjoying climbing wherever and on whatever, but more than anything with a group of friends.

Santa is bringing me a new pair of climbing shoes (La Sportiva Katana), and there’s a new chalk ball unopened with my climbing kit, bring on 2012!

• Summer ML training at Plas y Brenin
• A quick look at new kit – Rab Momentum waterproof and Meindl Air Revolution 3.1 walking boots
• Cwm Eigiau wild camp from Dolgarrog

and I’m planning a tidy up of the background pages to the website. Thanks to all the people who’ve left comments on here and Twitter about the blog. Hope everyone had a cracking Summer!

The weekend before (early July 2010) the start of Summer ML training it felt right to do some walking up high,  get some more miles in my new boots and add another day to the logbook. I’d be going out on my own and trying to ignore the increasingly poor conditions predicted for the day, I decided to take a look at different route up Snowdon. Waking up early, I arrived in the pouring rain at an empty car park by Rhyd-Ddu (it’s pay and display) just before 6am.

A deposit of slate to the side of the trail towards the South ridge

Leaving the car park at the North end and across the train track the path ahead is clear, well maintained and ascends gradually. There’s no problem spotting the fork in the trail either that takes you East away from the main Rhyd-Ddu path towards the proper start of the South ridge. The first section along this trail was pretty boggy and often submerged in the conditions but otherwise would make for a quick and steady walk up as suggested by the route I was following (see end of article for a link). At numerous points before reaching the saddle between Snowdon and Yr Aran are reminders of the considerable mining history of the area, with several buildings and huge deposits of slate to the side of the trail.

Making the saddle (Bwlch-Cwm Llan) I took advantage of the wall that runs along it to shelter from the driving rain, to check my non-laminated map (it was retired after this route…) and decide what next. I’d been tempted to go up Yr Aran as part of the route, but given the poor conditions and being on my own on unfamiliar ground, I decided that getting up and down Snowdon as quick as possible and back to somewhere warm/dry made the most sense.

Sheltering from the rain behind the wall on Bwlch-Cwm Llan

Approaching the ridge from the saddle there’s a sharp gain in height before things settle into a more gradual ascent over a clear trail. Things carried on for a while before I found myself a little off the crest of the ridge (on the Western side) and needed to scramble back up a short section, I’m guessing I lost the main path at some point to end up needing to do this though. After meeting the Rhyd-Ddu path the ridge narrows over Bwlch Main to give some exposure (hard to tell how much as the cloud was so thick), although the strength of the wind (gusting 50mph) certainly added to things.

On this narrower section I met the first and only person I’d seen during the ascent, a quick “Morning, you alright?” between us and I was beyond the ridge proper on onto the final section of ascent, some short ascents on wide rocky tracks. Making the summit I was amazed that despite the weather/time (~ 9am) I was the only person in sight (visibility was about 30m).

Heading back down quickly as there was nothing of a view and the weather was cold/depressing at best, I quickly found the fork after the narrow section of the ridge that goes right and down onto the Rhyd-Ddu path itself. Around halfway down I began to meet others on their way up, looking forlorn and not enjoying the path which now resembled a stream. It’s really hard to tell giving how dense the cloud was but I’d be tempted to suggest taking the alternative route up over the standard Rhyd-Ddu path up would make for a better ascent, anyone done both?

In conclusion it’s hard to make any real conclusion about a walk done in such poor conditions, however, having seen the ridge line in clear weather I can imagine it makes for a spectacular route. I’ll definitely be back, when the sun is out and in with others to enjoy the route another time. Having the summit to myself was a bonus and not something I guess will happen again soon. Getting up and down for just before half 11 meant my pace felt comfortable at around 4km/hour, which was handy to know prior to a week of training. The heavy rain battered my waterproofs and left me pretty wet from the day, so it was out with the waterproofing treatment as soon as I got back.

Fancy doing the route?

• Check out the full route detail on Walking Britain.

Us on top of Elidir Fawr with the Marchlyn Mawr reservoir behind

Leaving work we were quickly packed and on our way, only to hit the M1 and turn around as I’d left my boots at home, whoops! Further delays hit in the form of roadworks in Wales, so we arrived late at the Gwern Gôf Isaf Campsite near Tryfan on the A5. Setting up the tent we were able to light the disposable BBQ and get food/beer out in the last light (around 11pm), only to quickly retreat inside the tent to avoid being eaten alive by midges. Apart from the obvious annoyance of me being the tastiest thing to midges within several hundred square miles, the campsite was great and I’d definitely recommend it due to location and basic facilities.

