Wet and Windy!

Looks like its going to be a rather wet and blustery weekend in Snowdonia, with 84 mph winds reported last night.  I'm taking a couple of mountain newbies up for the weekend - hope I don't put them off for life.  I guess Crib Goch will be off the agenda!

New JetBoil....M'mmm

Just noticed on Outdoor Magic the new Jetboil Sol stoves due for 2011.  While I get the concept I never quite subscribed to the Jetboil philosophy and have thus stuck to my trusty MSR Titan kettle and Optimus Crux Lite combo.  The Jetboil seemed to be too big, (top) heavy and in-flexible, though I guess it does exactly what it was intended for, i.e. boil water quickly, efficiently and conveniently.  

With Primus bringing out a similar stove Jetboil have had to respond and their new 2011 version may just make me re-think.  With a significant weight reduction from current 425g to 300g, or 260g for the titanium cup version the weight argument doesn't hold much, well,...weight.   In the main I use my stove only for boiling water (bar the occassional fried bacon if I'm on a camp-site but then I'd tend to use my MSR Whisperlite stove with a frying pan). With a boil time of 2 mins for 0.5 litre of water and a claimed 12 litre boil per 100g canister it's definitely quick and efficient.  And the clincher, of course, is the new orange and grey colour scheme!!

No prices announced yet but there's also a smaller (0.8l) and cheaper version called the Jetboil Zip at 333g.  Spring 2011 seems so far away......!

PS. I've realised that researching gadgets is far more enjoyable than looking for pants.  I'd been searching for some decent wicking underwear  - a particularly inspiring subject - when I was distracted by the Jetboil article.

Snowdon Horseshoe...almost!

A hastily packed few bags chucked in the boot of the car saw me leave London at 5pm on a Friday evening.   I feared the worst - either a terrible journey or I've forgotten something crucial like my sleeping bag.  Surprisingly the motorways were clear and I arrived at Dolgam campsite in Capel Curig at 9.15pm, just as it was getting dark and it had started to rain.  I'd decided I wanted to get some height and the Snowdon Horsehoe seemed a good bet.  I hadn't been up Snowdon for a few years - the summer crowds put me off but I was tempted by Crib Goch.   I was also interested in gauging my (poor) fitness levels, having been reading up on Alpine Courses and Mont Blanc.

I awoke to a sunny, but rather blustery morning, which immediately gave me concern about my first traverse of Crib Goch, the guide-book words about avoiding when windy sitting in the back of my mind.  Parking near the Pen-y-Gwyrd hotel I hot-footed up to the Pen-y-Pass hostel and immediately made for the Pyg Track which would give me the option of heading up the east face of Crib Goch, or continuing along the Pyg track.  At Bwylch y Moch it was decision time but it was still rather blustery and I expected it would be worsen with altitude, as evidenced by the speed of the clouds whizzing overhead. Frustratingly I decided that today wouldn't be the best time to test my nerves on the knife-edge, so I reluctantly continued up the Pyg Track.

Llyn Lladar and Y Lliwedd from Bwylch y Moch

The route was full of the usual summer mix of families, large groups and fancy-dress parties.  As I reached the zig-zags it started to rain a little and the temperature dropped,  so I donned my new Rab Cirrus wind-shirt which seemed to shrug off the few spots of rain.  Snowdon's summit was as packed as ever so I elected to huddle behind a wall by the new visitors centre, sheltering from the wind to have lunch.

Looking back to Crib Goch

I had never traversed over Y Lliwedd and its imposing cliffs looked even more impressive viewed from Snowdons peak, though the view back along Crib Goch left me with some regret.  I left the summit by the south ridge for about 100m before dropping south-east where the Watkin Path route joins.  Losing height height I kept near the cliff edge to make the most of the rock-hopping opportunities on offer before scrambling up to reach the West Peak of Y Lliwedd, quickly followed by the East Peak.

East peak of Y Lliwedd

Llyn Llydaw from Lliwedd Bach

From here it case a case of picking my way down towards Lliwedd Bach and following the feint path back down towards LLyn Lydaw.  On the descent my ankle was pretty painful - I strained my ankle ligaments 4 weeks ago and the descent had eventually taken it's toll.  I'd been chatting to a couple of climbers who'd also come up from London the evening before and one of them kindly lent me his walking pole (thanks Hajaz) which eased the load as we descended to meet the Miners Track and trudged back to Pen y Pass.  A cool beer back in Capel Curig also seemed to help ease the pain!

