Over the weekend of the 18th to the 20th of October thirteen club members made the not too arduous journey to the Glan Dena Hut in Ogwen. The hut which belongs to the Midland Association of Mountaineers is in a perfect location for immediate access to Tryfan and many other spectacular mountains for climbing, walking and scrambling. The weather was forecast to follow the standard UK pattern for 2024, however, on Saturday gave a perfect window of opportunity for a full day of mountaineering and climbing.
John L, Dan C and Martin P travelled early on Friday to make the most of the weekend. The rock was dry on Little Tryfan when they arrived, however, the heavens opened as soon as they made a start on the lower grade routes. With no other climbers on the crag the three had the perfect setting for evaluating and practicing wet rope management skills. Thankfully the drying room at the hut was more than adequate for restoring their soaked gear, ready for the next day.
Everyone else in our party made it to the hut at varying times of the evening. The hut had been used before by York MC so we quickly settled into our familiar and comfortable surroundings. We were very fortunate to have the place to ourselves for the weekend and were able to spread out between the rooms, the Chairman given a room to himself since there had been vicious rumours about snoring.
Saturday morning saw the weather front disappear off to the east and we were set for a fine day. Everyone had plans in place, the vast majority of our activity expected to be on Tryfan.
Ewart P and Derek W, however, had a plan much bolder than Tryfan. An early start was needed in anticipation of a big day out up to Craig yr Ysfa for the classic VDiff route up Amphitheatre Buttress. The day went well, without too much serious drama. Notable events of the day included testing the holding strength of cams, assessing inopportune costume changes and checking the friction limits of vibram on every kind of surface. All exercises were completed in good time which was just as well because Ewart was head chef for the evening meal.
Charley S, Lucy A and Meg H had a cracking day on Tryfan climbing Nor Nor Buttress which is a grade 3 scramble with a pitch of Diff rock climbing. Meg led the route which was challenging and wet in places. Moving together for sections of the route and pitching where the going was awkward gave the three a satisfying and thoroughly enjoyable day out.
Dan C and John L had donned their crusty, redried favourite climbing clothes and opted for Overlapping Ridge Route (Diff) on the East Face of Tryfan. Swinging the lead throughout, good progress was made until several teams converged at the same point above the Yellow Slab and the momentum slowed. Nonetheless the conditions of the day were quite magnificent compared to Friday so nobody was complaining and they had time to take photographs of the teams on adjacent ridges.
Neil D and Martin P climbed Pinnacle Rib Route (Diff) to the right side of South Gully. Or at least we think they did. A route in probably about the right place was followed and justified with a small amount of text in the guidebook which vaguely resembled the approximate line taken up the crag. Some parts were quite beefy but no problems were encountered.
Oli B and Dave M initially started the first pitch on East of Eden (VS). It was immediately apparent to Oli that the amount of water seeping (pouring) through the rock onto the greasy, less frequented route would likely make for an unpleasant climb so retreated to the start. The most convenient option now was to move onto the route next door and follow Neil and Martin up 'Pinnacle Rib Route'. This was great fun and made for a most enjoyable and sociable climb.
Emma W and Dan had set their sights on Gashed Crag (VDiff) on the left side of South Gully. Progress was slow from the start with water seepage contributing to the difficuty especially in the awkward chimney. Swinging the lead and hauling up rucksacks the pair battled on until above the chimney when sunset heralded the end of the day. A series of abseils was the best option to bail off the crag at this point, crossing South Gully and easing over to reach the path beside the start of Overlapping Ridge Route. It was now dark and to crown off the thrashing and bruising experience one of the ropes jammed near the top of the final abseil. The rope was abandoned to be recovered the following morning.
The pair had called ahead to let everyone know they'd be late for dinner. Their walk down along Heather Terrace was another awkward experience made more difficult with only one headtorch between the two. Back in the hut Derek had several hours to practice his smug expression before Emma and Dan returned. It would take several days before the more natural, normal facial expression was restored.
There was plenty to keep everyone occupied in the evening. Head Chef, Ewart was treating us to a cordon bleu style sausage casserole with rice, bread and some green stuff as well as a vegetarion option. No shortage of willing helpers, the meal was ready to go and eaten before the last two made it down. After eating Oli kindly went out with an extra headtorch to meet Emma and Dan as they approached the bottom of the valley.
Charley had initiated a plan for separate interview rooms and good cop/bad cop scenario to debrief Emma and Dan on their return. The Chairman retired to the lounge to enjoy the warm stove and where the screams would not be heard. As it happened there was no drama. The self appointed interview team had already been on the cider and more so Emma played her joker, a delightfully expensive, posh whisky which saw off the bloodhounds with ease.
The next morning was a slow start. The night before had been a relaxed affair due to little prospect of mountaineering activity with Storm Ashley, rain and strong wind affecting the UK on Sunday. Everyone helped clean up the hut, tidy everything away and make sure that all was left in good order before leaving. Another brilliant team effort. After the rain stopped at 10am Oli and Dave dashed off up to Heather Terrace to find the rope abandoned at Overlapping Ridge Route. Oli climbed to release the jammed rope and methodically picked his way down again leaving no gear behind. Tremendous effort!
Thanks to everyone for coming along on another very entertaining and successful weekend. The conditions of the weekend were testing and much valuable experience was gained. It was great to see such generous personal contribution, sharing of information and helping out in every facet of a club weekend away. This was the last planned big Club trip for 2024 and I loved it. Special thanks Emma for organising it and to Ewart for cooking dinner.
We're already looking forward to more trips in 2025! See you there!
Dave M