Up leisurely at around half 8 we were back in the car and soon at the the start of our walk where there’s adequate parking on the verge (Grid reference: SH604627). After surveying the mountains infront of us whilst disposing of some pastries for breakfast inside the car, we began to steadily ascend via the tarmacked road that leads to the reservoir. When the road starts to zig zags we found ourselves presented with a sign for our first mountain of the day… I debate now whether following it was best, with the ground being covered in thistles and requiring a jump over a small river, whilst to the side the road leads closely to the style at the bottom of Carnedd y Filiast, oh well! The ascent is at a good gradient over ground not overly steep on a solid path which still gains height well and has increasingly good views back down over the reservoir and towards Elidir Fawr when you fancy a quick breather (we needed it in the increasingly hot sun). Halfway through the ascent the ground levels off, giving fantastic views over the Carneddau before the final and more rocky section of ascent is made.

The summit of Carnedd y Filiast with Elidir Fawr behind

Walking off the summit of Carnedd y Filiast you slowly descend to the hump that is Mynydd Perfedd and with it increasingly spectacular views down the Ogwen Valley over the rest of the Glyders and to the right the impressive route of ascent up Elidir Fawr. There’s a fence with numerous styles on that can be crossed over to meet the path to Elidir Fawr, so just find the fence and cross where you fancy.

Looking towards the ascent route taking on Elidir Fawr

Following the ridge line to the summit of Elidir Fawr is the last decent ascent section of the walk, which whilst not overly steep was taken at a slow pace given how hot the day had turned out to be. After a short section clambering over rock we were at the small shelter at the summit of Elidir Fawr to enjoy some lunch, a drink and the fantastic views back down over Marchlyn Mawr reservoir. Several groups arrived at the summit looking exhausted, following the climb from the Llanberis valley as part of an attempt at the Welsh 3000s.

After a short walk along the summit ridge of Elidir Fawr there’s an obvious path down a scree slope towards Elidir Fach. Heading North off the summit and down a ridge line a line down towards the road taken on the ascent becomes clear (go a little NNW to avoid finding yourself overlooking one of the small quarries from above).

Walking around Marchlyn Mawr to the top of Elidir Fawr allows you to see a less visited (if not still fairly busy in places) part of the Glyders and enjoy a good day out in Snowdonia, with fantastic views over the main ranges. More than anything I was over the moon to see/hear how much Laura enjoyed the day, having let on halfway through the walk that she’d been a little worried about what the day was going to be like. As preparation for my Summer Mountain Leader training it was great, I’d managed to do in a small part what the ML will hopefully allow me to do more of in the future, show others just how incredible the mountains are.

Fancy doing the route yourself? Want more photos?

• The route is described in full on Walking Britain.
• Check my Flickr for photos of our Elidir Fawr walk.

At the top of the Daear Ddu ridge on Moel Siabod

Arriving at the Bryn Glo car park on the A5 before Capel Curig at just after 8pm, there was still plenty of light as we set off out of the car park to the right briefly before turning left over a bridge and up a lane. The second right is taken, I think it’s even signed for Moel Siabod, and a steady climb starts up a tarmacked single lane road. After a while a diversion is directed to avoid the farm which is at the end of the lane, this briefly winds up before rejoining the road beyond the farm. Over a stile the route passes through several fields (full of sheep/lambs at this time of year). It was around now the light steadily started to fade and light rain began to fall.

Steady ascent through fields in light rain and fading light

After a little while we came to an obvious ridge line down off Moel Siabod, from which we would later descend, that we avoided and continued on the trail to the first of the lakes on the route. As we reached the end of this first lake, the rain became stronger, we moved up into the clouds and with this the light went completely, head torches were switched on, waterproofs were put on and we started ascending again.

With several sections of boggy ground and now thick cloud (made worse by the torches) the route became difficult in places to follow, and with only about half a mile to the ridge we found ourselves unable to follow the path further and switched to a compass to guide us down towards the lake (that we almost walked into… whoops!), where we knew another path should be that would lead us more directly to the base of the ridge. By this point the topic of trying to find decent place to pitch the tents was high on the agenda, with the ground incredibly boggy by the lake and strong winds making setting up on higher more exposed grounds a bad idea, we decided to go a in between and look for some shelter just higher off the ridge.

After around 15 minutes of walking together in a line around the base of the ridge we found a suitable spot, with some shelter from the wind offered by a rocky outcrop. After “a couple” drinks we tried to get some sleep. It was now I really regretted throwing the Thermarest out to keep my pack weight low, the ground was freezing and it took quite some time to get comfortable, I’ll not be making that mistake for a while.

