MTB Route: Over the Top (Famau-Penbarras)
Distance: 28k
Still struggling with the knee injury: no running since Monday, my longest lay-off for years. Ironically, this has struck just when I have time on my hands and was hoping to push the mileage. Still, it gave a nice opportunity to get the mountain bike out. Rich and I left the middle Famau car park and contoured the forest roads round to the steep grass climb above Cilcain. Rich was suffering, so headed for home at this point. I ploughed on for a predictably muddy crossing of the ridge, before enjoying the superb long descent to Llangynhafal. From here, I really floored it to Llanbedr, lots of energy to burn after the lay-off! Then comes the notorious climb of Bwlch Penbarras. This reaches 25% in places (double the max gradient of any Tour climb, although obviously considerably shorter!). I felt good, and suspect I did it quicker than in previous attempts, but forgot to record the climb time (1:45 for the full loop). Tried a brief jog from the Collie later after a NYE pint in the Druid, but felt the knee flare up almost immediately.
Friday, December 31, 2010
Wednesday, December 29, 2010
Carneddau walk
Peaks: Foel Dduarth, Foel Ganol, Yr Orsedd, Pen Bryn Du, Drum
An old injury reared its ugly head during a slushy run up Waun y Llyn from HK with Jez on Monday. It looks like the IT band problems, last suffered almost three years ago, have come back - perhaps as a result of recent road running on hard ice/snow with uncushioned trail shoes. After a complete rest yesterday, I thought this gentle walk with Rich and Mike would be a good way to test it. I felt fine on the steep pull up Foel Dduarth from Aber, interested in how rapid the thaw has been since our Christmas Eve outing (given that the Aber road was impassable even before the bulk of the snow last Tuesday). It was very mild for the lovely ridge over Yr Orsedd to the Drum track, where it clouded over with some drizzle. A few drifts remained. After tea on Drum, we descended to Llyn Anafon in a partial cloud inversion, with my knee starting to play up. The descent down Cwm Anafon to Aber was really quite painful, enlivened only by some avalanche debris below the lake, and I finished the day rather worried about the injury.
An old injury reared its ugly head during a slushy run up Waun y Llyn from HK with Jez on Monday. It looks like the IT band problems, last suffered almost three years ago, have come back - perhaps as a result of recent road running on hard ice/snow with uncushioned trail shoes. After a complete rest yesterday, I thought this gentle walk with Rich and Mike would be a good way to test it. I felt fine on the steep pull up Foel Dduarth from Aber, interested in how rapid the thaw has been since our Christmas Eve outing (given that the Aber road was impassable even before the bulk of the snow last Tuesday). It was very mild for the lovely ridge over Yr Orsedd to the Drum track, where it clouded over with some drizzle. A few drifts remained. After tea on Drum, we descended to Llyn Anafon in a partial cloud inversion, with my knee starting to play up. The descent down Cwm Anafon to Aber was really quite painful, enlivened only by some avalanche debris below the lake, and I finished the day rather worried about the injury.
Sunday, December 26, 2010
Round the Walls race
Race: Round the Walls (4m)
Time/Position: 22:51 (19th from 348)
Just about squeezed the 40th race of my 40th year in with this quick dash around the racecourse. All the weather-related cancellations had put the self-imposed and utterly meaningless target in jeopardy over recent weeks, after I reached 39 in November. Even today the full race was - predictably enough - shortened, leaving only the shrivelled husk, impersonating horses on a few laps of the Roodee. Quite hard going in the soft snow and cold air, and tricky to keep the pace up given lack of recent speedwork. The 40 races this year were pleasingly varied: from road 5k to mountain marathons, with 11 category wins and a few near misses!
Time/Position: 22:51 (19th from 348)
Just about squeezed the 40th race of my 40th year in with this quick dash around the racecourse. All the weather-related cancellations had put the self-imposed and utterly meaningless target in jeopardy over recent weeks, after I reached 39 in November. Even today the full race was - predictably enough - shortened, leaving only the shrivelled husk, impersonating horses on a few laps of the Roodee. Quite hard going in the soft snow and cold air, and tricky to keep the pace up given lack of recent speedwork. The 40 races this year were pleasingly varied: from road 5k to mountain marathons, with 11 category wins and a few near misses!
