Llech Ddu The Cruel Way

[yokehead]

Or maybe it should be called 'Part Of Llech Ddu The Cruel Way'!

Why do you go to the mountains, or hills? (I call them both of these depending on the mountain and sometimes my mood. At times I call them other names, not quite so flattering!) For me it is many things, a few of which are scenery, open spaces, rock, exertion, achievement, weather, atmosphere, grandeur, feeling knackered, enjoying food and drink, spice, trepidation. And the unknown. No matter how detailed the planning the unknown factor is there. Waiting. What will you find and how will you deal with it? How will you feel at the time, and in retrospect?

Mark and I had the Friday and Saturday for trips but the Saturday was looking like it would be washed out (and it was), so of the 3 jaunts I had in mind Mark chose Llech Ddu. We hadn't had much scrambling for a year so it was an attractive proposition, especially since it is out of the way a bit and perhaps not so well known. I'd been looking at snow reports and the webcams in the area and there didn't appear to be much snow about except on high. We took axes anyway, but for some still unfathomable reason, not crampons. Many's the time we've lugged crampons in the sack and not used them but today we broke our own rules. We did remember the pasties though!

Our plan was to go up the ridge to Carnedd Dafydd then around a horseshoe route over Carnedd Llewelyn, Yr Elen and Foel Ganol. Hahaha you must be joking, it took us 5 and a half hours just to get to Dafydd summit! So it turned out to be the truncated version of the planned route. We set off early from my house and found a good place to park just west and down from Gerlan, on a wide road next to a kid's playground, and were away from the car at 9.30. A trudge up the hill to the Gerlan lane and to the end of it, about 1km from the car. Across sheep s**t in a couple of fields and into the wilds. There had been a lot of rain in past weeks but the ground seems to drain surprisingly well here and although there were wet patches there were no ankle or knee sucking bogs to contend with. Follow the path marker posts where the way isn't distinct. There was no wind and it felt very warm so down to base layers.

llech ddu 1.gpx Open full screen  NB: Walkhighlands is not responsible for the accuracy of gpx files in users posts

But what's this? What is all that white stuff on the mountains? We were amazed. Although we knew this side was north-facing we hadn't expected so much snow to still be around - when we came through Ogwen there was little to be seen. Oh well, press on! The view of the cwm ahead is superb, proper mountain terrain with much of it rock, encompassing the climbing terrain of the Black Ladders. Yes, these are mountains. And you must see the Carnedds and friends from this side, the difference in outlook is akin to seeing Ben Nevis from the CIC hut area instead of the how it looks from the other side. But don't tell anyone, keep this side of the Carnedds a secret! And we haven't even got to the ridge yet!

on the approach, more snow than expected

After a while the path nears the river, be careful you don't lose it through the stretch of rocky ground, then it's onto a lovely grassy track almost to the base of the ridge. And that view ahead all the time as the cwm wraps around you. We'd seen the vertical cliff at the end of the ridge from afar, as we got nearer we saw how vast it is. But there is a spur jutting out on the right so you don't see your route up until you're past this. Then it hits you. The cliff looks fantastic, dramatic, with the start of the ridge above it and the steep Cwmglas Bach to the right.

approaching the Llech Ddu cliffs and appreciating the scale

initial route visible, and the upper reaches of Cwmglas Bach that we didn't know we'd be treading

A turn to the right away from the stream, across the stream draining the cwm and the last flat ground for a while, then it is steeply up. And it is steep! We were into the snowline and the cover quickly increased as we ascended to the left of the waterslide. We soon understood the conditions underfoot. The grass was wet and unfrozen, the snow was new and tended to slip away under the feet. Past the waterslide but with the snow cover we couldn't see the path and kept a bit too far right.