So not quite the full Snowdon Horseshoe - similar in length but not profile and Crib Goch will have to wait for another day (soon).  But as I'm trying to get hill-fit it was good to get in some miles and metres on a beautiful day.

PS. It was the first outing for my Rab Cirrus windshirt - it's laughably thin, windproof and shrugged off mild rain without problen.  I kept it on whilst working hard up-hill and it seemed to breathe well.  The only slight niggle was that the Pertex Quantam fabric is so thin that in high winds a slight excess of material on the arms would catch the wind and flap with a wild slapping noise...and one of the chaps I met asked if it was a base-jumpers top - he was expecting I was going to launch myself from the cliffs!

Rab Cirrus wind-shirt

Funnily enough I read Martin's post over at SummitandValley on the very same day that I'd just tried on a Montane Featherlite smock for size.  A wind-shirt had been on my hit-list for a while having dabbled with soft-shells and varying weights of fleece but realised that, more often than not, you do just need to cut-out the breeze.  I was keen to actually try on a top for size as I seem to straggle medium and large with most makes though I realised I'd likely be wearing few layers underneath.   I was also looking at the new Rab Cirrus smock but I realised I'd find it nigh on impossible to find a stockist down here so I decided to take a punt.

A quick internet trawl led me to Webtogs, where I duly plumped for a large in blue.  The day after placing my order I received a confirmation mail thanking me for my order, mentioning they'd seen my blog and giving me an extra 5% discount from the £44.99 price.  Who says blogs don't pay!!

The tiny package arrived the following day and first impressions are rather positive.  It's a good fit with  long slim arms with elasticated cuffs.  The Pertex Quantum fabric is a real featherweight - feels soft as silk and weights a silph-like 75g.   The chest zip is a decent length with an internal baffle, a zip-housing at the top and and a decent sized zip-pull fitted.  There are also pull-cord adjustment at the neck and the bottom hem - the bottom one cleverly pulls only the rear half tight - same effect with half the weight of bungy.  The blue colour is rather fetching being a somewhat deeper blue than typical outdoor gear.   The top comes with a Pertex Quantum bag which I doubt would register on the scales.  It packs to a fat sausage size though the bag could actually have been made smaller.  It;s easier to stuff which I presume won't hurt the fabric. Given the impressive (lack of!) weight Rab it's nice to see they haven't skimped on the details.

No mention of any DWR treatment or water repellency (though I was only after a lightweight wind-top) so I'll have to see how it performs in light rain but I'm looking forward to trying out on the hill, or maybe on a run.   The only problem is that its so small I can't find it!   I'll report back when it's seen a little action.

PS. I noticed that Rab are also doing a full-zip version too - no hood, 2 pockets and a whopping 120g!

Llyn Edno wildcamp - The Laser Comp's first outing

With my new Laser Comp having just arrived I just had to fit in a quick trip, so I headed up to Wales on Friday afternoon.  I hadn't planned and therefore packed in a hurry, which I would regret later!.  I had thought about heading into the back of Carneddau and camping by Melynllyn but I decided to head somewhere new. I'd always liked the idea of the area of the Moelwyns bounded by Cnicht to the south and Moel Siabod to the north, west of the A498 and the Snowdon range.  It has a raw and remote feel to it and I'd spotted a few liitle lakes the last time i climbed Cnicht.  I headed down the A498 past Snowdon and parked in NantGwynant.  A quick check of the map and I selected Llyn Edno as a suitable destination for the evening. Setting off at 5pm I guessed it would be a couple of hours at the most.  Heading up the single track road for a couple of km's i turned left by Haodydd Brithion and started ascending. The reduced weight and size of my pack was noticeable though i still found it a bit of a slog upwards.  I veered of the main path to take a more direct but steeper route, having to use map and compass to keep orientated with no obvious peaks as reference. The pathless heather and rocky outcrops reminded me of the a milder version of the Rhinogs.  I headed up to Clogwyn Drain where the land levelled out a bit, continuing NE to reach the shores of a deserted Llyn Edno, with Moel Siabod sitting directly in view across the lake.  A quick scout around and I found a good camp spot at the south end.

