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.