UKC

I am going to Snowdonia first week of december, do I have decent chances of findng snow on the summits?
I'd like to put my crampons on, but is it realistic at this time of the year?

In reply to drolex: anybodies guess at this distance mate, although we're all getting slightly excited as rumours of slight dustings have been happening in the last day or so.
Someone will (re)start the Winter conditions thread the moment the first lot arrives so keep an eye out for that!

In reply to JamButty: Thanks for the hint at the thread, sounds like what I will have to watch. I don't expect to a have full report by now, but maybe someone with good local knowledge can give a percentage based on experience at this date?

80% chance of snow with 30% chance of high winds and 40% chance of fog with 72% chance of bears stealing my sandwiches in the hills, from my experience based on the last 4 generations, something like that.

In reply to drolex:

Idwal Stream is in decent nick

In reply to drolex:
I would say you had a decent chance - I have had winter walks and climbs in snowdonia in the last few Decembers.
You have a better than decent chance of rain and no snow though!

In reply to drolex: Possible.. unlikely...

But years vary.. last year I wore crampons a lot.. in fact the same the last 2 years yet barely at all in the next 4.

Snowdonia is fickle... pack it all.. You can be in 15 C weather or -15...

In reply to drolex: Also early snow means nothing... most years we had snow by November but it gets stripped in hours if conditions allow

In reply to drolex:
December 2010 was cold for most of the month. Did Idwal Stream in decent nick on something like 28 November and the following weekend most routes in Idwal were in. Then there wasn't much in for the rest of the season from January onwards! Bits of snow now and then but not much winter climbing. Then this year there was loads of snow and water ice until something like the 10th of April if not later. I'd say both are exceptions to the usual widely varying conditions. There will probably be some snow on some days in December and possibly some winter climbing but equally it might just rain all month long! Predicting conditions a week in advance can be hard enough! I often think that if only the Welsh mountains were 200-300m higher and/or more inland, conditions would be a lot more reliable. So don't book a holiday in the expectation of snow... but be prepared to have some!

In reply to drolex: Thanks all for the answers! Seems like I have to be prepared for anything then (but probably no bears).

In reply to Misha: If only the north york moors were 3000 feet high then they'd be in for months.

In reply to Trevers: lmao

In reply to drolex: Be better if they were 3,000 metres high.