Anyone climbed Snowdon?

Skilid

Skilid

Skilid

Soldato
Joined
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Hampshire
Hi guys,

Me and my friends want to go up Snowdon. It seems like a cool adventure, great exercise and very picturesque. Only problem is, we know sod all about it, and have never really been up a mountain before.

Basically I'm after advice for the whole trip;

- Where is a good place to stay/camp (weekend trip).
- Which route is the best? Don't mind a little hard work but we are only beginners.
- How long does it take?
- When is the best time to climb? We were thinking of going later this month.

There will be 4 maybe 5 of us going up in a car.

Any information you guys can give me would be great :)

Thanks!
 
Be prepared in terms of footwear and sudden weather i.e. make sure you have sturdy boots and/or good quality shoes/trainers and even if it seems a nice day make sure you have a jumper and waterproof or a good coat with you even if you don't wear it.


Not sure how your setup in terms of transport, etc. but when we've been up that way we usually stay around the bala lake area but its a bit of a drive to Snowdon (may be a bit far away for a weekend only trip).
 
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Technically i walked up it. but yea i climbed it, was great, would like to walk up some others as well.

Went up there with my dad camped in a tent for next to nothing on a farm field with other campers and it had showers and stuff. Left at 8am on saturday morning and could not find a parking anywhere at the base so had to park down by the road. So walked up from the road to the top and back. Took pretty much all day. There is a cafe on top but no cash machine. so take cash. Also we got a ticket for parking by the road, so did 100 other people. On the saturday evening after walking went to the pub in town and had a lamb shoulder. very nice.
 
My missus and I went up it last year, around about this time. We took the Llanberis path up, which is considered to be the easiest. The first 2/3rds of the climb is fairly easy, it's just the last third can be a real slog as the gradient ramps up.

What you've got to remember is, it's a serious climb whichever way you go, and the weather at the top can be very different than from the bottom so do be prepared. When we went there were people going up in normal jeans and t shirts, and only wearing trainers, which considering at the top it was shrouded in fog, raining and so windy we were struggling to even move forward at some points, was unbelievably stupid. Some people seem to think it's a leisurely stroll up to the top. Make sure you've got the gear to cover all weather eventualities, and you really do need decent boots with good ankle support.
 
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I've climbed it twice when I was younger. I was 13/14 ish. Just make sure you have some decent boots. I'd like to do it again sometime, its a nice sense of achievement. :)
 
EliotG said:
Hi guys,

Me and my friends want to go up Snowdon. It seems like a cool adventure, great exercise and very picturesque. Only problem is, we know sod all about it, and have never really been up a mountain before.

Basically I'm after advice for the whole trip;

- Where is a good place to stay/camp (weekend trip).
- Which route is the best? Don't mind a little hard work but we are only beginners.
- How long does it take?
- When is the best time to climb? We were thinking of going later this month.

There will be 4 maybe 5 of us going up in a car.

Any information you guys can give me would be great :)

Thanks!
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have climbed multiple times, if you dont mind camping you can camp anywhere on the mountain, just pull up in a laybye. If you want to pay there's a nice camp ground in llanberis with showers and toilets and pub opposite.

The miners way is a nice walk for beginners, lots of steps and past the old mine works/lake, it can be busy. If you want a more technical walk the the rangers way is very good and normally there is no-one on it.

Normally takes 2-4 hours to ascend depending on the strength of the group and if you want to enjoy the view.

The best times i found were either early morning or late in the afternoon, mainly due to the reduce number of people on the top. During mid day its like pica-dilly circus up there thanks to the train.

If your up there for a few days try tryfan much more technical and a lot less people on the top and imho much better views.

Also take midge protection with you, the blighter's are like a plague in the campsite.
 
Take good boots. We got up there fine with a couple of fatties so not too challenging if you have a reasonable base level of fitness. Obviously take appropriate clothing. I think the path we took was the miners track i think. The one that runs by the lakes.
 
I think there are three routes that have different difficulties. I took the middle difficultly on the way up which actually converges with the miners path at one point in the route. On the way back down i took the miners path which is pretty much a road/path.
 
llanberis path looks horrible imo, very long but easy.
miners path I took which is okay, pyg track similar but cuts out some of the steps.
looked over towards the route the rangers path takes from the top and I'd rather have gone that way.
 
Only problem with the rangers route - if its a good day you will get a ton of people MTBing it (I find it awkward personally others might not).
 
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Telescopi said:
llanberis path looks horrible imo, very long but easy.
miners path I took which is okay, pyg track similar but cuts out some of the steps.
looked over towards the route the rangers path takes from the top and I'd rather have gone that way.
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It's not that easy mate, trust me! I consider myself pretty fit, but I was knackered by the time we got to the top. The scenery on the lower slopes is quite impressive as well. We didn't get to see what the view was like further up though as we were in thick fog.
 
Yeah I don't want to just go up a long path, I'd like to have bits to navigate and little bits to climb if possible too. Make it a bit interesting.
 
If you are feeling a bit more adventurous Crib Goch arete is probably the most exciting route up to snowdon you can do without climbing gear, the views and exposure are stunning. It is rated as a grade 1 scramble so experience on very rough terrain is recommended.

There is also a hostel at the beginning of all the routes up snowdon called pen y pass youth hostel which is the best location to stay to avoid any problems parking or relying on buses.
 
jak731 said:
If you are feeling a bit more adventurous Crib Goch arete is probably the most exciting route up to snowdon you can do without climbing gear, the views and exposure are stunning. It is rated as a grade 1 scramble so experience on very rough terrain is recommended.

There is also a hostel at the beginning of all the routes up snowdon called pen y pass youth hostel which is the best location to stay to avoid any problems parking or relying on buses.
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would not recommend that in anything but excellent weather, completed in thick cloud and swirling wind, needed new pants after that
 
Take a look at the Snowdonia National Park website

http://www.snowdonia-npa.gov.uk/home

It has a lot of good information, including the different routes, mountain safety, places to stay nearby, weather reports etc.,

As others have already said, take good waterproof and thermal clothing - the temperatures can plunge quite dramatically at the top of mountains. The weather in the area can change at the drop of a hat and visibility due to being so high can close in rapidly.

Ordnance Survey Maps that cover the area are

OS Landranger 115
OS Outdoor Leisure 17 (this is a far more detailed map than the above)

Don't become another call out for the rescue services.
 
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Did Snowdon via the miners path a couple of weeks ago, cant really offer much about the scenery as we did the climb and descent in darkness.

Just be prepared with boots, clothing and take your time with it and it shouldn't be too bad.
 
Here are some pics from last november when I did it for the first time with some friends:

Youth hostel at the beginning:

2011-11-20095107.jpg


View down the valley from the same position:

2011-11-20093421.jpg


On the way up to crib goch (can see the miners track cutting through the lake):

2011-11-20112748.jpg


Can still just see the hostel:

2011-11-20112815-1.jpg


No view at the top :( (visibility about 10m):

2011-11-20141903.jpg


It was definitely more interesting in the wet and fog, probably more like a grade 2 scramble in those conditions. That route got me really into mountaineering rather than putting me off fortunately. I can echo what others have said and recommend tryfan which is fairly nearby if you are staying for a while.
 
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Mr. Peri Peri said:
Research Crib Goch before attempting as you are pretty committed once you set off up there :p Best route though!
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Wouldn't recommend it to a beginner though. I would go with the miners path as the Llamberis route is too long and boring. If possible try to avoid (any route) on a weekend/bank holiday/school holiday, especially on a nice sunny day, will get far too busy!
 
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