Tents pitched at the base of the Daear Ddu ridge

Waking up fairly late after a surprisingly good night sleep we packed up and looked up the ridge to the summit. The first section was really simple stuff although there were a few options we picked that were noticeably harder than the main route up, and more so with heavy packs on that made balance difficult. But it’s mainly good fun and quite a lot simpler/less sustained than other grade 1 scrambles nearby, confirming it as an introduction to scrambling which I’d read on the Internet/in guide books prior. After about 1/3 of the ridge is complete, things open up and the scrambling fades into a trail that snakes its way up through scattered rock, with some spots you could climb a little if you really tried.

The summit is a small rocky outcrop on the Western corner of a plateau, by now there were other groups with us, so we quickly walked up to the trig point, turned on our heels and looked for the way down. Down from the summit you follow the obvious broad ridge down to the East over rocky undulating ground. We moved fairly quickly at first and then I stopped to talk to a group of other walkers, one of whom struck up conversation about my pack/trousers, who turned out to be from Snow + Rock on a long weekend testing gear, who kindly gave me a Mammut baseball cap… result! Back with the other two we continued over the ridge and downward over easy ground.

There’s quite a few rocky steps, as is usual for a route like this, and on one about half way down my knee emitted a loud crack, I winced and hoped it was nothing. The rest of the descent was uncomfortable and my knee continued to hurt on the rocky steps, guess I’m getting a little older! Anyhow, there’s nothing tricky coming down and soon the ridge becomes more grassy until it descends down towards a broken up rock wall which you pass aiming diagonally right, to meet the path we’d taken in and walk back out.

The route taken is well worth taking, but our walk in at night in thick cloud without prior knowledge of where to pitch was far from ideal, we learnt plenty that night! I’d definitely suggest going light and completing the route quickly as the guide books suggest instead of the more leisurely way we came at this. The scramble is, as most guides suggest, really simple and would make sense as an introduction to scrambling. Given the fantastic grade 1s close by (Snowdon Horseshoe, Tryfan North Ridge, Bristly Ridge, Crib Lem Spur) I’d be hard pressed to advise on Daear Ddu ridge first unless you’re keen on taking things slowly and getting a feel for scrambling. However, the ridge itself is fun, there’s less crowds on here the the other well known routes nearby and you still get that fantastic setting, that’s usual for North Wales. On the practical side, I can add another wild camp to the list and learnt plenty from approaching this too casually in changeable conditions. From a light-hearted point of view we’re still laughing about seeing each other sink in the boggy ground in the dark/rain and then pulling each out.

There’s a full set of images from the Moel Siabod wild camp/walk available on my Flickr.

Next up will depend on the weather but a longer route in the Lake District or climbing in the Peak District look fairly promising. I’ve also nearly become “comfortable” in my new pair of climbing shoes so I’ll do a bit of a review in the coming weeks as to how they’re getting on.

After a short walk the path climbs gains height quickly on a good path that after a little while opens up and levels off. We then turned to the left into a slightly snow covered Cwm Cau and begin steadily climbing again. The cwm looked like it’d hold some pretty good spots for wild camping when we skirted around it, although without checking the ground properly in warmer months it was hard to be sure. Anyone know?

Stood infront of Llyn Cau

Up into the clouds, we ascended for short while until to our right a clear ridge emerged that made its way steadily to the top of Craig Cwm Amarch (791m), with I imagine great views on a clear day. As we went higher, the patchy snow steadily became thicker, such that by the top we were on a good foot or so of snow in places. Coming down to a saddle between Craig Cwm Amarch and Penygadair was slippery in slushy snow but we were soon again making our way to the highest point of the horseshoe, with the clouds now rising to give views onto Llyn Cau below us.

Looking down into Cwm Cau from the top of Penygadair

As we climbed, the way ahead became clear for once in the walk, with the the clouds thinning and bobbing up/down over the top. Just 50m short of the top the snow became deeper and the climb more steep, Pat and me choosing slightly different routes to the top more for fun than anything else.

On the saddle between Craig Cwm Amarch and Penygadair

A quick stop just below the summit, sheltered from the now stronger winds high up, for some liquids and food, and we were off on a steady descent towards Mynydd Moel.

Looking back towards Penygadair from Mynydd Moel

Once at Mynydd Moel and having joked about the number of people wearing shorts on such a cold day, we laughed our way a little too far past the turn downwards (that’s easy to spot, just look for the fence). Looking back there were people obviously struggling with the snow and in shoes that would mean their feet were not just cold but wet on top, a poor combination! It’s always shocking how ill prepared people arrive for the mountains (in all seasons) but I guess this will never change.

Descending again was slippery in the slush over what was the loosest rock of the circuit from what we saw, but again nothing at all tricky. We were soon at the junction where we’d turned earlier into Cwm Cau and passing a stream of walkers making their way up to the lake for lunch.