I was a little surprised that it had been such a slog up to the lake which was at 550 metres and it was only when checking the map I realised that I'd actually started lower than I imagined at about 50m.  I'd gotton used to starting out in the Ogwen Valley which is already at 300m.  Dinner was to be Mountain House chilli and rice but after the obligatory 9min hydrating I took my first mouthful to be greeted with the most disgusting chemical taste. I actually thought I was going to poison myself - it definitely tasted contaminated with something but I was starving so wolfed it down. The packet was still in date and I can't believe they can normally taste that bad so it was perhaps a duff sample.  I munched through some chocolate and had another brew and relaxed watching the last of the sun drop behind the Snowdon massif. 

It was so still and peaceful then two bodies appeared over the brow of the hill to the west. They stopped to survey the lake, clearly looking for a camp spot, but I'd already bagged the prime position so they headed over to the other side.  I decided on a spot of cragging to warm up before I turned in as though it wasn't that cold there was a definite breeze.  I settled in and drifted off to the sound of my iPod, warm and comfy from the combination of my PHD Mimim 3900 and NeoAIr mattress.  The night was uneventful and I was awoken by voices at the other side of the lake and checked my watch. It was 7am and the other visitors were already on their way.  Feeling distinctly lazy I got up and started to make some porridge only to find my 100g gas cartridge running out before the water boiled - in my haste I'd packed a part-used cartridge!  Getting out my Steripen I found the batteries too low to work and without gas I was going to be unable to sterilise water - the perils of packing too quickly!  I was on my way by 8am so I knew I could take my time for the rest of the day, or until I ran out of water.  I headed up onto Ysgafell Wen ridge and bimbled along, dropping down to Llynnau'r Cwn, (another beautiful wild camp spot) and climbed back up onto the ridge, following it round to Moel Druman. It was a lovely day, sunny but with a cooling breeze, and I was in no rush so had plenty of time to amble wherever I fancied, climbs a few crags and generally explore. Heading further south I skirted around Llyn Adar and headed up the northern slopes and up the last rocky steps to the summit of Cnicht.  


The scramble down to the scree slope down to the start of the scree descent into Bwlch y Battel was a little precarious, but whilst high I set my sites on Llynau Cerrig-y-myllt, a delightfully secluded pair of lakes where I enjoyed a cooling wash before heading down to the stream which headed back down to the road at Gelli-lago, from where I re-traced my previous evening's steps back down into Bethania on the A498.   My first night in my Laser Comp had been a success as far as the tent went, but less so in lieu of my lack of gas, water and food!! Put it down to (jn)experience!

After re-hydration I decided to head to Dolgam campsite on the A5 so I could wonder up the road to to the Tyn Y Coed pub for dinner and a cool beer. I hasn't reckoned on the throbbing crowds at the campsite but I bagged a spot beside the river and scrubbed up in the shower.

The next morning the sun was out and I decided to summit Moel Siabod via Daear Du ridge.  With a lighter day-pack (Berghaus Mach 24) I positively bounded up the track the old mine workings to get the first glimpse of Daear Du ahead of Llyn y Foel.  Once on the ridge the scrambling is relatively straightforward, interspersed by a rocky path.  as a direct route up it's probably safer tan the scree path that some take.  The views from the summit were fantastic, if a little hazy.    I headed north-east over the secondary rocky summit ridge which affords much rock hopping before taking a direct route down the north-east ridge and back down to the A5.


A quick unplanned trip and a few more lessons learnt!  I enjoyed the Laser Comp - I think we're going to get along just fine and I'll post a separate report on my first impressions later. 

Views across to the Carneddau

Daear Ddu ridge comes into view

Looking across to Snowdon from Moel Siabod

Pulled the Trigger!

Done it! Finally taken the plunge and ordered a Laser Competition from The Outdoor Shop (was sorely tempted by the Photon Elite but I'll see how I get on with the Comp first!).  The thought of lugging my North Face Tadpole on another trip finally took its toll!  I also ordered some dyneema guys, line-loks and vargo ultralight titanium stakes from teamio so I can get modd'ing (thanks Robin)!

Here's hoping it arrives in time for me to give it a first run out this weekend.

The Quest Continues..!

