What an epic day in the Welsh hills yesterday! A team of eight friends tackled what has to be one of the hardest UK challenges out there…the mighty Welsh 3000s.

The Welsh 3000s challenge? Climb all 15 peaks above 3000 feet in under 24 hours!

A 4am start climbing Snowdon ensured we had the highest peak in Wales pretty much to ourselves. The sleet, wind and snow at the top meant we didn’t hang around, and we quickly ticked another peak before descending to Nant Peris for a refuel.

The second leg saw the team ascend into the Glyders, climbing Elidir Fawr, Foel Goch, Y Garn, Glyder Fach, Glyder Fawr and Tryfan before descending to the Ogwen Valley.

The final section climbs Pen yr Ole Wen in the Carneddau range. Carnedd Dafydd, Carnedd Llewellyn, Yr Elen, Foel Grach, Carnedd Gwenllian and Foel Fras then followed! The cloud lifted and we were soon bathed in sunshine and views of the surrounding peaks. As we ascended Pen yr Ole Wen we could see the route we’d come, with fantastic views back to Snowdon and the whole of the Glyders in all their glory.

The team then descended via Drum to a well deserved pizza and the support vehicles, arriving at a very respectful time of 10pm…18 hours from the start!!! There are some tired legs in Capel Curig this morning!

A massive congratulations to the whole team, what a day!!! We were rewarded with a stunning sunset over Anglesey, the perfect finish to the challenge.

If you’d like to find out more about the Welsh 3000s and how you can take part on a guided, fully supported challenge, please visit: https://www.moreadventure.co.uk/event/the-welsh-3000s/

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• The weather
• The mountain experience of all members of your party
• What clothing and equipment you will be carrying
• The time of year
• The time available you have to climb Snowdon

Here are some of the most popular routes available:

The Pyg Track

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Routes to Climb Snowdon

There are several different routes up the mountain but the most popular is from Pen Y Pass at the top of the Llanberis Pass. Here there is a small car park, public toilets, a Youth Hostel and café.

The two most popular routes from Pen Y Pass are the Pyg Track and The Miner’s Path. The Pyg Track is more direct and slightly shorter but there are some rocky sections that can be slightly tricky in the wet. The Miner’s Path skirts around Llyn Llydaw (a small lake to the east of Snowdon) then climbs a scree slope to join up with the Pyg Track just east of the summit ridge.

Another popular route follows the train track up from the town of Llanberis from the north of the summit. This is a long route up but the footpath is excellent and you then have the option of returning by train. The train shouldn’t however be relied upon as it sometimes doesn’t run due to bad weather and stops running each day at a certain time.

One route that should definitely be avoided is Crib Goch (or Red Ridge). Looking at a mp, this looks like the shortest and most direct route, it is however, a sharp ridge that rises high above the Pyg Track and is technical and exposed throughout. Many inexperienced people get into trouble on this route, sometimes necessitating unnecessary rescues from the airy ridge.

How Long to Climb Snowdon

will of course depend upon many different factors. The fitness of your group, which route you take, the weather, how well prepared you are and how many breaks you take will all play their part.

Conditions on Snowdon are hugely variable at any time of year. Having the right clothing and equipment, and being prepared for poor weather is essential. In addition to this, the use of a map, being able to navigate in poor visibility and negotiating varied terrain are skills should be mastered before attempting your climb.

One way of safely climbing Snowdon is doing it through an organized trek or employing a guide. This is particularly important if you are the group leader as it will take away the stresses involved in undertaking such a demanding activity. They will know the route well, advise you and the group on what clothing and equipment to take, and will assist the weaker members of your group.

Climbing Snowdon in a group

If you’re interested in Climbing Snowdon as part of a small group, please get in touch with us to find out more.

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The road running through Glencoe has to be one of the most beautiful in the country. It follows the river as it carves between two massifs of rock. Waterfalls cascade down steep crags on both sides, giving a rugged, ancient and mesmerising view. All was calm until we opened the door – the wind nearly took the door clean off as it rushed along the valley floor.

“Shall we enjoy the view from in here?” asked Dave.

There was no way we weren’t going up into the mountains today. The weather forecast was spectacular with 90% chance of cloud-free munros. A bit of wind was not going to put us off this rarity!

We made our way up into Corrie nan Lochan then veered right across treacherous icy rocks and seemingly oil-slicked paths. As we reached the snowy saddle, we caught our first glimpse of Twisting Gully, a grade III Scottish winter classic, as dubbed by our ever-faithful guidebook. It looked steep and intimidating, with varying levels of snow and ice. We had learnt that the lack of snow can be a hindrance on some climbs, so approached warily, still not fully convinced we would climb.

