In reply to andrewmcleod:
Although I have done this route many times, a few months ago, a friend who is doing an MIA (I think), said he wanted to lead a group to the top of Tryfan and back. Oh my! What fun. Not only that, but at the start he was telling anyone who would listen how good he was and how he knew where he was going and what he was doing. We started at 11 am. I stopped the others from doing anything that might hurt them, to his constant comments about me trying to take over! I kept quiet (unusual for me!!) until the descent which we started at 3:00ish. He could quite easily have got himself and others into serious trouble. Down climbing, jumping off highish drops, sliding down loose stuff etc. At about 4:30 he was obviously getting the party into a serious spot of difficulty (along with another 6 or 7 people who had been fooled by his apparent knowledge/ability.) and I took over. Just over an hour later it was getting dark, but I had got them all down to a point where there was nothing too serious, just the 'paved' path. Final blow, he didn't have a headlight. The only light in our party was mine.
The moral of the tale, do not follow another party, they may be as incompetent as he was.
PS. He managed to get his certificate, god knows how. I would not even go with him again in his attempt to log more mountains. Also warned off friends and quickly and quietly removed his ads for volunteers he posted at local climbing walls.
Enjoy your trip, take care, and ensure that if things are not going well that you turn back.
Post edited at 13:07