My quest for a new lightweight one man tent continues unabated. One of the difficulties for a fussy buyer such as myself is the fact that it's actually rather difficult to track down and see suitable tents.  A dearth of local stores means its difficult to compare tents in the flesh so when I read that the Backpackers AGM meeting was to be accompanied by Backpackinglight and UltralightOutdoors exhibiting I decided to head down the M4 on a sunny Saturday. On arrival I could see a menagerie of tents but quickly spotted the Laser Comp and a Vaude Power Lizard pitched and ready to compare with Terra Nova and Vaude both having rep's on hand.

First up was the Vaude PL which looked immediately larger than the Laser. Inside it was surprisingly spacious in all directions.  Lying down I probably had a couple of feet spare at the end while width was just enough for two at a push.  The single porch was also spacious enough and given the 1 kg weight the package was impressive.  The groundsheet was more robust than I expected but the fly and the poles (7.5mm) were noticeably thin, with the thin poles seeming to easily distort in a slight wiggle rather than a straight hoop (if that makes sense) although the internal 'power cord' did deliver more stability. One thing I also noticed was the fly was not particularly taut towards the ends -a little baggy.  The Vaude rep admitted it could do with a couple of extra pegs but even then it was difficult to get the fly taut.

I then wondered over to the TN tents to have a poke around the Laser Comp - and pokey it was, coming directly from the VPL.  Although slightly lighter the LC was noticeable smaller on the inside - definitely more cozy - not necessarily a bad thing but lying down you notice the tent inner not far from your nose!  The porch was a similar size to the VPL though with slightly thicker poles the structure seemed a little more rigid and the fly seemed a little tauter. I questioned the TN rep about the fiddly pole cover but his only response was that you don't really need it, but since it also provides additional buying points for the pole then perhaps you do.

Wandering back over to the backpacking light stall I decided to have a chat with Bob who has made some positive comments on the VPL.  He kindly offered to let me pitch his own VPL which was relatively easy once I workd out how to insert the end-poles.  Again it was difficult to see how you could get a really tight fly at the ends.  Bob proceeded to offer a discount if I wanted to purchase his barely used VPL but on the basis it was a less than inconspicuous orange/yellow cover. He clearly wanted a green tent for the same reason I wouldn't want an orange one, thus I politely declined!

Alpkit were also exhibiting and had on show a prototype one-man, two-door lightweight tent.  It's a single pole design but with the pole running end-to-end rather than across the middle. The pole also has a couple of mini-spurs coming off a single joint to give more width to the tent.  Headroom was a little low and is due to be addressed by tweaking to ensure the highest point is aligned with where you would naturally sit.  With a target weight of 1kg, two-doors and an expected price of £150 it will an interesting addition to the market when launched next spring.  I've since noticed it has appeared in a news release on Outdoors Magic.

So where am I now.  Well the VPL impressed me with its space/weight ration but felt a little flimsy and flappy. The space was almost two big for one - it was on par with my current North face Tadpole two-man tent, but less than half the weight.   The Laser Comp feels more like a proper one-man lightweight tent for hunkering down, though the limitations and idiosyncrasies are well documented and the pole cover an unnecessary faff.  Which kinda leaves me in a bit of a quandary.  Do I plump for the LC and go through the 'experience' as most others have done, or take a serious look at the Scarp 1.  I'd been awaiting Robin's report on the Scarp which was largely favourable but as he admitted it was far from a serious workout given the benign weather that weekend.  Although a little heavier than both the VPL and LC the size of the Scarp looks just about right.  The integral corner end-poles should mean it's a more solid tauter structure with the optional cross-over poles offering extra rigidity in winter.  But then again the purest in me is still drawn a little towards the minimalist Laser Comp. Oh, what it must be like not to be a Libran!!

Memory Map for iPhone: First Review

I've had the PC version with a full set of Memory Map 1:25k maps on my PC for a couple of years.  The novelty of using my Garmin GPS and downloading tracks to MM soon wore off and I ditched the GPS and reverted to map/compass.   I still used MM for planning/plotting and often printed off my own sections of mapping which were more convenient that wrestling with full OS Explorer maps in the wild (particularly in the Carneddau where you have to flip over to the other side of the OS 1:25k map).  Great as the good old OS mapping is I was never really impressed with the Memory Map software - it felt old, clunky and not particularly intuitive.  As a long time iPhone convert I was excited to see a slew of mapping applications being released early this year.  The excited anticipation of a MM for iphone app quickly evaporated when they launched it with a £20 price-tag.  This was seen by many as a bit OTT  a) for an iphone app, and b) when you've already paid for the OS maps.   The early version also didn't allow you to create routes on the phone though this has since been added.   I waited for the updated version before downloading their 'free' version which is for people who don't already have MM maps and offers the abillity to download maps directly to your iphone via MM's own online mapping store.  I figured I'd have a play with the version before shelling out the £20 for the privilege of transferring my own maps.  I was also interested to see what the Government's much touted freeing up of the OS mapping data would do to the market - not a lot it seems!.

