Dec 2

Posted by: Matt Spenceley
02 December 2010 

 The day after I landed from my Yosemite trip, I was back on the road, bound for a very wet North Wales and our icecap expedition training weekend.  Rain, sleet and heavy packs made for a tough day out, but we managed to cover lots of info and I'm happy that we've got some good team members onboard.

The original plan for November was to build some steep rock fitness in Spain, which I was hoping to take to the Alps in December for a steep mixed project I have in mind.  Instead, I ended up climbing a load of trad routes back in the UK.  Not so good for getting strong, but did some great climbing in any case and also got the chance to put some running in in preparation for the ski season.

To finish a season in North Wales, from which I take many fond memories, a friend suggested that we try to run the 15 peaks that top 3000ft.  Turns out that involves something like 50 km and 5000m of ascent.  Add snowy conditions and not having run much this year, and I felt some trepidation before setting out...

Having left 1 van at the end, dropped a food depot at Llyn Ogwen, we had an early night of it.

5.50am and we leave the Pen-y-Pass carpark and start off up Snowdon

First light and nearing the top of our first peak.  Icier than we'd hoped.  What are the exposed ridges gonna be like?

Snowdon.  Our first summit of the day

I met Dave Grant in Finse on our icecap expedition training week and have since climbed with him quite a bit over the last season.  A good partner for the mission...

Second summit and our first blizzard of the day

Descending towards Crib Goch.  Wasn't much running going on around here

An icy Crib Goch

Scree-run down below the snowline and into the Pass.  A quick run down the road took us to Nant Peris (where we got soaked by a shower :()

600m up and happy to be above the freezing level again

After the second big climb, we quickly covered ground towards Y Garn and the Glyderau

Over Y Garn and heading for the first of the two Glyders

2 more peaks before heading for Tryan, the rocky summit to the right of Matt

Magic views down to the sea

With the Glyderau behind us, a quick descent to the side of Bristly Ridge, then back up the south ridge of Tryfan

Tryfan summit

Descent of the west face of Tryfan made for a steep but fast way down to the Ogwen valley, the site of the food depot

Llyn Ogwen, with the Carneddau rising beyond - the next stage of the run

Feeling sick as a dog after eating too much at the depot!

Guessing that could be on the 9th summit...

The 10th?!

And then it got dark.  The next 2.5 hours are a blur of running on a bearing through calf-deep snow, counting paces, blizzards, fog and cold hands!

Happy to reach the van and the end of a brilliant journey through the mountains of Wales.  In the end, the snow and rough weather only made a brilliant day out more memorable and the peaks etched in white were just stunning.  Tired but happy to be heading home, the view on the final descent stopped us in our tracks : dropping out of the cloud and snow, we could see far up the English NW coast, over to the Isle and Mann and even the lights of Ireland.  

 

That was last week.  On Tuesday I took the ferry over the Channel and am now in a very snowy Chamonix with a season's ski and climbing gear in the van.  Conditions looks great.  Bring on the skiing!