One of the best things about living in North Wales is the proximity to the mountains. When the weather's like this, it really is an incredible place to live. I've never known a period of weather like it. To be honest, I'd have loved to have spent the day high up on one of the mountain crags that are never normally dry enough to climb, but with yet another expedition just around the corner, there's been a lot of things that need to get sorted in order to make it happen (and I'm also still pretty shattered from the last one!). By 16:00, we both felt like we needed to get out for a quick blast, so headed to Milestone Buttress, which is at the foot of Tryfan; a meer five minutes walk up from the road and lake.
Last time we tried this climb, we got caught in a thunderstorm and got soaked retreating by abseil. Today, the description of 'often damp, greasy and wet' couldn't be further from the truth. It was bone dry and delightful to climb. Even though we were in the shade, it was still 25 degrees, so I was plenty warm enough in just a T-Shirt. It felt like we were on a foreign climbing trip!
After climbing 'Soapgut' HS (4b)** I traversed into the next corner system. The guide's description of 'stride around the corner' was a bit misleading, as it involved quite a few unprotected balance moves. Instead of risking the ropes getting stuck on an abesil, we climbed up and over the entire crag, to the descent gully on the far side. Our 'quick nip out for a climb' had turned into a four pitch adventure! But passed on the option of a swim in the lake in order to make it back in time for homemade pizza at The Cottage Cafe. Happy days...
Milestone Buttress, Tryfan:
- Soapgut HS (4b)**
- Chimney Route, HS (4a)*
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