Friday, December 24, 2010
More Idwal ice
Crag: Cwm Idwal
Routes: The Screen (wIII/IV 3,4:sec), Devil's Pasture (WIII 3,3:led p.2), South Gully (wIV 3,4,2:led p.1,3)
Finally got the big day out here, properly exploiting the conditions, after all the recent false starts. We left Ogwen at 8am with the moon sinking behind Y Garn, in superb conditions. Pink and blue sky, not too cold, with around a metre of snow covering the entire valley including both lakes. The first team up went for South Gully, so we ploughed up to the Screen. This is one of the most popular routes here, a very appealing and attractive line of water ice, so it was great to find it free. I led up to the first ledge, but found the ice a little brittle, so Vic led the steeper water ice to the bigger slabby ledge. Good moves left up this gain a thin finishing groove. A nice climb, but rather short. Moving across to the upper crag of Clogwyn y Geifr, left of Twll Du, had an appealing logic and continued upward progress - but it was clear that the ice smear of Devil's Pasture hadn't had any recent ascents. I broke trail across to it in waist deep snow, and Vic led the first pitch. In theory, this was technically the easiest pitch of the day. In practise it was the hardest, up brittle ice, not stepped out, but absorbing and enjoyable. It stays easy angled until a final few moves through bulging ice gain snow slopes up to the chimney. I led through the sharply contrasting chimney pitch. Enjoyably secure mixed climbing, with some bridging, leads to a move right over an ice bulge to gain easier iced rock then the tiring powder of the upper gully. A quick descent on good snow led to the traverse line down to South Gully. It was 2pm by now, so we had to forego lunch to bag this classic line in time. I led the first pitch up straitforward and well travelled ice, albeit slightly wet. This gave enjoyable grade III climbing and leads to easy snow in the main bed of the gully. The main ice pitch is magnificent, slightly easier today as it had been hacked out over recent days - maybe closer to III than IV - but still steep and sustained. A tapering pillar of ice leads up to a big chandelier, then excellent moves negotiate this to the left to gain a ledge as the rocky side wall converges. Atmospheric and superb stuff, dispatched efficiently by Vic. A final steep bulge of water ice gains the belay. I led an easy final pitch over a short bulge to easy snow slopes as the sun set. A satisfying end to a memorably full day. I had to be home early, so the walk down turned into a sprint: we didn't even need to switch on the headtorches.
Routes: The Screen (wIII/IV 3,4:sec), Devil's Pasture (WIII 3,3:led p.2), South Gully (wIV 3,4,2:led p.1,3)
Finally got the big day out here, properly exploiting the conditions, after all the recent false starts. We left Ogwen at 8am with the moon sinking behind Y Garn, in superb conditions. Pink and blue sky, not too cold, with around a metre of snow covering the entire valley including both lakes. The first team up went for South Gully, so we ploughed up to the Screen. This is one of the most popular routes here, a very appealing and attractive line of water ice, so it was great to find it free. I led up to the first ledge, but found the ice a little brittle, so Vic led the steeper water ice to the bigger slabby ledge. Good moves left up this gain a thin finishing groove. A nice climb, but rather short. Moving across to the upper crag of Clogwyn y Geifr, left of Twll Du, had an appealing logic and continued upward progress - but it was clear that the ice smear of Devil's Pasture hadn't had any recent ascents. I broke trail across to it in waist deep snow, and Vic led the first pitch. In theory, this was technically the easiest pitch of the day. In practise it was the hardest, up brittle ice, not stepped out, but absorbing and enjoyable. It stays easy angled until a final few moves through bulging ice gain snow slopes up to the chimney. I led through the sharply contrasting chimney pitch. Enjoyably secure mixed climbing, with some bridging, leads to a move right over an ice bulge to gain easier iced rock then the tiring powder of the upper gully. A quick descent on good snow led to the traverse line down to South Gully. It was 2pm by now, so we had to forego lunch to bag this classic line in time. I led the first pitch up straitforward and well travelled ice, albeit slightly wet. This gave enjoyable grade III climbing and leads to easy snow in the main bed of the gully. The main ice pitch is magnificent, slightly easier today as it had been hacked out over recent days - maybe closer to III than IV - but still steep and sustained. A tapering pillar of ice leads up to a big chandelier, then excellent moves negotiate this to the left to gain a ledge as the rocky side wall converges. Atmospheric and superb stuff, dispatched efficiently by Vic. A final steep bulge of water ice gains the belay. I led an easy final pitch over a short bulge to easy snow slopes as the sun set. A satisfying end to a memorably full day. I had to be home early, so the walk down turned into a sprint: we didn't even need to switch on the headtorches.
