UKC

Anyone either know this bit of the peak really well or going down snake pass today?

Thinking of taking our lad up Kinder using Blackden Brook tomorrow, but I'm guessing with the snow melt and recent rain, that might be a poor choice.

Anyone know any better?

In reply to Phil Lyon:

Last time I did it there were a few awkward places. Not so much scrambling as hanging on to clumps of heather with your hands, hoping that the crumbling soil would hold your feet. It's all quite eroded with a couple of drops where you could get hurt if you were unlucky. We caught up with a chap who said he'd had "a couple of moments" on it.

In reply to Phil Lyon:

The water will probably be pretty high. You have a few options. The lower part of the brook has some tricky steps which are probably waterfalls at present. These are avoided on the right by a path which is eroded in places giving some exposure. The path joins the upper section which is better and shortly after this the brook splits into 2 parts. The main brook bears right and heads up a series of shelves and small steps which are likely now under shallow fast moving water. The left branch is better and heads up a steeper, blocky gully.

I've never done it after prolonged wet weather so can't comment any further on whether you'll be able to get on it.

In reply to Phil Lyon: Personally I wasn't that enamoured with Blackden Brook. It's pretty watery in summer and the best bit is a short bouldery gully second left at the top. If you can I would skirt round to the east and check out Red Brook in preference, or right around to the south and look at the Cloughs route. Everywhere will be wet of course but the southern cloughs seem to be cleaner grit, but that's just my $0.02. Have a good day out.

In reply to Andrew Deacon: I agree, thought Blackden was a bit of a non-event. Grindsbrook (using the alternative, right-hand exit) and Crowden are far better but I'd imagine both could be out due to water levels. Also all the brooks can hang on to ice for quite a while so could be sloppy.

In reply to Phil Lyon: Did Grindsbrook today, lots of water, hardly any ice left but lots of veru sloppy snow. Melting furiously, 8 degrees this afternoon. Blackden will be similar, usually carries plenty of water. At 400m currently the general snow cover has gone but there are still lots of snow banks around, there will still be some left in the morning.