The Forum of Benfleet Running Club

Mike Mason · Joined: 02 Jun 2006 Posts: 947 Location: Hockley

Part of training program for upcoming Mont Blanc ultra with an Aussie Andy Dubois who will also be competing. Following a nice time in the lakes 2 weeks ago Snowdonia was next part of the cunning plan. However, the 15 Welsh 3000m peaks require a strong nerve and scrambling skills - if you have neither then read on:

Plan
Drive to Snowdon (Llanberis) on Friday. Rest up and do the Welsh 3000ers - 15 peaks on Saturday and reverse them on Sunday. Drive back Monday.

Actual
Drove to Snowdon - climbed Snowdon Friday evening (whose stupid idea was that Andy.....oops it was mine).

Saturday - Drove to carpark at start - it was full. So had a 2 mile steep road climb back again. 10.5 hrs - climbed Snowdon (again) well why not .....then utter panic and fear set in for me.....Crib Goch!!! My only scrambling before that was Striding Edge on Hellvelleyn. This one however was a manly one and I found out quickly that I am in touch with my feminine side! Apart from the sheer terror at the vast falls each side, the small passing places and long climbs and descents. Things were made worse as I had to take my glasses off - steaming up and rain drops. My wife usually puts my contacts in ( I can't do it myself) but she did not come to Wales.

After crossing this bastard we then had to descend a steep scree slope. Andy adopted a one legged bent ski pose. I adopted the 1 cm per hour pole propping one.....awful. The good news was that this mountain was the worst of that day and we could get back to simple gut blowing climbing and descending again...with a bit of flat thrown in. That night things cheered up with a hearty dinner at the hotel. This was also the day they held the Snowdon Mountain race - up and down in about 1.40 I think. A helicopter was flying around to take photos of them or...........us.

Sunday
Another bloody 10.5 hrs. Up a steep mountain Glyder Fawr....very cold and misty on top. Second time for me to lose my bottle - steep scree descent to Bwlch Tryfan. Awful. I spent most of the time like a girl on my bum........however, most of the girls we saw during the weekend were striding down and up scree like it was a piece of piss. 3 French guys passed me on this descent. They were tacking down near the mountain face. I asked one of them if that was an easier route...he said in lovely English 'there is no easy route.....' and he was right.

As I descended I could see Tryfan ahead. What an awful and truly evil looking beast this is. Like some sort of dinosaur with a bristly back. I think I pointed out to Andy in that quaint Essex expression that I was not going up that as long as I had a 'hole in my arse!' I don't remember Andy trying to talk me out of it either - it was a real beast!
So Andy took out his trusty map (an ex Surveyor in an earlier life) and we descended to a tarn and then onto yet another flaming mountain. Everytime I asked him what the next mountain was the reply was - 'can't remember begins with a T or G or Aber this or that!'

So after 2 bum twitching, hyper ventilating situations why not add number 3. Andy - 'don't worry Mike no more scrambling after this little one....' the bastard! The 3rd one was Ascent up massive scree slope to Pen - yr Ole Wen. My God! This started gently but turned into an almost vertical scree ascent. I started hyper ventilating loudly. I tried to offset this by stringing together as many B's, C's and F's into an almost Buddhist like mantra....Andy could hear me as I neared the top. I can remember at one time wanting to just remain spreadeagled against the slope like some sort of unfit wheezing Spiderman with Tourettes.

A couple of times the seemingly rigid rock handholds fell away. When I got to the top eventually I just wanted to lie down and hold on to the ground. Looking back down the climb was truly mortifying.

At this point the novelty of the Welsh 3000ers had well and truly waned. You can stuff your Welsh mountains where the sun don't shine!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!

My direction to Andy was that I had now had enough....take me home. As a result we missed out another mountain on way back...sorry but I couldn't be asked to climb it! The good news was that I managed to run the descents on way back at end of both days. Andy skipped along like the fit annoying bastard he is! Another great dinner that evening.

Lessons Learned

Get to carpark for start of route earlier to prevent having to walk back to it...
Navigation skills need to be really good - mine are crap but Andy's were excellent. Getting lost on these suckers as the mist descended would have been very nasty.
I don't like scrambling and have no real head for heights Still find the steep climbs hard (but fitter then last year) Very technical descents without contacts (or even with them) dangerous Terrain I thought very representative of what I remembered of the TMB last year

Never wear glasses in the mountains (in fact if you missed it some twat was helicoptered off Snowdon because he lost his glasses the same weekend)

Andy's new TNF 103 shoes proved excellent, clothing was good, Camelbak size inc gear good, water in camelbak with a Perp and hammer gel mix in bottle, endurolytes - no bonking....Timex GPS brilliant Andy's training program - Hamstead heath hill running and fire escape running has paid dividends - very strong....