Tuesday, December 21, 2010
Northern Carneddau
Peaks/Crag: Moel Wnion/Northern Carneddau
Routes: Aber Gully (wI/II:sol), Bera Gully (wI:sol)
After a heavy dump of snow over the weekend, stuck in London enjoying novel wintry runs through Leyton and Walthamstow, an unexpected further front over Snowdonia meant the weather gods were against me again. Yesterday Neil and I had enjoyed an early morning run up Moel Famau in very cold (-12c) but sunny conditions. By contrast this morning, it was obvious driving west that the snow would continue for most of the day. I didn't fancy getting stuck, so decided to take advantage of the unusual conditions (snow on the beach in Conwy) to sample the easy, low-altitude and 'maritime' gullies around the Northern Carneddau. A mountaineering day seemed appropriate. Parked literally under the A55, and enjoyed the walk towards the falls in awkward ice and thick snow. This became very thick, inevitably unconsolidated, as I traversed above the falls towards the Cwm Afon Goch. Aber Gully leaves this traverse path and twists up the hillside towards Llwytmor. I've rarely seen snow in it before, and although it was unconsolidated, it did at least take a boot. True neve conditions are virtually impossible here anyway, I would have thought. An initial 100m of steepish snow led to a squeeze past an unfortunately positioned tree, before more snow led to a tricky chockstone. This took a bit of thought, but I eventually negotiated it on the right - slippery and unconsolidated - to gain a snow fan. The gully twists right, past more awkward trees, to gain the hillside below Llwytmor. Upward progress was tricky in the drifts, so I descended to the Afon Goch and descended the lower gully to the partially frozen main falls. After lunch, I looked at Rhaedr Bach, not frozen, then spied an obvious shallow gully line through the crags that fringe the northern spur of Bera Mawr. Easy slopes gain the line, all a bit too easy-angled, before an obvious left-hand finish through a well defined wide gully. Esoteric, and quite pleasant - Bera Gully seems an obvious descriptor. Wind and drifts then made life very difficult for the crossing of the plateau below Drosgl. The drifts were chest-deep in places, making for exhausting progress over the summit of Moel Wnion in worsening conditions. Heavy snow fell as I descended the fell race route to the village. A six mile run along a snowy coastal path from Colwyn Bay was a nice finale.
Routes: Aber Gully (wI/II:sol), Bera Gully (wI:sol)
After a heavy dump of snow over the weekend, stuck in London enjoying novel wintry runs through Leyton and Walthamstow, an unexpected further front over Snowdonia meant the weather gods were against me again. Yesterday Neil and I had enjoyed an early morning run up Moel Famau in very cold (-12c) but sunny conditions. By contrast this morning, it was obvious driving west that the snow would continue for most of the day. I didn't fancy getting stuck, so decided to take advantage of the unusual conditions (snow on the beach in Conwy) to sample the easy, low-altitude and 'maritime' gullies around the Northern Carneddau. A mountaineering day seemed appropriate. Parked literally under the A55, and enjoyed the walk towards the falls in awkward ice and thick snow. This became very thick, inevitably unconsolidated, as I traversed above the falls towards the Cwm Afon Goch. Aber Gully leaves this traverse path and twists up the hillside towards Llwytmor. I've rarely seen snow in it before, and although it was unconsolidated, it did at least take a boot. True neve conditions are virtually impossible here anyway, I would have thought. An initial 100m of steepish snow led to a squeeze past an unfortunately positioned tree, before more snow led to a tricky chockstone. This took a bit of thought, but I eventually negotiated it on the right - slippery and unconsolidated - to gain a snow fan. The gully twists right, past more awkward trees, to gain the hillside below Llwytmor. Upward progress was tricky in the drifts, so I descended to the Afon Goch and descended the lower gully to the partially frozen main falls. After lunch, I looked at Rhaedr Bach, not frozen, then spied an obvious shallow gully line through the crags that fringe the northern spur of Bera Mawr. Easy slopes gain the line, all a bit too easy-angled, before an obvious left-hand finish through a well defined wide gully. Esoteric, and quite pleasant - Bera Gully seems an obvious descriptor. Wind and drifts then made life very difficult for the crossing of the plateau below Drosgl. The drifts were chest-deep in places, making for exhausting progress over the summit of Moel Wnion in worsening conditions. Heavy snow fell as I descended the fell race route to the village. A six mile run along a snowy coastal path from Colwyn Bay was a nice finale.