Making our way up to the foot of the climb we made a classic error – waiting too long before deciding to gear up. So there we were, perched atop a 60 degree snow slope on a tiny ledge no wider than an Ipad, attempting to don crampons and harnesses. One of these days, we’ll learn.

The first pitch headed up to the right from our perch. At the top of the first gully, a bit of tat (cord or tape left by previous climbers) hung frozen from the base of a chockstone (a large wedged rock). I went straight for it, ignoring the more obvious crack on the left (the actual belay). Unsure of the integrity of the tat, I placed a seagull-basher (large piece of metal used to protect climbs) above it to offer a bit more security to what can only be described as a less-than-ideal belay.

After bringing Dave up to the belay, I lead back out onto the wall to our left. This was the crux, or the hardest part of the climb. I placed a rather useless ice screw into a block of ice already peppered with the holes of previous screws. The following snow slope led to our next belay where the views down into the coire were outstanding, some walkers looked on, most probably with a better idea of where we were going than we had.

Two pitches later, we had broken the back of the climb but wanted it to continue.

“Ten metres”, shouted Dave from the belay, warning me that I only had ten metres of rope left.

I looked up to the final snow slope and knew I needed more than the ten metres on offer. I hadn’t placed any gear for a little while and looked hopefully up to two rocks protruding from the snow. I took the chance and ran the rope out until I reached the rocks. After giving them a firm kick, I was able to put a sling around one of them and a rock in the other. Unsure of how well they were fixed, I put myself in between me and Dave, hopefully taking some of the pressure off the belay in the event of him taking a fall. As he approached me I explained that there was a further ten metres to the top so it was probably best he does it. Never one to complain, Dave took off above us and in no time at all was bringing me up.

The views from the top were stupendous. We decided to push on to the summit of Coire nan Lochan and were treated to a full, unhindered 360-degree panorama of the best that Scotland has to offer. It was fantastic and the perfect end to what we now understood to be a truly classic Scottish winter climb!

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During our time in Rjukan we learned some valuable lessons, some whilst climbing and some about just being in Norway.

• Getting to/from Rjukan is simple without a car. We flew into Oslo Gardermoen, got a train to Oslo Central (90kr) then a bus to Notodden (440kr return). From Notodden, it is another hour or so to Rjukan (146kr).

• Believe the hype, food and drink is super expensive in Norway. A loaf of bread can cost £3, a small can of beer £2 and £1.50 for a tin of beans. We are considering paying for an extra bag on our flight next year and filling it with food! If you want a drink during your stay, grab some at the airport duty free, it is literally a third of the price of supermarket booze.

• We flew with Norwegian Air into Oslo Gardermoen. They were pretty relaxed about weight limits and our blatantly oversized bags (I was also wearing a great deal of clothing). The flights cost around the same as some other cheapy-airline alternatives. We’ll fly Norwegian again.

• If you’re spending any time in Oslo it’s worth knowing that there are large, secure luggage storage facilities in the Central Station. The lockers cost around £8 for 24 hours. They even have ski lockers there!

• You quite simply have to visit Rjukanbadet – a swimming pool (with slides), gym, Jacuzzi, sauna, steam room, all under one roof! If that wasn’t enough, there’s an external pool complete with a steaming hot Jacuzzi overlooking some of the ice falls in Rjukan centre. This is a must on a relax day, you will feel utterly rejuvenated.

• To get the most out of the ice do some hanging from your ice axes. Better still, get your crampons on, find something to dig the front points into, put your axes up high, and practice moving up and down on them. Our calves and arms burned like hell when we first arrived and unfortunately for us, it took about four weeks for them to get used to it!

• If you’re staying in Rjukan for any length of time, it’s likely you’re going to get withdrawal symptoms from the sun. Many of the climbs in the valley do not see the sun for months upon end. We found that doing a south-facing climb up into the sun every five days was essential for morale, vitamin D and sanity.

• The scale of most icefalls is deceptive. This is generally only discovered once your three pitches up and you’ve run out of rope.

• The steepness of most icefalls is deceptive. Again, this is generally only discovered when you realise your ice axe is behind you as you overcome what looked like a slabby pitch from the bottom.

