Llanberis slate

Crag: Bus Stop Quarry, Llanberis
Routes: First Stop (f5:sec), Equinox variant (VS 4c:sec), Ferrero Roche (HS:led), Bosch Stop Quarry (f6a+:led*), Bosch Stop Quarry (f6a+:sec), Bish Bash Bosch (f6a:sec)
An unprecedented miscalculation saw us heading all the way over to a misty, dank and drizzly Tremadog while western Snowdonia enjoyed stunning conditions of shifting cloud and dazzling sunshine. To be fair, the forecast was largely to blame, along with the likelihood crags would have been wet after recent rain. Still, we usually pride ourselves on our local knowledge so it was galling: we headed up to Moel y Gest from Porthmadog to find the crag protected by waist-high brambles (theoretically only a 'summer' problem) and the rock sodden and utterly unappealing (a westerly airflow had led to this dank sea mist rolling in). So after wasting several hours, we headed back west in frustrated mood, instantly emerging from the clag and damp at Penygroes. Time was running out, so we headed to Deiniolen and Bus Stop Quarry, intent on salvaging a shrivelled husk from the day (really, we should have been on the east face of Tryfan, or similar). After a warm-up, Vic and Steve led the old trade route Equinox, now rather polished, by the direct variations, and I led the unpleasantly loose groove of Ferrero Roche. We finished with the two 6a+ routes higher up: the one on the right has a very technical crux, which I failed on a couple of years ago. It involves a high clip, then a blind move to a vague toe hold, a crimp, then a footless lunge to an obvious hold. It is much harder than it looks. I grabbed at the clip when leading, then did it again clean with rope above. The companion 6a+ line to its left is a tad more positive and certainly easier.