Page 39 - 2018 AMA Winter

The count at the end of the day was five climbs completed and sixteen left to go.
Our second day was another big day, but we ultimately left a little disappointed. The Idwal Slabs link up in Wilson’s book starts on ‘Hope’ VDiff moves onto ‘Lazarus’ S 4a followed by ‘The Arete’ Vdiff and after a short walk ‘Grey Slab’ VS 4b on the Glyder Fawr Crag. The first three climbs were dispatched with gusto in around 3 hours, but looking at the protection-less Grey Slab we saw it streaked with wet patches- we didn’t want to take the risk. The planned climb that afternoon was probably the least travelled route on our list- ‘Will ‘o the Wisp’ HVD at Craig Cywarch. After an hour and half drive south and a further hour of thrashing through bracken up the hill side we arrived, hot and sweaty, at the base of the crag. Do not underestimate this route as is can only be described as an adventure and is a connoisseur climb. Three pitches vertical and three pitches of traversing on wet and dirty holds left us both drained mentally as each foothold felt like a gamble. The scramble off the back into the gully was just as exciting as the climbing itself. At the end of the second day were was still on track with nine routes out of the twenty one completed.
Day three was the stopper and the weather was just too poor for the routes we want to do. Our main topic of con- versation was that the valley routes were achievable between rain showers but the mountain crags were continually wet and the rain didn’t seem to ease off. However,
we decided to walk up to Heather Terrace anyway and make an assessment on try and push through. This didn’t go as well as we hoped and when we arrive at the base of south gully the visibility was only 35m and the rain was coming down in heavy waves. Locating the start of Gashed Crag was difficult and we reluctantly made the decision to walk down and re-think the day. Llanberis pass was dry(ish) so we finished off the remaining routes in the that valley. We now had less days than we had high mountain crags and we then knew that we couldn’t achieve what we wanted with the weather being as difficult as it was.
Day four and five saw Al and I dodging rain showers and trying to tick the routes we needed to finished the set. One of the
‘Locating the start of Gashed Crag was difficult and we reluctantly made the decision to walk down and re-think the day’
abseils also managed to chew through one of my ropes and turned a 60m rope into a 56m rope which again ate into our time. The final day on the east face of Tryfan did clear up and we had an enjoyable lunch in blue sky on the summit. The final count left three unclimbed and still to do.
While we didn’t achieve our goal, reflecting on the experience has been positive.
We had an adventure and tried to do it in a short time period. Any soldier who claims they can’t get time to go outdoors and have an experiences should try and use their imagination and come up with something that challenges them. Al and I managed to do something that we will remember for a long time in the space of five days! Some of the routes were new to us and left us with smiles on our faces at the quality of the climbs and daring of the first ascensionists in the early 1900 that put up some of these routes. Ken Wilson has broadened my climbing knowledge and fed my hunger for ticking quality routes of a list. i
FACTS
ACTIVITY: ROCK CLIMBING LOCATION: NORTH WALES CLIMBS ACHIEVED: 18 OF 21
CRAGS: DINAS CROMLECH, IDWAL SLABS, HEATHER TERRACE, MILESTONE BUTTRESS, CRYN LLAS, DINAS MOT, PANT IFAN TO NAME A FEW!
ACCOMMODATION: CAPEL CURIG DEPLOYED PERSONNEL: 2 + A
CAMERAMAN
EXPED DATES: 26 – 31 AUG 18
TOTAL EXPED COST: £ A TANK OF FUEL
Sean on Creagh Dhu Wall - HS 4b
ARMY MOUNTAINEER / 39