starting the ascent next to waterslide

We came level with the top of the slabs that had been on our left, from the start of this ascent it had been around 150m of height gain in 250m of distance. Steep! My photo shows us being in about the correct place at this point, from where we should have turned sharp left above the slabs. Just above us was the base of the ruler-straight fault line that slashes down from the top of the ridge, I wonder if this would make a good climb in full winter conditions?

the point at which we should have turned hard left, slabs on the left with drop below and the lower end of the fault-line slash above

But it seemed more obvious to carry on up a way (away from the slope and the drop on the left, in the conditions) before turning left so we did that, and of course ended up as in that great Kajagoogoo song from the 80's - 'you're too high high'. Around 50m too high in fact. Once further up we were now faced with a traverse to the left across ground that sloped steeply away toward that vertical drop. It was not nice, every move had to be careful and aided with the axe and we didn't know what was going to be under each footstep, turf or a rock sloping away to slip down. And as the saying goes in old mountaineering books 'a slip was not to be thought of'. This is where the trepidation started to creep in. We could clearly see the corner shoulder that marks the start of the ridge and it wasn't that far away, maybe only 100m, but that was too far, we just didn't feel safe enough. The soft snow conditions didn't warrant crampons but this is where they may have been worthwhile just to get a grip on the turf. Maybe not though, it was a tough one to call. Oh, we didn't have crampons with us anyway of course! It had already taken us an hour and 10 mins to ascend to this point, just 200m height gain and 350m distance, ridiculous!

too high, high and the traverse to the skyline that we didn't fancy - it was worse than it looks

We considered climbing up the rocks directly from here to the ridge, it is steep (of course) but there looked as if there may be a feasible route, sanity prevailed however and we rejected that option. We didn't want to descend in this stuff though, oh no! Mark suggested we continue up the way to gain the ridge higher so that was what we went for. We saw a group starting up from the valley and wondered how they'd fare. More traversing to start and a clamber over rock and turf steps. The turf was soft but still gratefully used for the axe pick, or the spike dug into the snow and turf. There was now only a steep slope below us and no vertical drops, but every step still required care and placement of the axe for maximum security, and concentration. Plant axe, step step. Repeat.

me on the traverse heading toward the upper cwm

over the steps, mixed terrain

Traverse over, we started to go straight up over a combination of snow and small boulders and the going became a bit easier than traversing. We went over the bed of the stream that drains the high cwm, under the snow there was sheet ice with a little water running beneath and the ice was good fun to use with the axe. We neared the cliffs at the back of the high cwm. This was an incredible place to be! The cliffs rearing over us with some blue sky and cloud behind, the steep slope to the valley 300m below, the stark beauty of the snow covered rock. We'd noticed that there is a grass ramp up to the right from here that we thought could be used to get up if the way to the ridge wasn't feasible. There also may be scrambling options for the adventurous up the rocks off this ramp. All worth further exploration. Dear god, please don't let it be that we have to descend though, if we'd had to do that I think we may have been there still! The group we'd seen had reached the point where we'd turned to head this way, so they had also gone too high. Perhaps they'd followed our footprints or also decided they didn't like the conditions to the shoulder, whichever it was we saw them climbing the rocks we'd considered. Perhaps that had been their plan all along?

Mark showing a clean pair of heels heading to the back of the upper cwm, me in the icy stream bed

Those options weren't necessary though, the stream bed continued in a shallow depression in the direction we wanted and seemed to go all the way to the ridge. And so it turned out! The snow was deeper here but remained soft as we covered the final steep leg to the ridge, still taking the utmost care. I was a little way behind Mark as he stepped up onto a large rock and announced 'we're on the ridge' and that the snow was undisturbed, no footprints. I joined him. Wow, done it, how good is that, what a route! A look at the track afterwards and it had been another 1 hour and 20 mins for the latest 100m height gain and 400m distance. So overall, 2 hours 30 min to get on the ridge since the start of the ascent by the waterslide, which demonstrates the difficulty we encountered. I have never before experienced such a sustained period of intense effort and concentration without being able to take a break on a secure stance. We had had a wide range of terrain to overcome to get here, and much use of the axe so it had been hugely enjoyable, increasingly so in retrospect!

