A belated report from Matt who along with Simon was out with the “Matterhorn Boys” in North Wales as part of their preparation for the Alps this summer.
North Wales
Saturday 15th June
On what was supposed to be a bit of a wash out in North Wales, we spent some of the finest days I have had working in the Ogwen valley. What then seemed to be the ever more rare rain free weekend, this trip to the mountains was a pleasure, with no wind and even the sun poking its head out now and again, this turned out to be a first rate weekend.
We met the guys in the Ogwen valley car park and after a brief chat, made our way up towards the Idwal slabs area passing the very picturesque Llyn Idwal, heading for the foot of the buttress to take on the mighty North West Face Route and Senior’s Ridge combination. After a brief pause we were geared up and ready for action. This compact rock of Rhyolitic Tuff and Breccias was a pleasure to climb on and this classic route was almost totally free of all loose rock and made for some great climbing. At the top of North West Face Route we made a direct approach over the grey slab area taking in some interesting terrain to reach the foot of Senior’s Ridge to practise some ‘moving together’ techniques. At the top of Senior’s Ridge we made a dash for summit glory and then made a quick descent of the Devil’s Kitchen. Then back to the base of the Idwal slabs. With more fuel in the tank the boys were keen to grab another route whilst the weather was clear so we attacked the classic Ordinary Route which seemed to be dispatched with ease, bringing an end to a fine day out in the mountains.
Sunday 16th June
Back to the Ogwen valley but this time we headed for Milestone Buttress. This time Simon and I chose different routes to climb. Simon, Bruno and Cameron climbed Direct Route whilst myself and Ali climbed pulpit route. This almost took us to lunch time and the guys were eager to put some of the techniques into practice. So we spend the rest of the afternoon going over and coaching as much as was possible before all our brains were fried.