With the free version of the MM app you are immediately greeted with the OS GB1:1 Routeplanner base map which is of little practical use.   What was not immediately clear is that by opting for the 'More Maps' option you are invited to create an online account on the MM map store from where you are entitled to download 400 square km of mapping for free.  You can choose what area and what scale mapping you wish.  As you zoom in on an area any un-purchased mapping is automatically blurred out.  However by clicking on the 'activate' button you are taken to the online store. Before you download it tells you the size of that map portion (e.g. 47 sq.km) and how much of your free 400 sq.km you have remaining.  Thankfully the map sections are far smaller than normal OS maps and so I could easily select all the relevant 1:25k mapping for the Carneddau and the Glyders I neede for the weekend, and I still have over 200sq.km free so I can't see the need to buy the £20 full version just yet.

With the mapping for the weekend sorted it was now down to playing with the app and getting to grips with the MM way of doing things.  Creating waypoints and routes was not quite intuitive - it looks it but I should have RTFM!  Routes are rather fiddly as you cannot place waypoints very accurately with your finger - if you have large fingers then creating a route would be a painful experience, though you can move the individual points afterwards.  This is also a limiting function of the iphone and its touchscreen interface as much as MM's software. 

Of course playing with an app in the comfort of your own home and out in the field is different.  It's a well know fact that the battery life on the iphone isn't great and so I realised I was unlikely to start the MM app and leave it on, choosing to hit the top button the phone to put it to 'sleep'.  The app includes a logging feature which includes speed, distance, moving time etc.    I found myself periodically taking the phone out of my pocket, switching it from sleep to check my position.  The phone appears to get a GPS location fix quickly and displays your position on the map.  In terms of creating a 'track' it assumes you have travelled in straight lines since your last position, so a review of my route shows a series of linked points.

One hint that I picked up from the MM Support Forum was that if you open the iphone ipod app and play music and then open MM, then when you hit the sleep button the phone continues to track you.  Althoug the screen is blank (saving the battery) it must be do to with the fact that until the new iphone OS4 software is released and supports mutli-tasking, the ipod app is one of a select few apps that is able to run in the background and hence must keep the phone on.  I haven't tried this and I'd imagine it would have a dramatic affect on the battery life.

In use, one odd problem I did encounter on the first day was a couple of spurious incorrect GPS fixes which has the affect of making it appear that I'd suddenly jumped 100km or so to the east and back.  This happened a couple of times on the first day and as well as resulting in spurious spikes in my on screen route, it also rendered the logging info useless as it meant my distance travelled was exaggerated - see screenshot below as I'd be hard-pressed to do 244km in 1hr33min!!

Of more concern was that on the second day when descending Tryfan via Heather Terrace this appeared to happen every time I switched on the phone to get a fix - see screenshot below.  N.B. for those who do not have an iphone I don't mean physically switch it on and off every time like a normal phone - pressing a small button puts the screen and any open application to sleep but the phone is still awake to receice calls.

In real use some of the limitations are a function of the iphone itself,  particularly battery life and robustness - I dont normally use a case, preferring less bulk but in the mountains a case would make sense - possibly one with a built-in battery-pack.  GPS accuracy seems good, aside from the spurious spikes which I'm still unsure whether they were a function of the MM software or the GPS receiver.  I seem to recall having the occassional similar spike on my Garmin GPS tracklogs - but certainly not to the extent in the screenshot above.  I keep meaning to post the screenshot on the MM support forum for feedback.

Things I haven't yet tried are transferring my existing MM maps onto the iphone (I would need to buy the full £20 version for that), transferring my tracks from the iphone to my PC (they can be emailed as .gpx files) or transferring routes from my PC version of MM (where it would be easier to create routes) to the iphone (probably need the full version of the MM app).

