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Tryfan via Milestone Buttress


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Short description
A combination of classic routes taking you from roadside to mountain ridge in next to no time. A choice of starting routes gives you the option to build up to grade 3 with easier grades. There's even the option to combine the two approach routes into a circular ascent/descent trip if the weather closes in, and leave out the final route entirely. Both the approach routes and the final route can be used as a more exciting way to gain the classic grade North Ridge.

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Anquet file
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Route details

Region: Snowdonia
Start at: Llyn Ogwen
Circular Route
Grid ref: SH663602
Difficulty: Hard
Scramble element: Scramble
Grade:
Distance: 1.3 kilometres
Total ascent: 595 meters
Approx. time needed: 1 hr 45 mins
   
OS
Road
Satellite
Hybrid
Terrain
Profile

Legs

 
 
Leg:1
From:Llyn Ogwen
To:Milestone Buttress Approach
Distance:N/A
Grid Ref:SH663602
Grid Ref:SH663600
Ascent:N/A
 
 
 
 
  Approach: Park at the Milestone Buttress layby (NGR: SH 663 602) and climb steadily up to a stile, then work your way through the boulders to the right following the base of the cliff. Milestone Buttress Approach is the first of our chosen routes, and is easily picked out by the obvious narrow slab sticking out above. Continue on to what at frist appears to be a dark, wet, and totally uninviting gully for the second approach route - Milestone Gully Approach.





Milestone Gully Approach - Grade 1-2


Route - Despite its initial appearance the gully provides very good low grade scrambling throughout, at a consistent level. The gully also makes an ideal retreat or escape route when the dark nights start coming in. As gullys go it's remarkably vegetation free and the rock, though quite often damp, is of good quality and surprisingly grippy. Start up the wide gully entrance, initially on water washed ledges on the left, before moving right to a chin high mantleshelf. The base below the shelf generally has a pile of rocks stacked up, giving easier access and making it more of a step up than a true mantleshelf manouevre. Continue up the gully on easy scrambling terrain to where a series of blocks split the gully in two. Take the left branch up over an initially hard move then continue straight ahead on solid, but occassionally polished rock. After 50 metres a final mantleshelf to the left of an obvious rounded spike brings you out close to the start of Milestone Buttress Continuation. For many years the rounded spike has been used for belaying abseil descents, but take care as the spike has started to loosen over recent years.


 
 
 
 
Leg:2
From:Milestone Buttress Approach
To:Milestone Continuation
Distance:N/A
Grid Ref:SH663600
Grid Ref:SH665599
Ascent:N/A
 
 
 
 
  Milestone Buttress Approach - Grade 3

Route - A short, but exciting and exposed route up the main Milestone Buttress. Start up the obvious slab on polished rock, or start from Milestone Buttress Gully (to the right) then traverse left onto the slab. After 8m there's a good intermediate belay point, or continue in a single run out to a platform and recess beneath the overhanging Pulpit. Take the line of flakes on the left hand side to a small ledge, then make an exposed move out left to easier slabs. Step up the well placed blocks to a large ledge with walls ahead and right. Take the narrow chimney 4metres to the right of the corner for 6 metres to a grass ledge, then move left over easier rock before a final right slanting section onto vegetated slopes above the top of Milestone Gully.
 
 
 
 
Leg:3
From:Milestone Continuation
To:Tryfan North Ridge
Distance:N/A
Grid Ref:SH665599
Grid Ref:SH663601
Ascent:N/A
 
 
 
 
  Milestone Continuation - Grade 3
Route - The route starts 30 metres above the top of Milestone Buttress Gully. Ascend the heather covered slopes to the base of a crag with a marked X shaped crack splitting the slab above. Start by climbing the obvious slanting crack up the slab, using foot jams where necessary, to a sharp point that marks the top of the first slab. ou can set up an intermediate belay here, but there's only just enough room for 3 people and it's much more comfortable for two. A long stretch gives access to a ledge leading onto a series of small ribs that gradually ease in difficulty. Keep left as the rock gives way to vegetation then continue over the last easy section of small blocks and ledges to emerge onto the North Ridge of Tryfan.
 
 
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All routes are undertaken at your own risk. Magicalia accepts no responsibility whatsoever for any injury, death, or damage to your personal property that occurs as a result of following a route on this website. This applies whether the accident occurs as a result of your own errors or of errors in the information contained on this site. While we do endeavor to ensure the accuracy of details printed here, these routes have not been drawn up by Magicalia employees but by members of the public and we cannot guarantee their absolute accuracy.

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