UKH

Hi guys,

I'm fairly new to winter climbing/scrambling. Done plenty of winter hiking.
I'm confident with the systems and techniques

I was just wondering if anyone could offer a picture of Y Garn with it's easier winter routes pencilled on please?
My partner and I want to start taking on some of the easier routes during this winter season to (hopefully) be more proficient come next season.

From what I see there are A, B, C and Banana gulleys.

Thanks in advance

If you Google "Y Garn winter topo" you will soon find a photo with winter routes marked on it 

Aww thanks so much. I thought I'd done this but it kept showing summer routes.
Turns out I hadn't put winter in the search.

Typical me...

Thanks again

You're welcome! Hope you have good climbing this winter

https://ogwen-rescue.org.uk/webcams/

Y Garn looks great on the Oggicam at the moment, you can see the lines of the gullies, not that they'll be in condition yet.

Well you could, but it's just clouded over. 🙁

Or even better... buy the guidebook someone bothered to spend ages making

A very fair point, I just wanted to have a browse on Google Earth before venturing out to the routes just to try and visualise/understand them.

I do always buy guidebooks though, I have a book shelf full

I was looking at it 5 minutes ago. It's got a nice dusting on at the moment

I end up saying this most years now it seems but gullies, particularly in England and Wales, are the last things to come into condition generally, and sometimes aren't in good condition all winter. You are most likely to get gullies in condition at the end of the season when they are the last snow left and it has frozen hard, its a long time to wait and you'll miss lots of other opportunities. The best easy winter routes in Wales (and the Lakes) these days that are regularly in condition are the great scrambly ridges. Crib Lem is ace in winter, much better than Banana Gully (Y Garn) or Parsley Fern on Yr Wyddfa I reckon, and one of those routes is likely to be in nick this weekend, the other definitely not!

Also check out the BMC telemetry https://www.thebmc.co.uk/idwal gives a good indication of the likelihood of your route being in decent nick or a slushy / muddy nightmare

That makes sense mate. I have been looking at some of the scrambling routes. Crib Lem looks fantastic in winter. But a lot of the other easier scrambles look great in winter, Tryfan's North Ridge looks like a good day out in the cold.

Appreciate your thoughts though, perhaps I'll just keep an eye on the gulleys for now but plan them for later in the season.

Thanks.

That's brilliant Andy, thanks for this.
I'd never seen this resource before, that's really useful.

I'm sure it is, although because it is relatively speaking low it doesn't seem to be in winter condition very often. Bristly is superb in full winter conditions (although don't underestimate it) and obviously way more likely to be in condition as it starts not much lower than the summit of Tryfan.

Apologies for self-advertising, but you might find my book, Snow & Ice, useful. It's got a nice topo of the gullies of Y Garn and 250 other winter mountaineering routes across the UK from grade I-III, including a bunch of the Welsh ridges, so it might give you some inspiration for where to get started.

Hope you have a great winter!

Agreed, Bristly is definitely on my list. Although it's only a short summer scramble, it's a long-time favourite of mine. Not done it in winter yet but I'm looking forward to it. Thanks for the thoughts on condition too, it makes a lot of sense.

Please don't apologise. I was just looking at your book funnily enough!

It's on my christmas list so hopefully one of my family members gets it for me

Thank you very much.