mountaineering

Scrambling on East face of Tryfan on Bastow Buttress Variant (grade 2/3), Ogwen Valley, Snowdonia, North Wales.

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Carla chilled out on Bastow Buttress Variant in the sun!"

Carla chilled out on Bastow Buttress Variant in the sun!”

This is a truly excellent scramble which is the first full on scramble you come across on Heather Terrace on the east face of Tryfan. It starts on the buttress which provides the right hand wall of first proper gully you encounter on the terrace, Bastow Gully. The grade 3 scramble weaves its way up the east face arriving on the North Ridge just below the best scrambling before the summit. So if you are looking to summit Tryfan this is an excellent way up. The buttress itself consists of a series of rock ribs mixed in with heather ledges moving between grade 2 ground and exposed grade 3 sections. Carla and Darren had a great time out really enjoying the harder grade 3 sections. See http://mountaineeringjoe.co.uk/rock-scrambling-courses/for more information on what you can do.

Looking down into Cwm Idwal.. We has the place to ourselves!

Guided day out scrambling in Cwm Idwal, in the Ogwen Valley, Snowdonia, North Wales.

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Very wet but happy...a good day!

Very wet but happy…a good day!

We had a great but wet day out in Cwm Idwal scrambling just right of Idwal Slabs on the North West face. We started on the North West Face Route on the slabby face just pass Idwal staircase, on excellent friction rock. When we arrived at the break which is half way up the cliff and then we continued up on the left via a series of grooves and ledges until we arrived at Seniors Ridge. There were streams coming down! Wet but warm for the time of the year. http://mountaineeringjoe.co.uk/rock-scrambling-courses/

Guiding/Leading Climbing in Llanberis pass, Snowdonia. Clogwyn y Grochan.

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Good Bridging stance

Good Bridging stance

We did a series of routes along that wall. Brant Direct which is a well protected HVS following a crack with continuous bridging and jamming all the way up. Our second route was Kaisergebirge wall another excellent HVS which follows a rising traverse with great exposure. We then finished the day with phantom Rib a superb 3 star VS which has an excellent second pitch. An exposed rib with small holds which gets more exciting as you progress. http://mountaineeringjoe.co.uk/rock-climbing-courses-snowdonia/

Climbing Faith, on Idwal Slabs in the Ogwen Valley, Snowdonia.

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Lovely slab climbing

Lovely slab climbing

Considering the weather forecast we had a great day out climbing Faith on Idwal slabs. The route had some exposed moves but all with good friction so it was ideal to do in the wet. It’s an excellent climb to practice belay building and it has bomber gear placements! It is not as well climbed as some of the other routes and it certainly isn’t as polished as Charity or Hope. The first 4 pitches are continuing interesting with an easy scrambling final pitch! Then a few pitches of scrambling to get off. For more information on what you can do with Mountaineering Joe have a look at http://mountaineeringjoe.co.uk/mountaineering/

Excellent grade 3 scrambling on the east face of Tryfan, Snowdonia in North Wales.

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Scrambling on south buttress

Scrambling on south buttress with some exposed positions

Scrambling on Tryfan. A New route on the east face of Tryfan. We were on the South Buttress and Paddy wanted to find a new way up the buttress. So we select a weakness just to the left of the South Rib route. It was an excellent day with grade 3 scrambling ground, weaving in and out of the blank sections to find interesting the grade 3 ground. Have a look to see what we have to offer http://mountaineeringjoe.co.uk/rock-scrambling-courses/

Guided Mountaineering multi-pitch climbing on Main Wall (HS), Llanberis Pass, Snowdonia, in North Wales.

