Sergeants Gully, Cwm Glas

I had decided to stay at home today and do Christmas type things. I managed a couple of hours this morning and then the snow on the lawn, the ice on the lane and the blue sky all combined to persuade me out - despite my best intentions. I teamed up with neighbour and friend from the Rescue Team, Phil Benbow, and we headed into Cwm Glas for a walk. We soloed up Sergeants Gully (II) which is described as an ice climb but was really, really wet! It was fun nonetheless. Yesterday I had a walk into Cwm Idwal with Skye and counted 17 people on Idwal Stream - they were also getting very wet! Sorry to Baggy who I called last night to say I wasn't going climbing - I am sure he had a great day out and will be reporting on his Blog later. I was back home for a late lunch and some chores!

Winter Skills with Jim

I have been out with Jim today who is on my mentor scheme. Jim had borrowed a pair of his Dads old crampons and some axes off me and we headed up into Cwm Cneifion to do some winter skills and suss out the climbing conditions. The ground was well frozen and it was below freezing in the Ogwen Valley when we left the car. As we headed up we practiced some crampon skills on the ice bulges in Seniors Gully and then on the frozen streams in the bed of Cwm Cneifion. The very light dusting of snow looked pretty but there was nothing substantial enough to play on. We climbed Easy Route (I) which allowed us to link up patches of old neve with frozen turf to give a fun outing. We then headed across the top of the Glyders getting some lovely views before descending into Cwm Idwal. The temperature was -5 degrees c on the summits with a biting NE wind. There were no climbers out on any routes anywhere which says it all really! A beautiful day to be out hillwalking though.

Snow!

I have been out this afternoon with Llanberis MRT on a rescue. The mountains are looking very pretty with a cloak of snow and more is forecast over the next few days. It was 3 degrees in Llanberis so will be below freezing on the summits under these blue skies. Ice axes and crampons will be required for any hillwalkers this weekend whilst climbers may find some conditions on the mixed routes. I am out tomorrow working so will report back!

Trail Magazine

I have been out with Phoebe and photographer Tom from Trail magazine again today. We were doing a photo shot for a forthcoming issue on scrambling so I was mainly just posing and getting my kit off - scrambling kit that is! The issue should be out in April for all those commenting that they have been missing me after last months multiple appearances!

Hidden Chimney Direct

Well I made the long drive home to North Wales today which was hard leaving such nice weather and conditions in Scotland. I managed to persuade Paul to make the walk into Sneachda again this morning before we left. This meant an early start and a walk in by moonlight but there were still people ahead of us. We climbed Hidden Chimney Direct (IV, 5) and were down at the car by 10:30am. Conditions were great with hard snow, some ice and more stunning views. Nice to be home now and starting to think about Christmas with the kids!

Friday Night Safety Video from UKClimbing.com

The Runnell

Carlos & Paul lead The Runnell (II) in Sneachda today whilst I climbed alongside and offered advice on gear placements, belays and time saving tips. It has been a beautiful sunny day with stunning air clarity and bullet hard snow - hard to get any better at this time of year! It was -7c in Aviemore this morning but hovering around freezing in the Corrie. The overnight frost has meant that the ground is rock hard frozen giving great climbing conditions in the gullies.

We were overtaken by a death roping pair in the Runnell today. Death roping is where two people climb at the same time tied to either end of a rope. Its totally pointless as it means that if one person falls then both climbers fall - worse still in a busy gully it means they clothes line all the other climbers off on their way down. My top tip for all death ropers is this - solo. Its safer. If you don't want to solo then pitch. Moving together is something totally different and should not be necessary in the Runnell. Rant over!

A great day and Scotland has given my clients a wonderful intro to winter climbing.

Jacobs Right Hand

Carlos & Paul got on the sharp end of the rope today and lead their first winter climb. We headed to the Mess of Pottage and between them they lead Jacobs Right Hand (I) in alternate pitches. The snow was bullet hard after last nights freeze and we enjoyed Scotland at its best with squeaky neve, blue skies, sunshine and cold crisp temperatures. The route was great as there is still lots of snow covering the gear placements so the boys had to work hard digging to find gear and belays - the true winter experience.

Ewans Buttress

Today we headed into Coire An Lochain and climbed Ewans Buttress (III, 4). The temperatures had risen overnight and the freezing level was above the summits all day - but only just. The snow is now almost a uniform layer (apart from some of the gully tops) which with the forecast cold weather that should arrive tomorrow will mean some really nice climbing conditions for the weekend. The soft mushy snow today wasn't ideal but we had fun, some lovely views and got some nice photos.

Invernookie, Cairngorms

Paul, Carlos and I headed back into Sneachda today and climbed Invernookie (III,4). The route had plenty of fresh snow on it and some nice ice and patches of frozen turf. There was also a North Wales team on The Seam alongside us and several other teams out in the Corrie. We could also see across to Savage Slit which has been climbed every day for the last 3 days. It was a beautiful morning and the clouds came over and the wind picked up as the day went on. The freezing level was below the summits contrary to the forecast and it had been very cold overnight with a slight temperature inversion.

5 day learn to lead winter climbing course in the Cairngorms

I am up in Aviemore this week with regular clients Carlos and Paul for a 5 day learn to lead, winter climbing course. It has been great to be back out in the snow and we have enjoyed some good climbing in the Northern Corries today. We headed into Sneachda and climbed Hidden Chimney (II/III). The underlying snow has consolidated since the weekend but there was some fresh deposits overnight and some wind slab round and about. The crags were nice and white with a mixture of rime and powder snow which made the climbing tricky as there were still large patches of unconsolidated snow just where you wanted neve! Ice is beginning to form and the freezing level was probably around 900 - 1000m today. We abseiled down Jacobs Ladder and refreshed snowpack analysis and then headed back to the Mountain Cafe for tea and scones!

