Mt Snowdon!

[adrian74]

Evening (Or morning) all.
Has anyone here hiked up Mt Snowdon in Wales?
A friend and I are considering doing it in a couple of weeks.
I would appreciate any info/tips etc, such as "You will die if you do it in October" as was suggested to me by someone recently!
Seriously though, we have little experience of this and would love to hear from some experienced hikers etc.
Also we may take the bikes and camp near the base, weather depending.
And yes, we will be looking on some dedicated forums for this kind of thing, but I just thought I'd have a look on the HUBB first.

[grizzly7]

If you google Snowdon deaths you'll see people manage to get into all sorts of trouble any time of year!

I am not an expert by any means, so I found this which is quite good advice from someone who appears to know;

Life in the Vertical: Snowdon: Winter Walks Safety Advice

Personally I've been up and down every track/path, mostly at Easter, the earliest being March. I did go to the top on New Years day 3 years running, once there was me and a party I met which included a mix of the Rangers and Rescue crews. If I hadn't met them I would have turned around, and we didn't see anyone else. The last year was sunny and clear so of course people with jeans and trainers were going to the top. Very, very silly.

I've done the Horseshoe on a summers day as a four with "experienced" walkers, two decided that despite reading all the guide books beforehand, and being very clear that once on Crib Goch you can carry along the ridge or go back, no other option, they were on hands and knees insisting on keep trying to find a way off from where we were on the ridge. There isn't one, so we eventually got off the ridge in the dark, and then still had a long walk to the car But I've also done it when it was icy and clear with a good group and it was fab Any wind at all though and you keep off.

You can camp in a field next to the pub which also did b&b. The Youth Hostel is at the bottom of the Pyg/Miners track.

Questions from the above link,

The first is if you have the right experience for it?
The second is do you have the right equipment for it?
The third is is it the right day for it?

Since you say you have little experience of this you probably can't say yes to the first or second, and the third depends on the forecast, and how you're feeling, on that morning.

Apart from the conditions its still a fair old climb!

Maybe start a bit smaller on something easier to get some experience, and even then keep in mind the top will still be there tomorrow

[Magnon]

The wife and I went up in March about 20 years ago. The route started alongside a lake. We got as far as the ridge when we met a couple coming down with crampons and ice axes. It was pretty hostile so we took their advice and turned around. A few minutes back down we came across a bunch of Japanese tourists in flip-flops all holding hands We couldn't make them understand how much worse it was going to get.

[garmei]

The easiest (and most crowded) route is from the town of Llanberis. It's a nice walk and will take 3-4 hours to reach the top at a comfortable stroll. It will take about 1.5 hours to walk down, so plan on taking at least 5 hours in total.

All paths are well maintained with the main path from Llanberis being mostly stepped - quite hard on the knees on the way down, but all quite easy - no scrambling at all. There are plenty of other paths that will take longer and involve some element of easy scrambling (easy being subjective of course). Buy an OS map for a tenner as it is really a good investment.

On the main path (the one from Llanberis) there is a hut selling food and drink at the halfway point and there is also a newly built cafe at the top, but check opening times out of season.



Take some food and plenty water. Be sensible with your gear. Regardless of your experience in walking, take the following as a minimum (sorry if this is patronising by the way):

1. Decent hiking boots or approach shoes (merrells etc)
2. Food and water
3. Waterproof jacket
4. A warm fleece
5. A mobile phone
6. A torch in case you take longer than anticipated and it gets dark

It's an easy climb, the people that die or require rescue are always day trippers in shorts and trainers that through ignorance just assume it is an easy walk in the hills. It is a proper mountain and deserves respect. The weather will turn quickly and it can be cold and wet at the summit even if warm and dry in town.

It's a nice day out. I used to take my mountain bike up and ride down for kicks.... now that is fun

Do us proud and pick up at least one piece of litter and take it off the mountain

Hope you have a good time.

Edit: PS. You will not die by doing it in October!! Avoid going up when temperatures are below freezing as without experience and proper gear the rocks are hazardous. A crisp winter's day is better than a summer scorcher in my opinion

[oothef]

Same as riding a bike; good preparation, appropriate gear, prepare for the worst and don't fall off! Bad visibility is the one to watch, know where you are, where you are going, and, most important, how to get back. If you are not happy/comfortable with the conditions, turn around, there'll be another day. All of our mountains are more than capable of throwing 4 seasons worth of weather at you in the space of a few hours. Enjoy

[bigdoozer]

The bit where they die, is Crib Goch (splleing may well be wrong) a narrow shelf with only a 12" wide path. You hang onto the very top ridge with 2000ft on one side (don't put head over top in high winds), on your left is a straight drop for 1200ft. Slip and your gone. Why not take the train to the top, enjoy,,,,,, ride down again, If not the miners track from the YHA

[backofbeyond]

Originally Posted by Magnon

The wife and I went up in March about 20 years ago. The route started alongside a lake. We got as far as the ridge when we met a couple coming down with crampons and ice axes. It was pretty hostile so we took their advice and turned around. A few minutes back down we came across a bunch of Japanese tourists in flip-flops all holding hands We couldn't make them understand how much worse it was going to get.

I have to admit to doing it the other way round. My son and I turned up at the fifth station on Mt Fuji (as far as you can get by public transport) in shorts and flip flops (it was hot in Tokyo when we caught the bus!) to be surrounded by hundreds of locals all kitted out in serious equipment and ready for the ascent. We did consider walking up a few hundred meters just for a laugh but thought better of it when cloud / fog rolled in reducing visibility to under 50m.

[Griffdowg]

Originally Posted by adrian74

Evening (Or morning) all.
Has anyone here hiked up Mt Snowdon in Wales?
A friend and I are considering doing it in a couple of weeks.
I would appreciate any info/tips etc, such as "You will die if you do it in October" as was suggested to me by someone recently!
Seriously though, we have little experience of this and would love to hear from some experienced hikers etc.
Also we may take the bikes and camp near the base, weather depending.
And yes, we will be looking on some dedicated forums for this kind of thing, but I just thought I'd have a look on the HUBB first.

Its easy enough. Just take the miners or Pyg track from the Llanberis pass. these are clear on both 1:50 and 1:25k OS maps.

Go prepared, the cloud can come down very quickly up there. Both tracks mentioned though are easily navigated. check the met office website for weather before you go.

should be possible to do a return trip in 5 hours.

I dont recommend Crib Goch as a way to the top for begineers, there is no quick way off the ridge. you either traverse the lot or drop down the west ridge (close to the northern end). There are also lots of scrambling sections and it is very exposed.

Im sure you will enjoy it and have fun. Just be mindfull of the weather/conditions/timing etc. all the way up, if your thinking straight you shouldn't get into trouble. Just dont get 'summit fever'!

G