Tryfan

Hi there fellow OM'ers. I've planned a little trip next week to go and do Tryfan as I've been all over North Wales but never had a go at this (weather depending!!!). There appears to be a whole host of routes up there so can anyone advise some good routed. Ideally if the weather's good I'd like to go a bit further and come down via Y'Garn. Also does anyone know if Gwern Gof Uchaf campsite is open at this time of year because I've tried ringing them loads of times and got no reply.

Many thanks in advance....

Steve B

Steve, Tryfan requires the use of both hands and feet even taking the easiest route. What level of scrambling would you prefer to include on your ascent? Also take into account the weather at the moment - 10 days ago I was up there in snow and ice, and on Sunday someone died after a slip and fatal fall due to snow and ice.

Gwern Gof Uchaf is always open.

The North Ridge of Tryfan is a classic grade one scramble, and I highly recommend it. You can get to it by walking up the track to Milestone buttress, or more interestingly, you can start it from the other side of the wall where it comes down to the road.

If you want to do a climb, First Pinnacle Rib and Grooved Arete are both V Diff classics. Grooved Arete is the harder of the two, but First Pinnacle Rib includes the "interesting," notorious and avoidable yellow slab.

The descent to Bwlch Tryfan is not hard, although you just need to watch the route finding a bit, and be prepared to back off and find another way if you aren't comfortable.

The continuation to the Glyders and over to Y Garn via Bwlch Tryfan is straightforward and popular. You'll need to allow plenty of time, but you can escape at Bwlch Tryfan or down the Gribin Ridge if time becomes an issue.

That campsite is open, definitely. It was open back in early March when I did Tryfan (in full winter conditions - not for the faint hearted)

I forgot to mention the continuation to Glyder Fach. You can either take a chossy and not particularly pleasant track, or scramble up Bristly Ridge. This is another Grade 1 classic and you have a choice of lines. As a general rule the easier lines are nearer the left and the harder ones are further right.

Hi Dave, I used to do a lot of climbing but lost the nerve due to a bad fall in the peak district 5 years ago, so I've only recently started getting back into it.Crib Goch presented no problem a few weeks ago in the snow so I guess it's down to what the weather is like on the day versus my judgement.

Thanks for the info Alison / Cara-Lyn.

Hi Steve, I totally understand having been in the same position after a very big fall stopped me climbing for 20 years. As Alison says North Ridge is the classic grade 1 scramble and is around the same standard as Crib Goch. If you're starting from Ogwen Valley end then you've a whole host of alternative starts at various grades. You could start with Milestone Buttress Gully (grade 1-2) to get onto North Ridge by a slightly more interesting route, but if there's been a major thaw or rain then expect a wet scramble.

Thanks Dave and everyone else. This is a fantastic Website. Just for info I'll be there with a friend on Monday afternoon to set up tent and generally chill out from the stresses of work!!!, then doing the walk / wet / cold scramble on Tuesday !!

:-)

P.S. Just seen the post on the Ogwen valley rescue site about the 58 year old.....

Avoid the chimney up Bristly Ridge if it's wet! I've still got a lengthy scar on my shin from a slip I had there last year. Almost became a statistic :-O

Since then I've given BR the utmost respect.

If you're not too sure about tacking the North Ridge of Tryfan, try the Little Gullies on the east.

Thanks Ian

A friend and I were descending Y Gribin after a walk up to Glyder Fach via the scree slope to the East of Bristly Ridge on Sunday and saw the helicopter rescue attempt on Tryfan. Conditions were treacherous and I would not attempt an ascent/descent of the North Ridge or Bristly ridge without previous knowledge of the route and winter walking/scrambling experience on them. At times the snow was thigh deep but quite slushy and not frozen.

You can go up the South Ridge The usual descent route. Take yer time and pick out the route thats suits you best & as Alison said be prepared to back off.

Thanks Parky and Stuey. I'll post back here next week to let you all know if I chickened out !!!!

I looked at the mountains on Saturday and they looked fantastic. Half contemplated going out on Sunday.

That mountain rescue Parkender mentioned was to recover some poor unfortunate who didn't make it :-O

http://news.bbc.co.uk/1/hi/wales/4456623.stm

Sounds like the group were experienced and well kitted. Guess it could have been any of us. It just goes to show, no matter what kit and experience you have, if the conditions are wrong, someone is going to get hurt.

I'm getting myself of a winter skills course for next winter.

One thing that might be worth saying is that although Tryfan north ridge is an "easy" scramble, the rock has got very polished and is especially slippery if it's damp. Especially if you're wearing some current varieties of Vibrams!

Doesn't seem to be so much of a problem away from the main route - the Milestone Gully scramble Dave mentions looks like it might be slippery but actually it's not bad.

I think I mentioned on the other thread that my wife knew the poor guy who fell at the weekend - he was a regular on the hills and it looks like it was "just" one of those things - but by god it does bring it home that accidents don't happen by a process of attrition: it can be the work of a moment's lack of concentration, or an instant's bad luck.

The conditions were indeed treacherous on Sunday. Lots of ice from slush that froze during a hard frost. We backed off at Cannon Stone as we had no crampons etc.

Well I said I'd post back here and let you know how I got on......here goes....

Totally fantastic. Picked my mate up in Barnsley at 12:00. Arrived at camp at 15:00 on Monday had the tents up by 15:20 and backpacks on by 15:25 (realised the digi camera was on the side at home!!!). Summit of Tryfan around 17:35 and after a bit of messing around over the tops got back to camp by 20:oo(ish). The weather was clear but started to rain on the way down. Had a great feast of Chilli and rice followed by 3 cans Guiness each (wonderfull)
Monday 23:15 was woken by some late arrivals at camp setting up. Oh and it was throwing it down !!!

Tuesday 05:15.....that bloody cockeral on the farm !!! and still raining...couldn't get back to sleep so got a brew on and had a bowl of meusli.

Martin woke around 6:30 and by this time it had stopped raining so I got another brew on and a tin of beans. Wet tents packed away in the car by 8 ish and on way up Tryfan around 8:30 only this time we had an easy start bt going up a little track to the side of Tryfan up to where the miners track joins the ridge. From there continued in the light rain and cloud over Fach and Fawr which I have to do again as there was no let up in the cloud to take in the views. Managed to find the canterleaver and stand on it. The rocks up there are totally amazing !! Just a few patches of wet snow left but still fairly deep in places.

Just after we had got over Fawr somebody must have taken a hoover to the cloud as it just totally vanished and we were left walking back up to the summit again (thankfully we were not far away) to be rewarded with good views all round.

Had a bit of late lunch on the scree slopes on the way down to devils kitchen and eventually got back to camp at 15:30. Drove into Betswy for a coffee and to get my 4 year daughter old the usual cuddly toy and sat there in the sun till 17:00 when we got on our way back to a very rainy and dull Barnsley at 20:00 ish.

Back to work today to 85 E-Mails and 12 voicemails on the mobile !!!

Steve, sounds a good trip. Couldnt help laughing at the last bit (85 emails, 12 voice mails) :-)

Had 3 trips to Tryfan! never yet made it to the top! 2 because of bad weather and one where I nearly killed the Mrs when we got stuck on the North Ridge, we got back ok without MT rescue but felt the mountain just hates us being there. Going to Wales again this bank holiday coming, going to try the North Ridge without the Mrs one last time, if it beats me this time I'm never going back.

I normally use the A5