All in all, its a reasonable effort.  The availability of full OS 1:25k mapping on your screen is impressive - though in practice the small screen size means you do need to regularly zoom in/out.  At the moment I'd still class it as a nice to have or luxury and would only see it as a back-up option (as I would any battery-reliant GPS device) though as I would normally take my phone anyway then it does offer the benefit of ditching a separate GPS device.   As battery and processor technology improves then you can envisage  discrete GPS devices coming under more pressure from other more-unified devices such as the iphone and other smartphones, which in the end can only be a good thing for us consumers.  

A write up at last!

After a stressful week at work I took Friday off with the promise of fine weather for the weekend making a pleasant change to the usual forecast - in fact I was beginning to think that the iphone weather app was stuck on the rain symbol when looking up Betws y Coed.  The strangely quiet traffic conditions were offset by me making the mistake of checking my work emails thus kicking off a flurry of frantic phone calls inbetween bouts of no mobile signal as I sped along the A5.   Snowdonia looked fantastic spread out before me, the clear skies made it easy to pick out the profiles of all the major peaks which were still dotted with the last remnants of winter snow.

Arriving in Betws-y-coed around 4pm I did the usual round of Cotswold Outdoor and stocked up on provisions for the weekend.  I'd already decided I was to camp at the Gwern Gof Uchaf campsite at the base of Tryfan (not to be confused by Gwern Gof Isaf a 1/2 mile back down the A5).   I could walk straight from the campite so I stocked up sufficiently so I wouldn't need to pop back to Capel Curig in the morning.  The campsite is rather small but has hot water, toilets and a shower and is in a great location.  I had a few Mountain House meals but the lure of some decent food (I needed the energy for the next day, honest!!) - led me to drive down to the Bryn Tyrch Inn in Capel Curig.  Sitting on the sofa in front of the fire I chatted to a teacher who was attending a refresher first-aid course at Plas y Brenin.  Arriving back at the campsite it was apparent that the clear skies were going to mean a cold night and chilly it was.  I took the PHD Minim 300 bag and my old Thermarest Prolite3 mat and certainly noticed the cold - my Suunto Core showed 3 degrees C during the night and there was a hint of frost as I nipped to the loo at 6am.  I'm sure my NeoAir mattress would have been warmer (and more comfortable) but alas it had mysteriously succumbed to a rip (more like a cut) when our daughter slept on it at my parents a month ago and I had yet to track down a repair kit.  I'm still finding the limits of a) me and b) my sleeping bags and I suspect the Minim 300 and I were at our limit.


I was up and off by 9am and it was already clear it as going to be a warm day. I'd packed light in lieu of the forecast (including leaving my dSLR camera behind) and crossed the A5 and headed up towards Cwm Lloer and the east ridge of Pen yr Ole Wen which I'd last tackled in several feet of snow.  I was already perspiring as I reached the summit, getting a much better view of the route of our winter climb at New Year.  Though there was no snow directly on the summit, the ridge around to Carnedd Dafydd was lined with a cornice and pockets of snow clung to the steep sides of Cwm Lloer.

Carnedd Dafydd was quickly dispatched with a quick snack-stop to admire the views across the Glyders to Snowdon beyond.  The ridge along to Carnned Llewelyn is longer than it looks and last time here we had to cut-short and head off down into Cwm LLugwy due to the wind.  As I headed around the ridge long I kept turning around to study the intricacies of the cwms below Carnedd Dafydd (Cwmglas Bach, Crib Lem) as they unfolded into view.  I was trying to make out the Crib Lem spur, a grade 1 scramble to the summit of Carnedd Dafydd, which I planned to do another time.

The summit of Carnedd Llewelyn was bit of an anti-climax, as you're already quite high its a relatively gentle trudge up to highest point of a relatively innocuous summit plateau.  Yr Elen looked far more attractive out to the west.

