North Wales
Last week I was able to get up to North Wales for some mountain action. I was working for JBMountainSkills for a few days, so decided to spend a couple of days getting some personal stuff done too..
On the Monday Joey and I took a super windy, soggy, cold run up the North Ridge of Crib Goch, a North Wales classic scramble, unsurprisingly in the conditions, we had it to ourselves! After the ridge we dropped back down in to Cwm Glas, one of my favourite little spots, before a dash back to the Climbers Club hut at Ynys Ettws for a warm shower and a coffee! The day before Joes had done the other North Wales classic, the North ridge of Tryfan, so a great couple of days for her!
Joey running the North Wales classic scramble, Crib Goch
With a drier forecast, we couldn’t not climb the next day! We spent the morning spent exploring the slate quarries above Llanberis while the rock dried from the previous days deluge. At Milestone we did the Direct Route, Joeys first multi-pitch route. Uber polished but lovely none the less! She had no issues with the exposure – but the sheep on the belay ledge caused me problems! A very inquisitive creature had a little nibble of my rope!
Great first multi-pitch for Joey in North Wales, on Milestone Buttress…
Back to work it was, and a few days with Ian. He was already leading trad and had done his SPA training, so was looking to refine some skills and push his climbing to the next level. First up we went back to Milestone Buttress, one of the most ideal beginner multi-pitch crags in North Wales. Keen to get Ian making as many belays as possible I pushed him hard to get as much climbing done as possible. 8 pitches in total for him by the end of the day – a new record for Ian! Well done!
Ian leading on Milestone Buttress, North Wales
Ian had previously been to Tryfan Bach, and was keen to revisit it, so that was the venue for out second day. We started where we left off, with loads of leading, but on the descent Ian learnt about retreavable abseils and bailing off multi-pitch cliffs, important skills if you’re heading into the mountains. We looked at the management of long pitches, and Ian led a good 45meter pitch! Finally we had a look at helping a struggling or injured second past tricky sections with assisted and un-assisted hoists. Well done Ian for absorbing loads of info!
Ian learning hoist on Tryfan Bach, North Wales
My last day with Ian in North Wales we headed to some lovely crags above Betws y Coed, Clogwyn Cyrau is nestled in an idyllic setting amongst the pine trees. Warm sun was a contrast to the previous days cold wind in North Wales! We spent the day having a re-cap of the SPA skills Ian would need for his assessment. I had a fantastic few days, and was super impressed with the effort Ian put in, physically and mentally! Well done and see you again!