Well I was at a loose end this afternoon, so thought I go for a walk up Snowdon, so heading out from the village (my van still won’t start!) I walked up the Llanberis Path, I was going to go for the up and over to Pen Y Pass and try and meet up with my house mate on his way back from work, but the weather was in my face all the way, so it felt a little fresh. In the end I gave up on that idea and tried to get a picture of Cloggy in its winter coat. Incidentally the classic ice gully look like it was close to forming!
The wind has really ripped up the snow, and I wouldn’t be surprised if there were a few pockets of wind slab starting to develop in the shelter gully’s. Given the wind direction the Trinity Gully’s might be banking up a bit, so take care. Although I didn’t make it all the way over, the wind direction was shifting about a lot, so keep your wits about out there, and enjoy the winter conditions.
Similarly the condition on the PYG track were extremely icy, even just out from the Pen Y Pass car park, and the conditions higher up definite require the use of crampons and ice axes, as does the top of the Llanberis Path. With the right equipment you can have a proper winters day out at the moment in North Wales.
Winter walkers seem way more socialable than summer ones, and despite the weather everyone stopped to have a chat as I made my way up today. Probably out of concern that I was on my own! Interestingly, I usually don’t look very well equipped on the hill, however today I got acosted by a stranger on Llanberis High Street asking if I was going out climbing, I didn’t even have a rucsac with me, but my fleece and technical trousers must have given me the air of ‘mountaineer’. I am sorry if that was you on the high street, but I have one golden rule in winter, only go out with people you are happy to suffer and potentially die with!
It also struck me during several meetings on the hill over the last couple of days, one of which included over hearing a telephone conversation as well, that women in the main seem to dragged out in all sorts of conditions by their boyfriends only really to find themselves questioning why they have agreed yet again to be involved with some testosterone induced plan. The conversation I overheard was the ‘boyfriend’complaining to his mate over the phone that “the girls didn’t want to do Crib Coch” I am not surprised because her toy Paris Hilton dog looked less impressed than she did.
It got me thinking when do we grow out of showing off to women? I have had many hilarious experiences where in the process of trying to show a girl how cool, hard or clever I am, have instead made a fool out of myself. I can also guarentee it happening just at the point I realise that I am showing off, again! I wonder how many couples have called out rescue teams, because the man was essentially showing off? Now I have caused the opposite sex to damn near wet themselves by making a fool out of myself trying to impress them, but never had to call in outside help to remedy the situation!