The route was simple compared to others recently and the day whilst short, was a good trip out in an area new to us. When the clouds lifted the setting of the walk was as fantastic as anything else in North Wales, and showed clearly why Cadair Idris is so popular. The day was a reminder to look beyond the three main ranges in Snowdonia when planning walks/climbs in the area. Leaving Cadair Idris, I’d decided to make a point of exploring the other ranges and to come back in the Summer to see whether a wild camp was possible and also test the legend about leaving as a madman or poet after a night camping on the summit.

What have I been up to then?

• September 2009 – Kinder Downfall from Hayfield
• November 2009 – New York Marathon
• March 2010 – Tower Slabs (wi ii/iii) on Glyder Fawr and Left Hand Trinity (wi i/ii) on Snowdon
• April 2010 – Cadair Idris

… and concentrated on my climbing in particular, with now regular weekly visits to The Tower Climbing Centre in Leicester

BIG NEWS is that I’m now registered to the Mountain Leader qualification so there will be plenty more walks and camping to come over the next 6 months with the aim being to take the training sometime in late Summer/early Autumn, and then the exam either late this year or more likely early next. Preparing for the ML will mean lots more updates as I keep track of walks/climbs and a clear direction for what’s to come on blog. Can’t wait to get cracking, the log book sits besides me, insisting I go and find plenty more fun up high.

On Left Hand Trinity of Snowdon (Credit: Hightrek)

A friend who I climb with indoors came too, so on the first day we spent a little time covering some basics as a refresher before tackling the right side of Tower Slabs (WI ii/iii) on Glyder Fawr, which whilst a little busy with a couple of other teams on at the same time, was great fun in fantastic conditions. I spent the climb without my camera out, simply enjoying being back on snow/ice, so I’ll perhaps do a short write up in the future.

For our second day, with a good forecast predicated, we made for Pen-y-Pass and up the Pyg track towards Snowdon, aiming to climbing one of the Trinity gullies on Snowdon’s Trinity Face (Clogwyn y Garnedd).

Y Lliwedd and Llyn Llydaw from the Pyg track

The walk in was as it is usually, with a few points where the path was covered in ice that needed a bit more concentration and care. But quite soon we were over the style at the junction for Crib Goch and following the Pyg track, traversing round to where we’d begin our ascent up Snowdon. Occasionally we’d be exposed to cold winds but overall we were particularly warm, as we walked briskly in the sun. The route we’d be taking became more apparent later on and is fairly obvious on the photograph below, with the two dots at the bottom of the shadow in the centre people on their way up the first part of the route to “The Spider” (the snowfield in the centre right).

Snowdon’s Trinity Face from the Pyg track

A short drop down from the path to a saddle (near to a small pond and one of the old copper mines found on Snowdon) allowed us time to look up the first section of the route, put on an extra layer of clothing and rope up. The slope itself was fairly easy going on not too steep snow, although my friend’s crampons kept on balling up with the snow being fairly soft which took him a little practice to spot before getting into a rhythm. A short steeper section of more firm snow and we’d reached the first snowfield (“The Spider”) and looked up the gully directly to our left, Left-hand Trinity (WI i/ii).

Climbing up to “The Spider”

Ian lead the route as he’d done the day previously, with Kyle and me following. Whilst the snow was fairly steep it wasn’t difficult making our way up, although Ian did point out that the route offered little in the way of good protection. I lose count of the pitches but it was somewhere between 3-4 before we emerged from the gully and then another 2 easier pitches saw us up directly onto the summit, with Ian securing the final anchor around the trig point itself, whilst a couple of onlookers watched with a little disbelief that we were appearing from over the edge of the face.

One of the final pitches of the climb

The climb whilst not technically difficult or demanding is one of the most enjoyable ascents I’ve ever made. Climbing up to the very top of Snowdon, a mountain I’ve enjoyed many days on, was really special. That the clouds soon dropped to give us brief views across North Wales was the icing on the cake. The two days reminded me of all that I loved about climbing in Winter conditions and excited me at all the prospects for a lot more of the same next Winter.

All photos from the trip can be found in my Flickr album of Snowdonia 2010 winter climbs and also on our guide’s Flickr account.

A big thank you to our guide Ian at Hightrek, who’s based in Snowdonia and helped pick/lead us on some cracking rotues, if there was something you’d like to work on/towards then I couldn’t recommend him highly enough.

Finally, there’s a Wiki of Welsh winter climbs with further routes being put together now if you’re interested in what else is possible during the colder months. Also worth knowing about is the Cicerone Welsh Winter Climbs guide, Ian referred to as we climbed that I’ve now picked up a copy of which even though a little old is a good reference for most routes.