Saturday, December 11, 2010
Anglesey run
A weekend on Anglesey, so I took the opportunity to enjoy the varied 10 mile loop from Beaumaris to Llanddona and the glorious road, poised above the sea, back to Llangoed. This gives tremendous mountain views, although it was obvious that the thaw was continuing in mild, cloudy conditions today.
Friday, December 10, 2010
Chicane Gully
Crag: Cwm Idwal
Route: Chicane Gully (wIII 4,3,3/4:led p.3)
Tropical temperatures as I left the house at 6.30. Infuriating timing after a week of near-perfect conditions for the ice routes in Idwal, but this was the only tiny window available. It got even warmer as I drove to Ogwen, and it was clear that a very aggressive thaw was taking place. Still, Vic, Mick and I walked in anyway: torrents of slush flowing down Idwal Staircase, cloud right down, a thoroughly depressing experience. There was still a great deal of ice around, though, and we continued to the base of the Screen. Sadly, this had a waterfall pouring down it, so we contoured round to South Gully - another waterfall. However, the icefalls to the right seemed drier and the opening pitch of Chicane Gully looked a lot better. This begins up a little bay, below a large icicle, and takes an appealing pillar of water ice. I followed Vic up this excellent 45m pitch: steepish moist ice, probably closer to IV than III, giving good climbing up to an unexpected mixed section as the left wall closes in. Got rather wet on this 15m open chimney, but it gave absorbing mixed climbing. The second pitch is a complete contrast, up the shallower continuation of the gully, and was far easier today, despite the conditions and guidebook description. A mixture of melting snow, semi-frozen turf, heather and rock (but all far more fun than appearances suggested, with surprisingly solid placements and more mixed climbing). Vic belayed half-way up, giving me an interesting final pitch which went up easy snow to a short crux involving an awkward pull up on insecure soft powder and high step to overcome an ice umbrella. Everything else was pouring with water, but at least we grabbed a little morsel before it all disappears.
Route: Chicane Gully (wIII 4,3,3/4:led p.3)
Tropical temperatures as I left the house at 6.30. Infuriating timing after a week of near-perfect conditions for the ice routes in Idwal, but this was the only tiny window available. It got even warmer as I drove to Ogwen, and it was clear that a very aggressive thaw was taking place. Still, Vic, Mick and I walked in anyway: torrents of slush flowing down Idwal Staircase, cloud right down, a thoroughly depressing experience. There was still a great deal of ice around, though, and we continued to the base of the Screen. Sadly, this had a waterfall pouring down it, so we contoured round to South Gully - another waterfall. However, the icefalls to the right seemed drier and the opening pitch of Chicane Gully looked a lot better. This begins up a little bay, below a large icicle, and takes an appealing pillar of water ice. I followed Vic up this excellent 45m pitch: steepish moist ice, probably closer to IV than III, giving good climbing up to an unexpected mixed section as the left wall closes in. Got rather wet on this 15m open chimney, but it gave absorbing mixed climbing. The second pitch is a complete contrast, up the shallower continuation of the gully, and was far easier today, despite the conditions and guidebook description. A mixture of melting snow, semi-frozen turf, heather and rock (but all far more fun than appearances suggested, with surprisingly solid placements and more mixed climbing). Vic belayed half-way up, giving me an interesting final pitch which went up easy snow to a short crux involving an awkward pull up on insecure soft powder and high step to overcome an ice umbrella. Everything else was pouring with water, but at least we grabbed a little morsel before it all disappears.