• Get into the habit of placing a screw just before pulling up onto a shelf. On more than one occasion the top few layers of ice came away as we moved up and onto a shelf. The ice on the top should always be treated with extra caution as is it likely to be weaker and more susceptible to shattering.

• We are used to sticking to the snowy sections in Scotland or the Alps but on pure ice, it is safer and easier to avoid snow. It took us a long time to drop this habit.

• If you’re tiring and need a break, cut a small step or ledge with one foot. Twist your foot and bring your heel to the ice to rest those calves!

• Take two base layers – one for the approach, the other to climb in. By changing these over at the foot of the climb, you will have a dry base layer to climb in so your sweat won’t freeze and you will stay warm!

• There is a free ski bus that plies the route between Gaustatoppen ski centre up to Vemork. If you don’t have a car, this is an excellent (and free) way of accessing many climbing areas including Ossimosis, Rjukan Centre, Lower Gorge, Upper Gorge and Krokan (with a bit of a walk!).

• Always take hot water, not cold. Many climbers in our hostel would take cold water on their first days climbing and then have nothing to drink all day because it had frozen.

Rjukan is definitely the place to go for ice climbing but a trip here definitely takes some planning. It is expensive in Norway but it is possible to keep costs down by sharing food, drinking in moderation (Rjukan is definitely not a place to come for a week of partying) and finding some cheap accommodation. The Old School Hostel is where we stayed – friendly, reasonably priced (for Norway!), and a relaxed atmosphere. Is also has a sauna!

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We woke at 4am having had very little sleep. Conversation was minimal as we left the hut and made our way to the North Face car park. We reached the CIC hut at around 7:30am and began making our way up onto the ridge. As we put on crampons and donned ice axes, the Exodus Jacket came out. The huge hood proved invaluable as a slight wind chilled us to the bone. I wore a simple fleece neck warmer underneath it which, under the ample hood, was an efficient way of retaining heat.

As the ground got steeper we roped up. Some sections we led individually, set up a quick belay and brought each other up. One lead I will remember for the rest of my life was crossing Tower Gap. As Jon and Danny sheltered beside a handy boulder just short of the ridge, I led out tentatively with a crampon either side of the ridge. The drop into the gap was made easier by the perfectly placed cord around the main boulder. I was glad to get the rope clipped into it too! The Eastern Traverse looked particularly menacing and the ledge was minimal. Clipping into the rusty pegs gave us confidence but the dripping wet ice section the other side felt decidedly insecure!

We topped out at around 6:30pm. It had been a long day and a good sit-down and a cup of tea was appreciated by all. We descended the tourist trail then cut across via Lochan Meall an t-Suidhe to the North Face car park. It was dark, we were all exhausted but pleased with our achievements.

The Exodus Jacket proved invaluable throughout the climb. I have always been sceptical about soft shell, maintaining that I may as well just use a hard shell and save on the extra weight of an additional top that isn’t fully waterproof anyway! The improved breathability of the Exodus top was obvious and I didn’t feel at all wet or cold throughout the whole day. It is extremely windproof and I loved the fact that I could just pull up the hood over my helmet at each belay station, giving that extra barrier to keep out the cold. The arms are extremely long, allowing me to Velcro them up under my gloves whilst still having plenty of play in them for those full-arm stretches. The two harness-friendly pockets were perfect, allowing plenty of temporary storage space for my outer gloves as well as an effective windproof barrier to keep my hands warm when walking.

I have been impressed with the Rab Exodus, it certainly did the job on our trip to Scotland. For those of you who are still sceptical about the benefits of soft shell, give it a go, you won’t regret it!

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We had been waiting for this moment for quite some time. A combination of good weather on days we both were not available and poor weather on the other days was, at best, starting to niggle. I had been working outdoors for the past week and every day was the same – perfect weather with plenty of sunshine. I nervously checked the weather every day in the lead-up to the weekend, praying that it would hold.

As I finished work on the Friday afternoon, I checked and the news was good – glorious sunshine for two full days. The Roaches was undoubtedly the best option. I grabbed the guidebook and started planning the routes.

We arrived at the foot of Hen Cloud at lunchtime on Saturday. Having never camped at the Roaches before, I was unsure of where to pay for our proposed nights’ stay. We pulled into the layby and popped into The Roaches Tea Room to enquire.

“We’ve had this all day – climbers wanting to know whether to book into the campsite here”, proclaimed the waitress.

A simple sign would do the job. I don’t think it’s unreasonable for campers new to the area to associate a cafe named “The Roaches Tea Rooms” with a campsite adjacent to the aforementioned establishment. This can’t have been a new problem and had we not had a full five hours of sunlight to climb ahead of us, I would have offered some friendly business advice.