shallow depression leading to the ridge, enticing

looking back down, steep slope and deeper snow, camera not level since I didn't want to turn around any further!

almost at the ridge

Mark looking pleased to be on the ridge and able to stand more securely

We now had a proper flat piece of ground for the first time since the valley so made the most of it with food and drink, gazing the while at the ridge ahead and below and the distant views. It was another spectacular place to be and we were privileged to have got there by our unplanned route. Gaining a goal following adversity is a special feeling and it was good to savour it, along with what was on offer ahead.

looking up at our onward route up the ridge

Black Ladders and Carnedd Llewelyn

looking down the latter part of our ascent route to the ridge

After about 20 mins we set off, Mark in the lead, for an immediate scramble up large block steps. The snow was soft still and just required the occasional clearing, the axe was again used extensively. Crampons certainly weren't necessary here, and the going was way easier than the ascent to the ridge, like a rest in fact!

Mark starts out up the blocks

The wonderful scrambling continues and a little further on another blocky set of vertical rock is reached. The lowest small foothold on this was high up, Mark made it but I couldn't get my foot that high so went round up the slope to the left. Way down the ridge we could see folk on the small platform at the start (above the shoulder that has the quartz rocks) so they'd made it onto the ridge ok, but it had taken them a while

the latter part of the scramble where I went left initially

looking back down the full ridge, the dot in the snow on the platform at the far end is a couple of folk

Following this there is more scrambling for a little way before the ridge blends into the general slope above. The onward slope is still steep but less of an angle than the ascent from the valley. We zigzagged up, being careful on some patches of neve covered with soft snow and continuing to use the axe, then over a more substantial band of snow onto the flat ridge and a turn east to the summit.

heading up the final slope toward the summit

The summit was in cloud but cleared a bit for us to see Tryfan and the Glyders before starting down to the northwest. We found footsteps to follow, so that eased the route-finding across the snow patches and through the boulder fields, more soft snow on neve meant that still we could not relax our guard, that was the case until down to 800m where there was a small plateau. We took the short detour on a path up to the small peak above Cwmglas Bach for a great viewpoint back to the ridge and our route, and last photos of the forbidding-looking snow covered rocks.

zoom of the ridge in the foreground showing on the left the fault-line and large sloping rock immediately to the left of it, we got onto the ridge two thirds of the way up. Black Ladders behind

Compared to the last few hours it was an easy, gentle walk descending along the ridge edge, looking down into the valley. We joined the path of our walk-in for the final stretch back to the car.

down the final ridge to the valley, relaxing

This has been a long post! If I have dwelt on the experience, it is on purpose. That is the impact this day had upon me, a very special one delivering all you could hope for in a mountain day, and more, and is seared into my mind. And overcoming that unknown factor. It is a superb ridge and location and although we hadn't climbed the full ridge as planned it had been a cracking day, the unplanned element added to it hugely. We wouldn't have chosen our route but we were so glad we'd done it! It has opened our eyes to other possibilities. Two days later the aches were out in force, never have I ached so much all over!

Below are a couple of diagrams of our route, and the correct one!

our route and the correct way!

routes taken from viewranger, the latter from my return visit a few days later

I returned a few days later to climb the full ridge before the snow went, but that is for my next post!

[Mal Grey]

Wow, quite an adventure.

There's a particular feeling of insecurity that comes with wet snow not sticking to the ground underneath, yet said ground being mixed and difficult even if you had crampons on. Sounds like an intense couple of hours!!!

The normal route is a grand way up a mountain, and as you say, that cwm needs to be seen, its a wonderful place.

[yokehead]

Hi Mal, you're right is really was an adventure, and you've summed up the dilemma of the conditions perfectly. I'll post my return visit soon, it was much more straightforward. Still great though, and another adventure!