Snow in Snowdonia

Last week I managed to get away to the Welsh mountains for three days with some old mates for a spot of Fell walking, beer drinking and swapping of war stories. Even though we have just had the wettest January for over a hundred years we couldn't wait to get up into the hills. Fortunately we are all experienced hill walkers so had all the necessary equipment for Snowdonia in winter, ie: good quality waterproofs and warm clothing.

However before we could get up into the hills we had some work to do planning, risk assessing and preparing some activities for a future youth group camp to be held in and around the picturesque village of Beddgelert. The weather was bitterly cold and drizzley as we walked around the village and it's environs. So after a couple of hours and a successful reconnaissance we retired to a public house to carry out the necessary admin paperwork while we warmed up by a log fire with a steaming hot cup of coffee.

That evening we had a delicious meal in another Pub in Betws y coed, washed down with several pints of a very nice local ale, listening to the mellow sounds of a jazz band. On the TV the weather forecast predicted strong winds, rain and snow for the following day in our area. What fun!

We decided to climb Mount Snowdon via The Watkins path approaching the summit from the south via a narrow ridge offering panoramic views across the Snowdonia national park. There were not going to be any panoramic views today though as the cloud base was down to 400 metres apparently.

Our walk started gently enough following a track through ancient oak and birch woods into an open valley. We then followed a fast flowing river for a couple of kilometres, past old mine workings to the end of the valley where the path began to traverse steeply up to the snow covered ridge. The rain turned to sleet as we climbed higher and then as we got closer to the ridge line it changed to full on snow.

The snow got deeper until we had to resort to kicking steps into it in order to stop ourselves from  slipping on the icy rocks and grass. We found a sheltered area just under the ridge where we halted for a much needed cup of tea. In the short time that we stopped for this refreshment break the wind strength and snow fall increased to such an extent that it would prove to be too dangerous to climb up to the summit. Therefore we decided to retrace our steps, which were now totally obliterated.

Getting down from the ridge was much harder than the ascent because we were now heading directly into the gusting wind. I was trailblazing and even though my whole face was covered, apart from a small clear area to see, I was finding it difficult to navigate because the snow was whipping straight into my eyes. After slipping and falling over several times we eventually descended below the snow level and made our way off of the mountain, soaking wet but elated. What a fantastic way to spend a day out with your mates!