UKC Forums - What route?

What route? - clogwyn Ddu

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Matt Rees 16 Feb 2015

We climbed the excellent pillar chimney on Clogwyn Ddu last week. I'm not sure what route we took to finish up. My partner led up the wall on the inside of the chimney to a stance on top of a huge chock stone. I think that's the original route. He then led up and right immediately above the chock stone, to an overlap on a gentle arête that looks down into the finish of left hand. There was no ice on this section at all. He went straight up through the leftmost part of the overlap, with a small smear of very poor delaminated ice for left foot, reaching over the overlap to a turfy section, with an easier snow slope above to the top.

Is this the normal route? It was bloody hard! Is there normally more ice on this section.

Just interested to know what we did. Any ideas, ukc hive mind?

TonyM 17 Feb 2015

In reply to Matt Rees:

Sounds like you were on normal exit, but in thin conditions (although I think it is normally thin).
Have you looked at the photos of the route attached to the logbook? There are a couple of images of the start of the pitch leaving the stance on top of the big pillar. e.g. http://www.ukclimbing.com/images/dbpage.php?id=180199
I can remember exiting right and up onto a line of continuous snow rising R-wards. See topo here for conventional line: http://www.ukclimbing.com/images/dbpage.php?id=140762

George Fisher 17 Feb 2015

In reply to Matt Rees:

I've come to the conclusion that it was the normal route. The fact I took my gloves off, put the axes away and Rock climbed a section suggests it was thin. I also think I went higher than you would have done had there been any ice. It was steeper high up but there were hand holds rather than bare slab. The lower route that I reversed just looked terrifying.

If the route gets V in normal nick that must have been hard V or was that down to me being a way above that gold cam.

OP Matt Rees 17 Feb 2015

In reply to TonyM:

Yes I think you're right. We we on the same route as the guy in that photo but it was completely bare.

OP Matt Rees 17 Feb 2015

In reply to George Fisher:

It was terrifying (in a good way) and I was only seconding. I think with a bit more rock gear it may have felt quite different.

Great day out.

LakesWinter 19 Feb 2015

In reply to George Fisher:

The top pitch only gets tech 4 normally and the slot behind the pillar was definitely the crux when I did it, so it must have been thin for you.

George Fisher 19 Feb 2015

In reply to LakesWinter:

Yeah, besides being a bit tight with a pack on the slot felt way safer and easier than the top in those conditions.

In fact I didn't place any gear in the slot. My thoughts were if I fall I'll just make myself 'big' like a threatened pufferfish and jam myself in there.

It was thin to the point of rock climbing. If it hadn't been for the quite amazing slow pace of the party on LH I wouldn't have been on it at all.