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Some exposed positions ...the belay before the crux

Some exposed positions …the belay before the crux

We had a full on day working our way up Diffwys Ddu, on the south side of the pass. It was a great mountaineering day out. Main Wall has just about everything on it. Walls, grooves, chimneys, slabs, cracks and ramps. The crux is two thirds of the way up the route. A move around a corner which feels very committing as you leave your second but it’s easier than it looks. It’s a great route for practicing placing gear without being too committed , never being too steep. You do need good route finding skills as it zigzags up the cliff. So if you are looking to develop your leading techniques with solid route finding skills it’s a good one to try, but allow yourself a long and good weather day for it. Have a look at our learning to lead climbing courses, where you will get very personal and tailored coaching. http://mountaineeringjoe.co.uk/rock-climbing-courses-snowdonia/

Giving time to think about the crux of Tennis Shoe is worth while.

A Great day out leading multi-pitch climbing Tennis Shoe on Idwal Slabs, Ogwen Valley, Snowdonia, in North Wales.

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Learning to remove gear while hanging on is important when climbing outside.

Learning to remove gear while hanging on is important when climbing outside.

We had a great day out practicing some multi pitch climbing on Idwal Slabs. Bud wanted to do more than just easy slabs all day. So we climbed Tennis Shoe which has a short but harder crux towards the top. It’s a great route for practicing placing gear without being too far outside your comfort zone as it has good foot placements, where you need them. It is worth while taking your time over the crux on routes before you commit to making the hard moves, as it can be to difficult to reverse these if you get it wrong! If you are looking to develop your leading techniques have a look at our learning to lead climbing courses, where you will get very personal and tailored teaching. http://mountaineeringjoe.co.uk/rock-climbing-courses-snowdonia/

Ray scrambling on the East face of Tryfan in Snowdonia, North Wales.

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The final steps on the North Ridge of Tryfan

The final steps on the North Ridge of Tryfan

Ray scrambling on the real mountain in Snowdonia, Tryfan. Ray wanted to catch the end of the summer with some scrambling. We approached Tryfan from the east side walking up to Heather Terrace. We then scrambled up Nor Nor Groove (Grade 2), reaching the top of Nor Nor Gully on the North Ridge (Grade 2). We continued to the top of Tryfan scrambling on the North Ridge. The weather was great and we got some excellent photos. After summiting on Tryfan we decided to descend Tryfan via North and Little gullies (Grade 2) back down to Heather Terrace. Little Gully is an excellent Grade 2 scramble. So we ended up with 2 good scrambles up Tryfan and a good scramble back down. For more information on what scrambling you can do, click on http://mountaineeringjoe.co.uk/rock-scrambling-courses/

2 days of Navigation Instruction in Snowdonia Mountains, North Wales for Alan on a 1 to 1 basis.

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Alan had to take a bearing in bad visibility and walk on it with no helping features!

Alan had to take a bearing in bad visibility and walk on it with no helping features!

Alan enjoyed his 2 days of Navigation / map reading instruction on the south side of Snowdon. He often walks in the mountain with friends but wanted to be able to navigate safely on his own. During his 2 day, 1 to 1 course he was pushed to his limits having to navigate in some low visibility conditions at times during the day. He built up a good process to consistently hit his destinations. including pacing, timings, taking and walking on bearings, attack points, tick off features, hand railing and using a strategy where he built processes to be followed for each leg, reducing the likelyhood of error and catching it early where it occurs. Click here for more information http://mountaineeringjoe.co.uk/mountaineering/navigation-courses-snowdonia/

Route finding

Instruction in Trad climbing – Leading To lead in Snowdonia, North Wales

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Placing gear whilst leading

Placing gear whilst leading

When learning to lead on trad climbs, there is a lot to think about above actually climbing. Route finding, placing gear at the right time, getting into balance to place gear, keeping your ropes tidy, protecting your second, setting up belays and the rest. Then you have to climb the route! Learning to do this correctly first time and in a safe environment. Here is Jim successfully leading his first route leading entirely on his own in 2 days of teaching showing a lot of confidence. Have a look at http://mountaineeringjoe.co.uk/rock-climbing-courses-snowdonia/ and get it right first time!