Various reports....

I've had all sorts of information through via email & facebook this last couple of days. There has been a lot of climbing going on, and here are a few reports:

--------------------------------

My new friend Stephen Davo Davies has been out this week. He sent me the following info and pics about yesterday's fun on the ice:

 'Me and James Williams did the ramp yesterday morning which was in good Nik & wasn't smashed to bits to be honest, it was quite thick all the way to top "could av got a 130mm ice screw in everywhere!" There were places that were thin ie.. On raised rock areas that hat been tried for an axe hold so thee must be some blunted axes about lol. We started Devil's pasture @ 3pm with James Williams leading up & me 2nding I found it quite easy, & lots of hard thick ice all the way up to bottom of chimney, there were also visible signs all the way up of thinner ice being broken to reveal rock face but where do you draw the line on distinguishing brittle thin ice to being ready! Only the tapping of the ice will determine that outcome! There was some pockets of frozen turf all the way up Pasture but try & keep away from those to be honest! There were lots of previous axe placements which were good for both axes & crampons, saved smashing more holes!! Got to below chimney then it was a 10 meter mixed rock/ice up through chimney then a plod through thick snow to top out & bag up the ropes! On the way back down there was 2lads venturing up the Pasture & a couple half way up the Appendix via head torch. Got back to car @ 5.30pm Brilliant day & not to busy to be honest. I think the meaning of in or not depends on the ethics behind your climb when you get on the route, if ya can follow a previous lead line of formation the chances of damage are minimal. The group above us doing the Pasture before James started his lead, there was all sizes of ice coming down from 10 penny size bits to saucer sizes, don't know what the hell were doing, considering it was my 3rd ever ice climb, I didn't knock anything off!!! Just depends I suppose! Good luck if anyone's out today.'

-------------------------------------------------------------------

Congratulations to Misha who along with his partner climbed this winter's first ascent of the Devil's Appendix on wednesday, apparently a life long dream of his! 

--------------------------------------------------------------------

My friend Carl Davies has been out 3 or 4 days consecutively this week and has climbed on The Black Ladders, Clogwyn Ddu and on Idwal Ice. He'll be emailing me later with reports and pictures. Thanks Carl ;-)

------------------------------------------------------------------------

Although its way out of the reach of most of us, a new route (Wales' hardest?) Lateo X 10 was completed last Tuesday by Pete Harrison and Tom Livingstone on Clogwyn Ddu. Then had its second ascent just 5 days later by Dave Garry and Tom Livingstone. Read all about it on Dave Garry's blog and the V12 blog

Sargeant's Gully & Craig Y Rhaeadr - Today

So yes I am back with this blog. Sorry I haven't been posting for a while, kind of lost my mojo.
As some of you know 2012 was not a great year for me with health problems, which I am still suffering with although I am now getting toward the top of Liverpool Chest & Heart Hospital's waiting list for the op I need which is good news.

ANYWAY, today I went for a look at Sargeant's Gully, in what I call lower Cwm Glas but I think is officially named Cyrn Las. To say it was somewhat of a wade fest would be putting it mildly! Great exercise getting up there but not a lot of fun.
Unfortunately Sargeant's Gully is in what I can only describe as crap condition, with melting ice, water flowing underneath and general unclimbable conditions. Ah well, you have to try. So I went and had a butchers at Craig Y Rhaeadr up close. There is loads of fat ice on the crag (see pics below) but again it was melting. Give it a smack with your axe and it splits and has that hollow scary sound!
I had seen several interesting looking ice formations on the crags below Craig Y Rhaeadr which I went to investigate, but yet again ALL of them were in a right sad state.
So unfortunately today crampons were left in the sack and ice axes unused.

(You may need to click on the pics to see them properly)

Pyramid Gully, Black Ladders - yesterday (tues)

Email from Carl last night:

Hi Andy,
 Into Ladders today to do first couple of pitches of Pyramid gully and then onto Pyramid Arete. Good ice/snow ice on first two pitches, with a very 'cruxy' crux. The ice on the crux is not fat but there is enough there and no doubt it will build over next couple days. Second pitch had great ice. Moved out onto the arete to avoid a wade through deep unconsolidated snow. All rock had a heavy coat of rime and snow and proper turf was good but as usual lighter vegetation was no frozen. The arete gave plenty of interesting steps and felt very alpine along the last top section. Good protection and belays throughout route. Warthogs were pretty useful today. Saw another team on a route inbetween Central and Western Gully. A cool day, rounded off with fish and chips in Caernarfon and a trip to Beacon climbing wall, to listen to a talk by Nick Bullock that was very entertaining.
 Cheers, Carl.

Blog back tonight

This blog will be back on tonight with reports from today and yesterday.