Ty Powdwr - Winter Meet
Members: Emily Pitts Meet Leader, Emma Timmis, Steve Graham, Dave Wylie, Andy Stratford, Laura Collier, Christine Beeston, Stuart Hurworth, Lucie Crouch, Gareth Williams
Saturday 11th
The whole crew, bar Lucie, Gareth & Stuart took a breathtaking walk and scramble up Crib Goch to Snowdon. Underfoot there was snow across most of the ridgeline and up to the summit making the ascent one that was packed with fun and interest. Along the way we witnessed some interesting short-roping of someone seemingly without a head for heights, who was using crampons for the first time – a reminder to try out new gear before a challenging route.
Andy, ever the gear geek, romped across the ridge like a mountain goat in his new micro spikes.
The sun shone bright all day giving a number of us our first sight of the Brocken Spectre phenomenon, which Dave Wylie aptly captured at just the right moment.
After lunching at the Snowdon Summit, the group took a long and undulating descent to arrive late afternoon in Llanberis.
Lucy and Gareth had fun times in the slate quarries, ticking off a few routes and scoping out new projects for 2014.
Sunday 12th
Another dry day, one of very few this winter, saw the same crew plus Stuart H take an exciting scramble up the north ridge of Tryfan, taking in The Cannon and summiting fairly promptly to make the day a short one.
At the summit, the weather was marginally more inclement than on the lower slopes, with the winds catching our breaths and our sandwiches, removing them to loftier climes. Icy rimes led to prevarication about descent route, but once the decision was made we made fast progress to the foot, with much merry talk about getting a piano/ keyboard for the hut to enable us to have a singsong of an evening or even a Sing-a-long Meet! If anyone has a spare keyboard…
A great meet with good food, fabulous company and in a beautiful place. What more could you want from a winter meet?
Emily Pitts
