Even though it was a bit of an early start from The Cottage this morning, there was still time for a solid mountaineers breakfast!
Well fed and with the minimalist amount of kit squeezed into my test rucsack, set drove up the valley and set out from Ogwen Cottage into what was looking like the start of a cold but beautiful day.
By chance, another pair of climbers who we know were also setting off to the same area, so we had a sociable walk in. In fact, we were all chatting so intently, we were up in the winter of the cwm before we knew it.
Once up in the snow, we split off to head to our individual objectives. We had a few plans in mind, but opted for Tower Gully as it looked so good.
We quickly got geared up and added a few more jackets. Although the walk up had been warm and sweaty, the temperature was below freezing and the wind was a cold one.
The bottom half of the route was not in great condition, with lots of unconsolidated snow, but higher up, things got icy and much more exciting. It all felt rather alpine! Here's a few pics of the ascent...
On reaching the summit plateau around midday, we took shelter behind a rock and soaked to the suns rays, which felt life giving after the shade of the gully.
The peaks of Snowdon looked like Himalayan giants!
We traversed the rim of the cwm and toyed with the notion of descending in for a second route, but decided better of it.
Instead we enjoyed a descent of the Gribin ridge, back down to the tranquil waters of Llyn Idwal, where summer conditions remained.
My slightly overpacked (summer climbing) rucsack, suffered a slight injury from a tightly packed ice screw during the day, but otherwise was excellent! - So light weight (maybe too light!)
By the time we were home almost all the clouds had gone. A stunner vista, which only improved this evening when the sunwent down and a huge orange coloured full moon rose over the horizon. Magical stuff....
Cwm Cneifion:
- Tower Gully, GdII**
Tower Gully, (Gd II) Cwm Cneifion
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