Thursday, December 09, 2010
Clwydian loop
Unable to exploit the climbing conditions in Snowdonia, so contented myself with this early morning run from Llanferres. The beautiful cold and sunny weather we've had all week changed to driving sleet as I left the car, improving my mood no end. Got up an icy Foel Fenlli in 20 mins, then enjoyed excellent snowy running down to Clwyd Gate, then up the OD path (some drifts) to the shoulder of Moel Gyw and down to Llanarmon in another sleet shower. From here, I did an extended road 'interval' back to Llanferres. Felt slightly tired towards the end, perhaps a result of a similar eight-mile loop of Waun y Llyn and Hope Mountain last night.
Sunday, December 05, 2010
Clwydian run
With the ultra-cautious cancellation of the Helena Tipping 10k there was an opportunity to enjoy a longer Sunday run in the hills. A complete thaw at lower levels (making the cancellation questionable) but a lot of snow higher up giving great running. Jez and I left Cadole for the long run through the woods to the Cilcain track, then up increasingly thick snow to the ridge. Great running through sunbursts and shifting mist to the Arctic summit and rimed-up tower, before descending the MTB track back down to the Alyn. A nice family walk to Twll Mawr through the quarries above Llanberis later on, as the cloud cleared the summit of Yr Wyddfa.
Friday, December 03, 2010
Idwal ice
Crag: Cwm Idwal
Routes: Idwal Stream (wII/III 3,3,2:led p.2)
An unusually early cold snap, which as ever brings mixed emotions: a strong desire to get out there coupled with an aversion to the stress that inevitably causes. This time of year is so busy there's no real chance of exploiting these wonderful conditions, however, so one just has to be sanguine! We had a few meagre hours at our disposal today, with limited gear, and used the time to check the conditions on this gentle winter trade route (which I also climbed in January). Lots of teams had the same idea, and the route gave the usual relaxed entertainment. Lots of ice, great conditions for the time of year although not quite as fat as in January. Vic led the first little rise, giving me the enjoyable second pitch up pure water ice (wet near the top). We then indulged in a little variation, up steeper ice left of the normal route, to gain the easy top section. After lunch on the plateau, surprised by how well the weather was holding up (wind but no snow, and great views over the Carneddau) we descended past Twll Du, a frustrating experience as it was clear many routes were in. An early finish meant I could get to the Collie via St Asaph to enjoy an excellent 6 mile headtorch run around Bwlch Penbarras and the side of Moel Famau on forest tracks with a deep covering of soft snow.
Routes: Idwal Stream (wII/III 3,3,2:led p.2)
An unusually early cold snap, which as ever brings mixed emotions: a strong desire to get out there coupled with an aversion to the stress that inevitably causes. This time of year is so busy there's no real chance of exploiting these wonderful conditions, however, so one just has to be sanguine! We had a few meagre hours at our disposal today, with limited gear, and used the time to check the conditions on this gentle winter trade route (which I also climbed in January). Lots of teams had the same idea, and the route gave the usual relaxed entertainment. Lots of ice, great conditions for the time of year although not quite as fat as in January. Vic led the first little rise, giving me the enjoyable second pitch up pure water ice (wet near the top). We then indulged in a little variation, up steeper ice left of the normal route, to gain the easy top section. After lunch on the plateau, surprised by how well the weather was holding up (wind but no snow, and great views over the Carneddau) we descended past Twll Du, a frustrating experience as it was clear many routes were in. An early finish meant I could get to the Collie via St Asaph to enjoy an excellent 6 mile headtorch run around Bwlch Penbarras and the side of Moel Famau on forest tracks with a deep covering of soft snow.
Subscribe to:
Posts (Atom)