More Welsh Winter climbing...

Wow! Another weekend in wales winter climbing! I drove across early on Saturday morning to meet Tom at the car park beneath Dinas Mot. It was a pretty weird arrangement seeing as I’d meet him for one day in Scotland. As it turned out it was him, Charlie and John (and a guy named Jack who I’d not met before) who’d come across to take advantage of the good weather.

I had borrowed Toaf’s crampons this week. He’s skiing in the Alps somewhere and I thought that he wouldn’t mind. Also I’m planning to replace my super12’s with something a little more aggressive. Having some G14’s to play around with meant I could convert to monopoints and see how I faired. My first impressions of the crampons when I converted the whole thing are how robust it is. I’m a little worried about anti-balling plates and they are a little heavier than what I’m used to.

I teamed up with Charlie and John and we all headed over towards Dinas Mot for some winter cragging. Dan and Jack jumped on Jammed Boulder Gully (grade III) and said it was an awesome climb with 3 pitches (2 snow and 1 ice pitch). We instead after a little faffing which involved me backing off a mixed approach to what looked like an awesome icefall (I even managed to retrieve my sling). Settled on The Black Cleft (grade IV,5). This route wasn’t in perfect condition, with a little too much unconsolidated snow, but when we found some ice it was alright.

John took the start of the first pitch, but couldn’t do the chockstone in the chimney. Instead he accidentally placed his own chockstone when He snapped off a hold and it jammed in a crack. He came back down and built a belay and brought up me and Charlie. Charlie then took on the mantle of the leader and headed up. As he was climbing John told me that Charlie love and excels at thrutchy moves so he was perfect for this pitch. Charlie made the move after and series of thrutching and what appeared to be a leg jam. After a bit of salmoning (very technically move somewhat akin to how a fish flaps when it is out of water) he pulled through and tried to find a belay. I think this was the crux of our climb, finding protection. If it had been completely iced up then we’d have had gear all over the place. Instead crumbling sugar snow and seams of ice provided little.

He got a size 2 cam in and yelled that it was about a 5 (on the grand protection rating system of 1 – 10) this was alright, until he down graded it to a 3. As the banter continued he said it would be alright, but it was left unspoken to just not fall off. I was brought up first and very carfully tested out my monopoints. They let me teeter up on tiny edges and nubbins of rock allowing me to careful bridge up the chimney. However I did also manage to get some salmoning in. John seconded well and sat himself on top of the chockstone, the belay was cramped to say the least.

So with a single cam in I started up my pitch. I was looking for gear like nobodies business trying to find anything. As I climbed upwards I had to make major use of my monopoints on all the little edges and eyebrows of ice available. As I moved up I realized that there was no hope of me reversing the moves I’d just done so I was forced to keep climbing. Eventually the gradient lessened, I found some turf but also some snow. After another 15ft of powder snow I got the a break and s massive stance. Unethical as it seems I pegged a knifeblade thin seam and drove my mixed hook in for a decent belay. I figured I deserved on. We’d been joking about the pegs and that once I made the tap tap tap of placing one, when would hear a hunting horn down in the pass as the local ethics committee descended on us. I didn’t care, but as I tapped away I heard John making hunting horn noises below me. I yelled I was safe and relaxed.

The next pitch looked amazing. The Chimney had slanted leaving an set of steep icey steps on the right but some hanging icicles on the overhanging left wall. I’d belay out of the line of fire, through both choice and protection. I was an awesome place to be in. John took this next pitch and had a god time smashing off the icicles above, in fact there was a continual rain of debris down the hole pitch as he climbed it. IT was supposed to be a 45metre pitch, but he ran it out for 50metres and was 1 metre off a decent belay. I guess 60metre ropes really do pay off. His belay consisted of turf placements, and hammered in ice axes.

We walked off down the front after following a likely looking set of footprints. The weather was good and clear and we had hours of daylight left. Tom and Jack had already finished and were sitting in Pete’s eats so we joined them down there for tea and a discussion of tomorrow activity.

They all seemed to be going to Black Ladders and I said I would let them know. I was meeting Stewie in the morning for a day’s climbing.

I retreated to the Vaynol Arms to see if I could meet some of the Ceunant MC and see what was in condition and where they recommended going. I got in and there was only 2 others in there. This gave me chance to dry my socks and dach mitts by the fire. I met Rich in there and he invited me to stay over at the Tyn Lon as there was a little space and I didn’t really have anywhere else to stay.

