Rockfax Description
Dolmen Ridge is the final part of the Glyder Fach trilogy and is one of the most sought after scrambles in North Wales. The crux is exposed and on immaculate rock but its seriousness has given the route an air of notoriety.
Approach - Go right underneath Alphabet Slabs. Continue along the base of the crag passing below East Gully and past West Gully. This defines the right edge of The Dolmen Buttress, where a Quartz band arcs across the lower wall.
1) From below the quartz band, scramble up to the right side of the gully, heading diagonally rightwards away from the gully on well-travelled ground. After 20m or so, start to zig back up and left to reach the rib of the gully.
2) Ascend the stepped ribs to easier ground and trend right before heading up to a grass/scree bay just above a narrowing of the gully. From here you should be able to see where the route traverses left along a rampline to reach the crest of the Dolmen Buttress.
3) Traverse out left from the gully along a rampline to gain the left arete of Dolmen Buttress almost half-way up it by some small spikes.
4) The next section is one of the hardest and most sustained in this guide but the rock is immaculate. The line follows a well-travelled slabby groove to the top edge of the buttress.
5) From here, go up the ridge past the Dolmen (a rock balanced on others like a burial cairn). Carry on up following your nose as the terrain is generally easier clambering over boulders. © Rockfax
UKC Logbook Description
Mostly a grade 2 scramble
Top ridge scrambles of Britain , Scrambles in Snowdonia - Steve Ashton , North Wales Scrambles - Garry Smith , The Ridges of England, Wales and Ireland , 10 Year Walking And Scrambling Challenge , Snowdonia Mountain Walks and Scrambles - Mark Reeves , British 3 Star Scrambles , Snowdonia *** Scrambles
User | Date | Notes | ||
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jrobinson | 13 May |
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βeta: The crux corner-terrace pitch has many loose and incredibly hollow blocks on the left hand side, as visible by the rock scar. So don't yard or use them for gear, they're ready to go and were the cause of a fatality last year. | βeta? | |
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βeta: The crux corner-terrace pitch has many loose and incredibly hollow blocks on the left hand side, as visible by the rock scar. So don't yard or use them for gear, they're ready to go and were the cause of a fatality last year. |
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Sco1by | 3 Apr, 2022 |
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βeta: Superb scramble in the snow! | ||
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βeta: Superb scramble in the snow! |
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Mark Wright | 10 Mar, 2022 |
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βeta: Gully start not recommended. | ||
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βeta: Gully start not recommended. |
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Mark Wright | 10 Mar, 2022 |
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βeta: Gully start not recommended. | βeta? | |
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βeta: Gully start not recommended. |
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Tom Redwood | 31 Aug, 2021 |
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βeta: Just left of the crux groove there is an entirely detached block that looks like a reasonable flake and due to its weight sounds ok at the bottom. Surprised it hasn't trundled already as it can be tipped with one hand. People were below us so had to leave it. It's about 1.3m tall. | βeta? | |
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βeta: Just left of the crux groove there is an entirely detached block that looks like a reasonable flake and due to its weight sounds ok at the bottom. Surprised it hasn't trundled already as it can be tipped with one hand. People were below us so had to leave it. It's about 1.3m tall. |
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Alan James - UKC and UKH | 8 Jun, 2021 |
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βeta: By tagging this on the end of the Bochlwyd Horseshoe you can make a neat double horseshoe by then descending the easy path down the east ridge of Gylder Fach and back down Cwm Tryfan. | βeta? | |
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βeta: By tagging this on the end of the Bochlwyd Horseshoe you can make a neat double horseshoe by then descending the easy path down the east ridge of Gylder Fach and back down Cwm Tryfan. |
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Grade: Grade-3 ***
(Crib Goch)