After strolling down to the farmhouse and paying for our night’s stay (£3 – bargain!), we parked the car in the deeply fissured field and made our way up to Hen Cloud. A sign to the left of the track stopped us in our tracks. As we read about the nesting peregrines, a man hastily approached from behind.

“A bloke is coming up and he looks like he’s got sand in his bum”, quipped Dave as we read the sign.

We both expected an anti-climber rant about the value of the falcons, extolling the virtues of these fantastic birds and their importance in the Staffordshire Moorlands. What we got however was very different. The man asked where we were hoping to climb and pointed out the areas that were restricted. He followed this with some fascinating information about the peregrines and we walked away feeling wholly enlightened and embarrassed at our preconceptions of twitchers.

We stood at the foot of The Great Chimney (S 4a), a classic climb in the Great Chimney area of Hen Cloud. As we flaked out the rope in the sun, Dave grabbed some gear and took an age to put his harness on. A passing female climber asked which route we were doing,

“This one?”, I replied, pointing up the chimney. I wasn’t sure and neither was Dave. She seemed to know what we were talking about.

The climb was fantastic with a selection of jamming, mantelshelfing, grunting and squirming. Halfway up we were treated to a putrid smell of bird crap and the squawking of some nearby chicks. Looking through the dark, dank hole, the open beaks of the chicks were visible. They had confused our presence with that of their mother. We too were fighting for our lives.

I decided to tackle Rainbow Crack (VS 5a) to the right of the Great Chimney. My climbing over recent months had been sporadic at best but I was feeling lucky. The steep crack start was strenuous but well protected. Twice I nearly came off! I decided then to bring Dave up to the corner before the final crack to avoid drag. I found the second pitch even harder and although it is probably easier to layback the whole thing, I decided upon the whole-body jamming approach. I swore my way to the top, leaving chunks of skin in the abrasive slit. Lifting myself onto the top, I felt elated and amazed that it hadn’t ended in tears. As Dave followed he left an equal amount of DNA in the crack. What a climb!

We wandered back to the campsite, set up our tent, and savoured our first beer of the evening in the last of the days’ sunshine, hoping that the peregrines were as content as we were.

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We teamed up with Neil, a cracking guy from Malvern. He had been coming to Rjukan for a couple of seasons now and had a great deal of experience on ice. We planned to climb as a three, with Neil doing anything that looked a bit spicy!

Finding the approach was our first challenge. Rjukan is not a big place by any stretch of the imagination, but we needed to be sure we were climbing in the right place. After much deliberation and car moving, we picked up a trail climbing diagonally behind the town hall. We stopped in a perfect bivi-cave to get kitted up and made our way to the beginning of the climb.

Tjønnstadbergfossen is a 3-star waterfall which is graded at WI IV. We had the climb to ourselves as Neil led up the first pitch. The ice was feeling pretty good, solid yet not too brittle. Our axes and crampons felt good as they bit into the ice, Danny and I followed soon after and joined Neil at the belay.

“The sun – where have you been?”, I shouted as I pushed on over a small bulge. Danny and I had been in Rjukan valley for about four weeks and had not felt the suns’ rays for what seemed like an eternity. It offered a little warmth which helped, but psychologically it was a real boost. As we caught our breath, we examined the gloom that engulfed the town centre below which wouldn’t see the sun for several months yet.

There were some pretty steep sections to come. On the third pitch I was sure I would fall, my hands began to give way and I started to get “gammon-hands”. This is when your hands become like useless lumps of meat, incapable of holding on to your ice axe, let alone make an accurate or effective swing into the ice. It is caused by simply being tired. I braced myself, tried to calm down and rest on my axes. I brought my feet up but by this time my calves were screaming at me, pleading for a rest. Somehow I managed to scrabble my way up, more by sheer stubbornness than skill.

The final pitch led underneath an imposing piece of exposed rock from which hung some pretty lethal icicles. After sorting the ropes, I led up and away, skirting the rock on the left hand side. I stopped just past a huge icicle illuminated by the sun’s rays. Below lay the town centre, still in shadow. The contrast was remarkable and I took some time to admire my surroundings before topping out next to a tree.

We walked up slightly to the left of the climb then picked up a footpath which led right back down to the path we had walked in on. It had been a brilliant day, with varied ice conditions, fantastic climbing and a well-earned sandwich stop in the sun!

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