In reply to All:
Correct! Its more about Great Gully than Amphitheatre Buttress but the aim of the day was mainly Amphitheatre Buttress, it only turned into something stupid and wet when we did Amphitheatre Buttress in a hour or so (I had a feeling we would) I'd plotted on the build up to that day just by dropping in the fact that 'ooo look, that classic rock route is on the same cliff...'. I planned it all and Dave feel for it hook line and sinker! 'bring some waterproofs just in case like' "Eh? its gonna be red hot' 'No mate, showers forecast and you never know, bring food for 12 hours too, there are notorious glaciers and seracs up there, plus with the rain we'll be getting...'
Dave just looked at me sideways and says 'right, whatever makes you happy....'
I softened him up by giving every pitch on AB thats when I struck 'come on, lets just have a look at it while we are walking back...'
We always do the shakey-hands photo at the end of epic days, I'm chuffed to have done the route and Dave is just happy I've not tied him off somewhere and left him in the bowels of Wales! He loved every minute really.
Some tough climbing, don't think GG is a bimble. Gear is sometimes tricky to find, everything is wet and running and there are some tight spots that are made harder by wearing a sack. Don't be afraid to aid bits of it, this is one of those routes where getting to the top in one piece is seen as a success.
Amphitheatre Buttress I thought was a soft touch for its grade however, its a fair march to get to it and it a long mountain route so for noobies to these sort of routes the grade is perhaps fair. It'd be a great route for those keen to get on longer routes, great gear and belays and vey easy route finding. Its more of a ridge route than a buttress route.
Bikes are optional
Here Dave Clarke gives us an account of his day out up on Craig Yr Ysfa, North Wales.