What the summit lacked in drama it made up for in terms of the 360 degree panoramic views.  After a spot of lunch, hiding under a cap to give my poor head some respite from the sun, I needed to decide where to head from here.  The Carneddau is more of north-south spine - a traverse of the range would make a great day out if you arranged for transport at the other end, otherwise it tends to be an out and back affair.  It was a toss up between heading over to Yr Elen or heading further north along the Carneddau and getting a feel for the more isolated, outlying peaks.  I chose the latter quieter option which would give me a different perspective on Cwm Eigau and the route of my last wild-camp.    The northern slopes of Carnedd Llewellyn and in particular the drop into Cwm Eigau still held a surprising amount of snow and a suspect looking cornice was to be avoided.  I headed north losing height and then climbing back up to Foel Grach - another somewhat anonymous summit but which is still a proud 976m.  From here Yr Elen and the steep cliffs dropping into Cwm Caseg really take shape - a real mountain reveals itself.  The psychology of knowing that going further north would merely lead me to re-trace my steps led me to head back to Carnedd Llewlelyn.  The heat was taking its toll and I was conscious that I didn't really know how much liquid I had left in my 2 litre Camelbak bladder - one of the downsides of a bladder over a bottle.

The summit was now much busier as I arrived and took an immediate left, heading east down towards Bwlch Eyrl Farchog.  Dropping down the initial slopes, crossing odd mini-snowfields and looking directly down towards Ffynnon Llugwy you suddenly get areal impression of how high you really were.   The descent down to the bwlch took longer than expected but offered impressive views into Cwm Eigau, the silence occasional punctuated by climbers calls.  My feet were hurting a little by now and I was slurping on my last few drops of water.  Upon reaching the lake (and probably just missing Robin and his Scarp) I chose to follow a feint track down to the bottom of the valley which gave a softer (often very soft and boggy!) option for my feet than the metalled access road.  A quick shower and I decided I'd earned a proper meal and drove to the Tyn y Coed pub in Capel Curig for a curry and a pint of Guinness.    A warmer evening meant I slept better and whipped up a fried bacon sarnie for breakfast - one of the undoubted treats of camping!!

As I was due to head home later in the day I decided to simply head up the north face of Tryfan, planning to descend via Heather Terrace, the obvious band cutting across the east face. I decided to pack even lighter and used a Berghaus Mach 24 pack leaving the camera and flask behind, packing only food, water and a LIM Barrier smock.  The old adage that you'll never re-trace the same route up Tryfan holds true. Approaching from the east rather than the usual route up from car-park on the A5 I soon came across several groups coming up from the north-west.   The lower slopes tend to funnel people into one of a few routes as people tend to follow the more obvious worn tracks.  More confident from my recent indoor climbing I was keen to take a more direct route where I could, giving me more flexibility in avoiding the crowds and practicing a more hands-on approach.  It was great fun picking a route up - even the steeper bits are short-lived so although you can get into a few awkward spots you're rarely over-commited.  The summit appears all to quickly and was, as expected, rather busy with the usual bravado being exhibited by mortals stepping across from Adam to Eve (or vice-versa).  An Aussie girl spent 15 mins before being coaxed into making the step/jump to much applause.  Heading directly south, up and over the south peak, I picked my way down towards Bwlch Tryfan ending with a rather awkward down-climb, before heading over the stile and scrambling down the scree slope to the start of Heather Terrace.  Picking my way along I stopped for 30 mins to chat to a couple climbers who were attempting to find the start of a grade 3 scramble, hoping they'd correctly counted to the 19th rib of rock!  I always seem to find the return leg longer than the outward leg and Heather Terrace stretched back north but  dropping surprisingly little height in the process.   Eventually I reached the path down into Cwm Tryfan and headed past Tryfan Bach to the campsite.

Weekend trips are always over far to quickly but it's always well worth the effort - the sense of well-being even making the 4 hour drive back more bearable.   The fantastic spring weather, clear skies, big mountains interspersed with the last remnants of winter snow combined to give a real 'alps' feel to the weekend that my iphone camera would never do justice   No wildcamp, but I'd put in more miles and metres than I would have done encumbered with a bigger pack.  The Carneddau had revealed more of their character and yet there is still far more to explore.

I'll post some observations on kit including the iphone Memory Map app later and I have a few more pics online here.

Welsh Alps...the prequel

Back from a weekend in North Wales. Fantastic weather (with sunburn to face/neck to prove it), clear blue skies, big mountains and the last remnants of winter snow combining to give a real 'alpine' feel to Snowdonia.  I'll post some words and photo's later in the week, but I'm already regretting not taking my dSLR and relying on my iphone for pic's, though I did get to try out the new Memory Map application on the iphone.