As we look eagerly ahead with the prospect of another sustained period of cold weather about to arrive in North Wales (but this time with the added bonus of some sweet strips of neve lining the gullies) it is worth highlighting some unreported action from the previous deep freeze earlier in January.

Up on Clogwyn Du (where else?) Rob Bryniarski and Stephen Barratt climbed up the right side of the upper pillar of The Rutt following an obvious hand crack and stepping right across an exposed groove to a difficult sequence surmounting the blunt arete. This pitch rated V 5. A further 20m V 6 pitch up two connecting groove lines leads to a ledge overlooking the finish of Left Hand Y Gully. No name yet, but this is sure to become a popular excursion and one which can be linked with the lower crux groove pitch of Clogwyn Central V 6, which in case you’d forgotten takes the groove right of the first section of the Left Hand Y Gully ice fall.

Also of note should the deep freeze hit the lower level ice again this season is a report from Dafydd Davis and Andy Hall of an ascent of the ice fall below below Pont yr Afon Gam (the cafe at the junction between the Ffestiniog/Bala and Ffestiniog/Penmanchno road). The old winter guide refers to this as Rhaeadr y Cwm.

“I first did it in 1986 when there was a vertical pillar on the left of the main fall (V) and a less steep option on the right (IV). There were also two superb pitches on the right wall of the gorge at about V. This time round we did a 50m V pitch of thin ice and steep rock and moss to a lower off by a tree, below the main falls and then did the right hand side of the main falls at about IV.” Explained Dafydd.

And back to the here and now: the prospects look good for the next few weeks. Book some time off work and keep your eyes glued to Mark ‘Baggy’ Richards blog for all the latest winter conditions reports:

wwwbaggy.blogspot.com

The Welsh Winter wiki is also going from strength to strength with some excellent contributions from Pete Harrison, including some new topos for the Black Ladders:

welshwinterclimbs.wetpaint.com

Tim Neill and Jack Geldard have also produced a topo for The Black Ladders. This is available on:

UKClimbing.com.

And don't forget to take winter crag shots if you get the chance. Also any opportunities for non 'bum/head' shots should be jumped at. Pictures of other climbers on the crag are often better than the ones that you and your mate will take of each other. Good quality winter climbing photographs are not exactly abundant, so please get snapping and send them in for inclusion in the forthcoming North Wales Winter Climbing supplement (due for release in time for the 2009/10 season).

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