Nant Ffrancon snow gullies

Peak/Crag: Foel Goch (East Face)
Routes: Red Gully (wI/II:sol)
Peak/Crag: Y Garn (Cwm Cywion)
Routes: No.3 Gully (wII:sol)
Red Gully is one of the most obvious winter lines in Ogwen, particularly from the A5, and it was clear that it was complete as I drove up the valley. The steep pull into Cwm Coch is always a good test of fitness, and I arrived at the base of the gully in 30 minutes. The route itself is easy but excellent, ideal for a solo day: a very deep, twisting and atmospheric gully, one of the best of its kind locally. No steps, no evidence of ascents, despite ideal neve conditions which are fairly rare on this low crag. It is very gentle initially as it climbs between high retaining walls before steepening and twisting left, up a couple of steps of frozen turf, to a splendid steep finish on superb neve. As I pulled onto the plateau, the weather (already far worse than forecast) deteriorated, wind and snow for the unavoidable trudge to the top of Foel Goch (less than an hour from the car - indeed, almost a direct line from car to summit via this route). I then dropped down into Cwm Cywion to the south, and traversed across to Gully No.2 (False Banana Gully). I remember getting blown over here in weirdly strong funnelled winds 20 years ago. It's just a gentle wide gully until the last 80m or so. I took the steeper right hand exit (No.3 gully) up mild mixed ground, some turfy steps amidst the snow slopes, to another steep finish on more superb neve. Notable cornice by Welsh standards. Terrible weather for the trudge up Y Garn, the summit no place for lunch, so I descended the NE ridge to get out of the wind. Heavy driving snow so, after lunch high on the ridge, I plunged down one of the shallow gullies overlooking Cywion and gained the grassy base of the cwm in steady rain. Minimal stress to the knee injury, but still no running (11 days off and counting!).