Cwm Cneifion winter climbs

Crag: Clogwyn Du/Cwm Cneifion
Routes: Clogwyn Y Gully Righthand (wIII 3,3:led p.1), Tower Slabs (wII/III 2/3:led), Easy Route (wI:descent)
Peaks: Glyder Fawr
Area: Glyderau
An obvious choice of venue, given the recent weather pattern of freeze-thaw cycles which inevitably strip everything below 700m while solidifying north-facing cwms higher up. After a cold night, we hit upon perfect conditions here today after the steep walk-in. Iron-hard neve combined with a reasonable ice build-up to give superb conditions on the easier routes. A pseudo-Alpine feel to proceedings - crisp blue skies above - as I led the easy first pitch of Clogwyn Righthand, which traverses right to gain a shallow gully of excellent neve with interesting short sections of steeper ice. Vic then led a huge second pitch which proved the wisdom of the route choice - it was in near-perfect nick. Good solid ice leads to the narrow and atmospheric gully proper. Up this on iron hard snow and frozen turf, straitforward but superb climbing, to steeper moves out right to shallower slopes and a final few metres of good water ice over a constriction in the gully to the belay. I led a short, simple final pitch to finish: a great route on the day, really enjoyable. We moved up to the sun-drenched plateau of Glyder Fawr for fine views and a snack, before an absorbing and enjoyable descent of Easy Route on more good neve. I've been up and down this mountaineering route several times before (in fact, according to my records I did 5 long winter routes in one day in Cwm Cneifion in 1993: must have been fitter then!). After more food, we moved across to the other side of the cwm where I led Tower Slabs in one big pitch. Chose to focus on the central section, which seemed most continuous, with good snow leading to a few metres of water ice before quickly easing back to gentle slabby climbing. We descended slopes further right before the long walk back to Ogwen, during which it clouded over with a sharp snow flurry covering the lower slopes. A good day, topped off by lobster risotto in the evening!

Beyond Hope

A much needed long hilly training run, from HK over the shoulder of Hope Mountain to Pontybodkin and the long climb up to Treuddyn. Then up to the highpoint of the run at Cae Hic, before the lengthy descent to Llanfynydd. This is the third time I've done this 18-20 miler, and the final killer climb back over the top of Waun y Llyn doesn't get any easier!

Twin Piers 10k

Race: Twin Piers 10k (Llandudno-Colwyn Bay)
Time/Position: 36:02 (11th from 372)
Nice to be back racing again after all the recent weather-related cancellations. As such, this was an encouraging performance given the lack of meaningful speedwork. It must be the best 10k in the region - nice atmosphere and a satisfying point-to-point seaside course. I did it in 43 mins four years ago! Conditions today were good: coldish, with no wind (although a tail wind would have been nice). Annoyingly, my stopwatch failed immediately, therefore I had no idea of my time throughout the race. This was a problem, as sub 36 was my target. I just had to run hard throughout, try to keep Jez and Neil in sight, and hope for the best - although the field spread out quickly. The sharp hill over the Little Orme was a help, injecting a bit of variety, and I kept it going quite well through Rhos, picking up a few places. I only saw the time when I glimpsed the finish line clock in the final 200m, realised I was close to my target, and pelted to the line. The clock read 35:59 as I went through, but the time was recorded as just over, and I just missed a top 10 finish. I did have the consolation of 3rd v35 though.

Crowded Idwal ice

Crag: Cwm Idwal
Route: The Ramp (wII/III 2,3,1: led in 2 p's)
An opportunistic and very brief visit before the forecast thaw sets in. Sadly, the day was marred by (without wishing to be rude) two incompetent buffoons who spent a ridiculous amount of time on this very simple route and thereby prevented us from doing anything else that day. Rather vexing, given that this is likely to be the last opportunity for a while, as the thaw sets in. Alwyn and I slogged up to the crags in very deep snow and thick mist: Idwal now just a bowl of white, the lake almost invisible. Dismayed to find three pairs queuing for The Ramp, particularly as we didn't even get there until early afternoon! As a rule, I refuse to queue for routes, but conditions were so perfect that we made an exception: also, crowds are inevitable whenever you go to Idwal in these conditions. The first pitch, when it came, was longer and more interesting than I'd expected: a couple of little icy pitches breaking up the uniform easy shallow gully. The stance was crowded but rather enchanting. A fully formed grotto of blue ice - a little rock cave almost entirely enclosed by enormous 2m-wide grounded blue icicles, with soft snowflakes falling outside. After another wait, I led the second pitch - the first 10 metres of which constitutes the only real climbing on the entire route, but even this is very simple, just a few fun moves on excellent ice to more good, easy-angled ice. It then curves round to a big block on the right, after which I just ran out the full 60m on easy snow to a belay. By now it was 4pm and too late to do Central Route, which I'd planned, so we just descended to the car.

North face of Bryn Alyn!

A wacky attempt to work out a novelty winter mountaineering route in the Clwydians. The remarkable conditions provoked me, but it is clearly an impossible task: the steepest 'face' in the range is probably the northern slope of Bryn Alyn, and that is sufficiently steep for all of 60 metres or so. From the Burley Hill bridleway I ploughed up an obvious shallow 'gully' to the terrace traversed by the normal flanking footpath (the only landmark hereabouts is a little pinnacle on the crags just left of where this 'gully' emerges). Then steeply up very deep snow to gain a shelf leading left to a tiny vague gully with a tree at the top. I squeezed behind this to a miniature ridge which led to the top. Exhausting waist-deep drifts led across the plateau to the normal flanking path. A ridiculous outing.

