UKC

Would like to walk the Snowdon Horseshoe tomorrow. Any idea what the wind will be like? Met office suggests 25mph, is this likely to be a problem?

What will the conditions be like underfoot?


Thanks

In reply to Tamati:
Hi tamati . It's highly likely to be snowy underfoot above 700m. According to this forecast.
Crib Goch is exposed with poor consequences of a slip and you would possibly need rope, especially on the pinnacles,crampons and experience. Factor in the wind and it's a serious day out of 5hrs plus.
Not being condescending, but you haven't stated your experience.


Snowdonia
mwis.org.uk/sd.php
skol

In reply to Skol:

Ok.

I have walked Grib Goch many times but not during the winter. I've looked at various webcams for the area and there doesn't seem to be any snow. Although I am sceptical about their accuracy so thought I would ask.

We have winter climbing experience and equipment.

I was asking to see if it would be worthwhile taking winter boots, crampons etc?

In reply to Tamati:

Yes, take spikes and take them up with you even if it looks pretty bare from Pen y Pass. We left them in the car because we were certain we wouldn't need them last Feb and had to resort to cutting steps which wasn't ideal on the route we were on...or rather wandered off.

In reply to Tamati:

Here's a vid where you can see the contrast in conditions between the ridge and the car park.
Might help put things in perspective.

youtube.com/watch?v=TVegIFS2wdU&
I believe one of the people featured on this clip was so traumatised afterwards by the conditions on that day that he went to live in Scotland

climbing mountains is inherently dangerous & etc..

In reply to Tamati:

Re-check the forecast before you set off - latest for Snowdon summit is 40mph gusting 55 at 3pm so you'll need an early start and it will be icy !

In reply to Tamati:

25mph is near gale. I would give it a miss but then I live there so its not that important to me!

In reply to higherclimbingwales:


not quite.

6 Strong Breeze Sways large branches 25-31 mph
7 ......
8 Fresh Gale Broken twigs, walking impeded 39-46 mph

But a mean wind speed of 25mph is an average over a period of time, including stronger gusts and calmer interludes.

In reply to sbc_10:






Facts and figures are fine, but , are you advocating that someone should go onto Crib Goch in winter with the forecast, or, being pedantic?
High climber lives there and is possibly possessing greater local knowledge than yourself?
OVMRT has been very busy recently with 'misjudged 'hill trips. The wind is the worst enemy, and 25mph with 40 mph gusts is not to be undervalued whether it's classed as a 'gale' or not?

In reply to Skol:

Yes, I'm being pedantic. Probably not all that helpful here in hindsight.
My last sentence agrees with you. Wind is a difficult variable to quantify and care has to be exercised in the interpretation of the numbers.

No, I'm not advocating anything.

In reply to sbc_10:
I love pedants

In reply to Tamati: I think I would myself go for the Carneddau ridge instead. Can'tsee the point in doing c.g. in the expected conditions.

In reply to altirando:
Not sure what you mean by the 'Carneddau ridge'.

A surprising number of people get caught out trying to get off the Carneddau plateau as dusk falls. Generally by being slower than they anticipate.Perhaps the internal alarm bells aren't as insistent on a plateau as when on a ridge proper.

Pen yr Ole Wen's a case in point, a place where walkers, blinded by the thought that their vehicle is down below on the A5, commit to direct descent there and get stuck in the dark, psyched out by the steep terrain.
The downclimb on the descent to Ffynon Llugwy from Carnedd Llywelyn's another tricky bit for some.

In reply to sbc_10:

Apologies for overestimating the Beaufort scale. It's still not somewhere to go in high winds. I was there last month in windy conditions and it was touch and go as to whether I wanted to be there.

In reply to higherclimbingwales:

No worries, my apologies for pedantry. I used to work a lot with weather data and old habits etc..etc..
You are right to advise caution with such a route under these circumstances.

In reply to Tamati:
Hi. Did you manage to get around the horseshoe?

In reply to Skol:

There were quite a few people out on Grib Goch and crowds on Snowdon, but not so many people seemed to be going over to Lliwedd. It was a bit breezy but not enough to cause any problems.