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Home > News : Scrambling
Sunday 21 March 2010 | Personalise | Help  
 SCRAMBLING 11 / 07 / 05
 

Scramble Route: Clogwyn Y Person Arete

By Dave Mycroft

Clogwyn Y Person Arete - Snowdonia

Grade: 2 or 3 depending on exact route

Overview: classic steep scramble onto Snowdon's Crib y Ddysgl from a wild, quiet cwm. A superb but harder alternative to Crib Goch.

Equipment: Ropes, slings and nuts/hexes essential.

On line map link

Views: 3* views of both the Glyderau and Crib Goch


GIBBER FACTOR*
*
out of five.


The route follows the blocky crest up onto Snowdon proper
Bigger version


Clogwyn Y Person Arete
is one of the classic scrambles of Snowdonia, some reckon the best in the area, full stop. A long walk in from the Llanberis Pass is required, but in return you get freedom from the Crib Goch masses on a route that lets you decide for yourself just how hard you want it to be.

The rock is solid and grippy, and protection is available everywhere you need it. You get a choice of Grade 2 and Grade 3 starts, and the natural line of the route gives the feeling of a an alpine ascent - In winter this makes a classic grade III.

From the ridge itself you get stunning views left to Crib Goch and back over the Glyderau.


Approach

Start from the layby at NGR SH 623 570, near the Climbers Club hut at Ynys Ettws. Cross the Afon Gennog and work your way steadily upwards and South East for just over half a mile through Cwn Glas Mawr, following a narrow but obvious path.

On approaching the head of Cwm Glas Mawr follow the obvious stream up into Cwm Glas. Follow the stream to the left and Llyn Back. From here The Clogwyn Y Person Arete is unmissable as the stark ridge of the arete dominating the view to the left. As you get closer, you can see that the tip of the nose is detached.


Route

There are two choices when it comes to starting, and you need to choose carefully as one is a grade 2 and other a grade 3. The very end of the arete terminates in The Parsons Nose, a slabby buttress that gives a grade 3 scramble/Diff climb on the right wall to the top of a gully that almost slices the ridge in two.


Sometimes steep, but thankfully well protected lower down on the route
Bigger version



From the top of the Parsons Nose you need to drop down slightly to cross the gully to the far side. The grade 2 start takes this gully from the bottom and ascends the right hand wall on good ledges.

The route now follows the blunt line of the crest of the ridge up a series of blocks. Avoid heading too far out to the right, particularly in the early stages where you can easily find yourself on a V Diff climb. The best line is to take the ridge as directly as you feel capable of, and one of the beauties of this route is the way that the harder sections have the better quality rock.

The early section of the scramble comprises of a series of short walls with ledges in between. Wherever there's a trickier section there's always a handy crack to stick a runner for protection, and unless you move too far to one side the exposure isn't excessive. As you move higher up the ridge the angle slowly eases and the rock becomes interspersed with ever larger scree platforms till eventually you break out onto the broad Crib Y Ddysgl ridge.

From here you go straight on along the well trodden path over Garnedd Ugain to reach the path upto Snowdon summit. Although only a grade 2 scramble in the main, this route has big drop offs, and a few nervy positions, so a rope and two or three slings and a couple of hexes, is pretty much essential.


Warning

Scrambling is potentially dangerous and, particularly at the higher grades, requires technical skills and equipment to minimise the risk. We suggest that you take professional instruction or climb with an experienced partner.


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Discuss this article, 1 of 20 messages, read more:
Mel Owen 
Posted: 12/02/07 09:56:08 08
The route description is excellent and accurate, but the upper photograph doesn't appear to be of the Clogwyn Y Person Arete at all.
Read more...
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