Clwydian run

After an unsuccessful sledging trip, I took the opportunity to run from Llanferres over Foel Fenlli to Penbarras, then up to Moel Famau. Thick drifts made Fenlli a bit of a struggle in both directions, but superb and highly unusual views compensated. The return over Fenlli was particularly memorable: a setting sun, waist/chest deep drifts, the snow lit pink. Even some potential avalanche risk in places: obvious windslab forming a bergshrund on the western slopes of Moel Eithinen! Fantastic snowy running all week - well over 40 miles, but all of them slow! Through ice-draped woods in Eccleston yesterday evening, for example, ice floes on the Dee.

Waun y Llyn run

A hugely enjoyable run from the house to the top of Waun y Llyn through a landscape utterly transformed by the snow. A regular run of mine, made memorable by the conditions. The lanes were all hard snow-pack, very icy but runnable in fell shoes, then steeply up to the summit as the sun set. Never thought I would experience alpenglow on Hope Mountain, but I did today. Then along the ridge, the drifting snow lit orange by the setting sun, to an icy and dark descent back to HK. Running my regular 10k circuit at the height of the snowstorm on Tuesday evening was equally memorable!

Idwal ice

Crag: Cwm Idwal
Routes: Idwal Stream (wII/III 3,3,2: led p.1,3), Introductory Gully (wII: led p.2)
A glorious contrast to the last few outings in that I finally got superb conditions, as this fantastic cold snap continues. A dreamlike early start in the dark with the moon directly above the summit of Y Garn. Idwal a bowl of ice and snow - thick cover throughout, the lake frozen solid, all beautiful shades of blue and white with little rock visible. We made our way up to the Idwal Stream which was a predictable choice as the ultimate easy winter trade route, but in such perfect nick today that we had to do it. I led up good thick water ice to perfect neve and a stance, before following Alwyn up an even better pitch up a steeper wall on wonderful snow-ice. We picked the most direct, steepest line throughout - around Grade III but never remotely difficult or serious, just short steps, and I continued direct over a little bulge to a stance surrounded by rimed rocks, blue ice and thick snow. We moved together for the rest of the route, which is very gentle, until emerging on the Llyn y Cwn plateau for breakfast. An easy descent in thick, often drifting snow, took us past the Devil's Kitchen to the Ramp, which we wanted to do. However, the place was swarming with climbers and queues had built up, so we continued down to Introductory Gully - which is low down and rarely in any kind of condition. Another easy route, but worthwhile. Followed Alwyn up the first pitch - thin initially - to better neve and a belay. I then led the second on firmer neve. An awkward, very tiring climb through chest-deep drifts allowed us to traverse below the upper cliff to gain an easy descent. Back by lunchtime.

Black Ladders ice

Crag: Ysgolion Duon
Routes: Central Gully (wIII 3,2,3,2,1,1: Led p.2,5)
Peaks: Carnedd Dafydd
Area: Carneddau
A memorable start to 2010: this was a long and satisfying mountain day centred on a tremendous and atmospheric 1000ft-long gully line up one of the most impressive (and classically 'seasonal') crags in Wales. Pretty awful weather throughout, contrary to the forecast, which all added a certain piquancy to what is actually a fairly simple mountaineering route. A pre-dawn semi-Alpine start was refreshing, but hard work, as we ploughed up Cwm Llafur in the half-light at 7.45. The notoriously long walk to the Ladders was made harder by deep snow as we entered thick clag near Llech Ddu then slogged up to where we hoped the base of the crag was! A brief clearance miraculously revealed the entire very impressive face, draped in ice and snow, seemingly in perfect nick. We contoured across to the base of Central Gully, an immense and deeply incised cauldron and a very compelling winter line, although upward views were soon swallowed by the mist. Vic led a long pitch up the superb initial ice pitch - great fun, steepish, but all too short - which led to another little wall followed by an easy ramp of soft snow into the gully proper. I then led up a short icy wall to gain the easy slopes of the huge main gully up to the cave. The weather then worsened - spindrift pouring down from the upper slopes, freezing wind, and very poor visibility as Vic traversed the gully to ledges on the left. I got pretty cold at the stance, serious wind chill and heavy snow showers, before enjoying the traverse followed by an awkward chimney which led to a stance in a small cave. We then traversed the walls of the gully in worsening weather to gain a rock saddle. Dire conditions now, strong winds and snow swirling around as I ploughed up the easy slopes of the upper gully to belay off a wedged axe. The visibility was so bad as I followed Vic up the top pitch that it was initially hard to detect the top of the gully as we emerged on the Carneddau plateau in howling winds and a white-out. A tiring but satisfying struggle into the teeth of the wind along the ridge gained the top of Dafydd. Things gradually improved as we navigated down the broad ridge to the north in appalling visibility, getting the dog-leg spot on to finally gain a view of Bethesda's twinkling lights as we finally emerged from the clag just above Cwm Llafur. Dark as we arrived in Gerlan.