SARDA Day

I was out all day yesterday with Skye on a SARDA training day. We did well to avoid the worst of the weather and had a great day of training. We had a call out last night and I was out with Llanberis MRT rescuing 9 people on Snowdon in lashing rain and 60mph winds. They were pleased to see us!

I am driving upto Scotland today for a weeks work. Please email me if you want to get in touch as the phone signal will be dodgy on my mobile but we do have a wireless network.

Snowdon in the Snow

I have had another day off today so took the dog for a walk up Snowdon. The PYG track was very icey underfoot and there were plenty of people without winter kit who were slipping and sliding all over the place. There were several parties climbing on the Trinity Face although there did seem to be a trend of walking to the bottom of a route, deciding it wasn't in condition and then moving along to the next route! Although the mountains are very white and the paths very icey from lots of footprints compressing the snow the turf is not frozen. I was glad of my crampons on the way down and enjoyed some beautiful views. I am off to Scotland at the weekend and my appetite has been nicely wetted!

Snow in Snowdonia

I have had a day off today so decided to make the most of the snow on the tops and go for a walk with the dog. As you can see from the photos the mountains are looking very pretty ad it has been nice and cold today too with temperatures of 3 degrees in the Ogwen Valley. I headed up onto the Glyders and there was a good hard crust on the snow and some good rime on the crags. North Wales will soon be echoing to the sound of picks being sharpened!

Rescues & First Aid

It has been a busy weekend with a definite Mountain Rescue theme. I have been on the ECMR First Aid course all weekend - yesterday this involved learning lots of new skills including injecting my team mates which lead to lots of general hilarity! Last night was the AMI AGM and on top of that we had 3 rescues yesterday and another one today. There has been a nice dump of snow down to about 400 metres and it is raining heavily now and with a temperature of 4 degrees c in Llanberis it will be falling as snow on the mountains. It looks set to be cold all week with a good frost tonight and blizzard conditions throughout the week.

ECMR First Aid Course

I am on a 3 day Emergency Care for Mountain Rescue First Aid course this weekend. This builds on the two day REC course that I did last weekend. I had a quick look at the mountain forecast for Snowdonia this morning and though I would share the overview with you:

A windy and cold morning with periods of rain at low levels and sleet and snow above 400 metres. Over the very highest peaks 4 to 8 cm of snow may accumulate. This should clear away by midday to leave a dry and fine afternoon with some sunshine.

Woo Hoo!

Scrambling in the rain

Well the last couple of days have been pretty wild. Yesterday was wet all day but the winds were only gusting about 40mph so Monica and I managed to do the North Ridge of Tryfan. It was nice to have the mountain to ourselves and blow the cobwebs away! Today we had 90mph winds and constant rain so we attempted the East Ridge on Moel Siabod but were beaten back by the weather - a hasty retreat saw us back in the cafe!

First Aid Course

I have been on a Mountain First Aid course this weekend with Active First Aid which is run by a friend of mine, Katherine Wills from the Llanberis Mountain Rescue Team. I have to update my first aid qualification every 3 years and so that what this weekend was all about. We had two full days of training with practice scenarios outdoors culminating in a grand finale Sunday evening. A great couple of days! I am now out with regular client and friend Monica for 3 days of private guiding scrambling here in Snowdonia.

If as a regular reader of the Blog you fancy a weeks ice climbing trip to Norway in February and have done some winter climbing before then drop me an email.

Navigation with Jim

I have been out with Jim today who is on my mentor scheme. We have had continual rain and forecast 100mph winds on the summits so we stayed low. Jim is preparing for hi ML assessment so we spent the day looking at micro navigation in poor visibility. Skye came along for the fresh air.

Two days advanced scrambling

Well the weather has not been great here in Snowdonia over the last couple of days but nonetheless Ian, Dave & I have got out and made the most of the lashing rain and strong winds! Yesterday we progressed there scrambling onto grade 2 ground in Cwm Idwal with the boys leading alternate pitches and looking at all of the skills involved in roped scrambling. Today we put it into practice on a very wild Cneifion Arete. A great week despite the weather!

Gribin Ridge, Lliwedd

Yesterday Bryn took Dave & Ian up the North Ridge of Tryfan whilst I caught up on some admin here at home. I have updated the location articles on the website - read them here for inspiration on places to visit. Last night Bryn and I ran a night navigation exercise for the Llanberis MRT whilst today I took Dave & Ian over Lliwedd via the grade 1 Gribin Ridge in lashing rain and hail! This evening we had a rescue where two males were lost on the Pyg Track on Snowdon!

5 day classic scrambles course

This week I have been joined by Ian & Dave for a 5 day classic scrambles course. The aim of the week is to pick off some of the best grade 1, 2 and 3 scrambles in Snowdonia. Today we headed up the Gribin ridge onto the Glyders and then descended Bristly Ridge. The winds were lighter than forecast but it was seasonably cold which is great after the warm weather of last week. We had some sleet and hail on the summits today so winter is on its way! On the Llanberis MRT we have had the usual rash of callouts that we get when the clocks go back from people who have forgotten a torch so don't forget its dark a lot earlier now!