Snowdonia Climbing – Cneifion Arete 130m Mod, Ogwen, North Wales

Don’t let the fact that this climb is only a moderate (or a grade 3 scramble depending on who you talk to) put you off. It keeps you involved and interested from the word go, and the exposure up the ridge is fantastic!

I offered to take some people from work on a climbing expedition so they could experience what climbing is all about, and why I go all misty eyed every time I talk about it. We had planned to do some single pitch cragging in the Peak District, but the weather was looking hit and miss and the forecast was better for the west of the country. I opted for Wales to give my colleagues the opportunity to try a nice big mountaineering route in some (hopefully) reasonable weather. As it transpired, only one person managed to come along, so it turned out to be just Reg, My bro and me.

The approach

As we approached the Ogwen Valley in the car, it was quite a surprise to see that pretty much all the peaks were covered in snow. I started to question my wisdom of attempting a big route as we would almost certainly have to top out onto snow, which none of us had come prepared for. Once parked, we debated for a few minutes and decided to approach the climb and see how it looked.

As with all the best mountaineering routes, there’s a bit of a walk-in. Parking is at the Idwal Cottage in the Ogwen Valley, it costs just £4 for the full day – bargain! The approach starts on the cobbled path leading up behind Idwal Cottage. We followed the path until we reached Llyn Idwal, turning left and working our way along a stony path with the Llyn on our right. We passed through a gate and then headed up the hill to our left. Once we reached the top of the hill, we could see the Arête off to the right in the distance (see picture). As you can see from the picture we had to stomp through a fair bit of snow, which made some of the steeper traverses a bit sketchy.

The climb

Once we reached the foot of the Arête, it was obvious where to start, from the highly polished rock. I arrived first and took a couple of pictures of David and Reg as they scrambled up behind.

After all that walking, we eager to get stuck in. Well at least David and I were, Reg looked more than a little apprehensive. I had selected the route as a moderate grade to give him taste of a proper mountain day out, without the climbing being technically difficult. However, standing at the foot of the route made me feel a little uneasy for him, what if he just found the whole thing terrifying and couldn’t proceed? I considered this for a moment and decided that we could always abseil off from the top of pitch 2 if it wasn’t working out.

I climbed first. As I made my way up pitch 1, I placed a couple of pieces of gear to show Reg how it works. The guidebook, Scrambles and Easy Climbs in Snowdonia suggests this pitch is 26 metres. We had decided that Reg should follow next so that I could coach from above and David from the ground. Reg huffed and puffed his way up to a nice big ledge, just below my belay point. He still looked pretty white, but relieved to have the first pitch under his belt.

Once David joined us at the first ledge, it was decided that I would continue to lead. I started climbing the sloping chimney above us. After a few easy moves I decided not to bother placing any more gear, I felt very confident and decided that adding gear would slow us down and cause a lot of rope drag (though I was very careful not to leave David and Reg exposed). I kept the pitches reasonably short, mostly setting up belays from the many spikes available.

We took a full rack with us, which was completely unnecessary. If you plan to do this climb just take nuts 2, 4, 6, 8 and 10, a few slings and some carabiners. Route finding was never a problem, I just stuck to the top of the ridge wherever possible.

The climb is really easy but keeps you involved. My favourite part was the exposed ridge. I tried to strike a balance between concentrating on the moves while not losing sense of the occasion. After all what’s the point of all that exposure if you’re so focused that you don’t notice it?

When we reached the top we were met with a good 6 inches of snow and truly magnificent views. Reg looked genuinely happy and I got a buzz from his obvious sense of achievement.

The descent was tricky, steep stony paths covered in snow. In some places, sliding down on your bum was the only option. We arrived back at the car a bit weary but completely satisfied.

Conclusion

The Cneifion expedition was a brilliant mountain day. I think there’s something for both experienced climbers / scramblers and beginners. I can wholeheartedly recommend it.

If you fancy it, I would recommend purchasing Scrambles and Easy Climbs in Snowdonia as a guide.