When I got in I walked in the room and they asked if I was one of the “homeless Wrekin lads” who they seem to take pity on. I was asked why I didn’t just join the club as they are based in Birmingham it sort of makes sense. I like the Wrekin MC though and all the people in the club. We’ll see.

After a manic texting and calling spree I just told Stewie to meet me at the Tyn lon at 0730 then next day. So his little head appeared at the window while I was eating breakfast, demanding entry. We discussed a few options about where to climb as neither of us had a real plan. I plummed for either Black Ladders or Creag yr Rheaedr. Black ladders lost out when I pointed out that Rheaedr was almost roadside and just a short drive up the pass. I was left to sort out the gear as I was packed and just took as many ice screws as I could muster. Off we went.

Talk about roadside. You can see Rheaedr from the road and it was covered in ice. As we walked in we could already see a couple of teams on the main icefalls already. After checking the topo they came in at grade V’s and VI’s and Stewie didn’t want to start on anything that hard. I also didn’t either, but still wanted to get onto them as they did look so good. We’d heard from my intel in the pub that the ice was fairly brittle so we headed round to do Grooved Slab (grade IV). No-one else was on this bit of the crag so we had our pick of routes and we geared up beneath it. I racked up for the first pitch.

This turned out to be a little solo of about 20 metres on good easy ice to find out first decent belay. Here I built a bomber anchor (after all the dodgey gear the day before) and brought up Stewie. Before I brought him up I was told to re-rack everything on a couple of bandoliers. Urgh! I hate bandolier with a passion and have never been able to get on well with them. But Stewie was in charge as the older and more experienced member so I did what I was told. Bandoliers swapped it watch Stewie climb the next pitch.

I turned out with pitch wasn’t too hard, but just had crap gear. Tied of ice screws, a bad peg, it all didn’t add up to much until Stewie reached a sling and some good ice and proclaimed he would belay there. I followed him up, easing my monopoints onto tiny edges and hooking carefully. Everything seems easier seconding, but this felt like it would have been a scary lead.

He gave me the bandoliers and I set off up what turned out be the best pitch. A good ice buldge, which I swear was over hanging slightly made for the first little crux. I got some good screws in and climbed up over it onto some bad ice. From there I found another good screw and just carried on up as there was no belay. Up another 15 metre wall of ice, missing the little pockets of bad snow and sticking in screws where in needed them. I then did something really stupid. I fumbled a screw with my gloves on and dropped it. I was so annoyed at myself. I guess accidents happen.

I topped out onto a would be grassy ledge, covered in snow and tried to find something to belay off of. I ended up climbing around for half an hour, breaking some rock trying to force in a peg and having to settle for a bomber screw, and driven in ice axes and a braced stance. I could hardly hear Stewie so just put in on belay and gave the three tugs. I prayed he wouldn’t fall off, but he’s really good at ice climbing so I had nothing to worry about.

When he topped out, I apologized for taking so long and my crap belay. He said it was fine, we’d just more together till we got to the top. So off he went disappearing round a corner and putting in gear mind-full of my belay. Eventually everything came tight and I stripped it all out and yelled I was climbing. I didn’t even get a response, but he knew. I plodded off round, taking out the few pieces he’d placed and then plodding up through the snow to meet him. He was sat belayed to a spike with a grin on his face.

We shook hands and decided on our next course of action. It turned out that we where both happy to call it a day and head down. The allure of a brew in Pete’s and a bad weather report for the late afternoon was more than enough. As we headed off we saw the MRT chopper coming in close. I circled a few times and then winched someone down. We’d already figured someone had had an accident. Apparently some had fallen from the top of the cascade, stripped out most of their route but missed the deck by about 3 metres. That was like an 80-100metre fall. The guy looked in pretty bad shape when we offered a hand. He’d got a compound fracture on his elbow, broken ribs and maybe a punctured lung. They took him away in the chopper.

I hate it when something like that happens at the end of a great days climbing. It encouraged me to get another screamer whilst in Llanberis though. As it turned out we’d only been out on the hill for about 5 hours. They shut Llanberis pass after we’d driven out so getting off the hill was a justifiable decision I guess. As for the monopoints, I couldn't get over how great they were. I'm definatly getting my own pair and G14 and I'll be setting them up as monos. If you have the opptunity then try them out. So what a great weekend!