Able to take water from fast moving streams ok My Suuonto T6 with altitude/speed ascent/descent worked well - need to read the instructions but close to Andys readings on his Timex GPS .
Liked the Sustained Energy in Camelbak - tasteless vs perp. Gels and SUCCEED great. No bonking.
Bumbag essential for quick access to gels, painkillers etc Bowels don't move when scared!
Pole practice again very useful - some triceps pain but better than after lakes weekend and used the poles more this time! We both commented on how we are not sure how we would have managed without the poles -

Tried my new Montrails size 12's (Courmayeur change) with new Montrail Endurosoles that you mould to your feet after placing them (the soles) in oven - really great!
How some guy ran this route in 4.40 or whatever we both could not comprehend. He obvioulsy knew the route well. Was not afraid of scrambling, ran the scree descents etc.....must have set out early....truly remarkable.
My knee held up - even running descents. It appears better doing something rather than resting it.....?? Calves very full now...l

Andy's taper starts now. I have decided with my lack of fitness (knee pain) to go for a 2 week taper. Am going to the Brecons this weekend which with hindsight probably too soon - but as long as there is no scrambling..........But had thought of Snowdon again following weekend. Decided to ditch this idea and Andy's advice of just rest the knee was a sound one.

Overall
The Snowdon weekend was an excellent one for training. Representative terrain. Technical ascending and descending.....but perhaps we didn't need the scrambling!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!! Long days on feet. Kit and fuelling was fine. Weather good overall - cold on peaks but no heavy rain. Allowed my 2 big toe nails blackened from WHW race to just about fall off - will be off for TMB - significant weight save - well you haven't seen how big and horny they really are. Only doing 13 of the 15 - don't care!!! What the route would have been like in bad weather I dread to think.

My bowels have now recovered. I mentioned en route to Andy that I would have to tell Borkur that I cried like a girl on the scrambles.....and I did! Never again.

Thanks to Andy for organising the weekend and good luck to all. Below I have cut and pasted Andy's brief recap of the route....

Fri - Snowdon 3.5 hours - 1000m up 1000m down Sat 10.5 hours - 3000m up 3000m down Sun 10.5 hours 1800m up 2200m down

Saturday
Pyg track to Snowdon
Carnedd Ugain
Crib Goch

descent to Nant Peris - Climb to Elidir Fawr easy section to Y Garn then descent back down to the A4806

Sunday
Pen-y-pas up to
Glyder Fawr easy path to
Glyder Fach - then descent over the boulders and back up again then down the massive scree slope to Bwlch Tryfan( valley before tryfan), descent via lake (Llyn Bochlwyd) to Lake (Llyn) Ogwen

Ascent up massive scree slop to Pen - yr Ole Wen, easy path to Carnedd Dafydd, across to Carnedd Llewelyn, skipping Yr Elen, following ridge around to Foel Grach, Carnedd Uchaff and finally Foel Fras, and continuing donw to Aber.

Rgds

Mike

looking forward to the Benfleet 15............................ compress

_________________
'sometimes I am running so fast it appears that rocks and trees are standing still......' 'I may be slow, but you are ugly and I can train harder.' '90% is mental, the other half is physical'it's going to get a lot worse, before it gets worse'.

mikey · Posted: Thu Aug 02, 2007 12:24 pm Post subject:

This brings back memories

Used to spend my Easter’s climbing these

Been over them all more times that you can shake a stick at them

Favorite Gribb Goch moments, (apart from climbing over terrified walkers stuck limpet like to the sheer rock face !) was when someone took their dog up there ! Absolutely fearless, skipped along the top, backwards and forwards jumping onto and off fore mentioned limpets ( should have heard them squeal )

Also an excellent moment when you can see a slab of rock a few feet wide angling away to a 500m + drop. Only to turn the corner 50m later ,and have to bear hug yourself around the same slab ! Obviously no hand holds, just the memory of fore mentioned drop !!

Would also recommend the north face of Tryfan, a real scramble, with no obvious path up ( just don't look down )

Technically the Gylder's come under the piece of P*ss category, or the got nothing better to do walk. But do remember a time when we were follwing a path, which turned into a sheep track. Then into a sheep track only for the bravest of sheep. Then finally came to a sheer drop all the way to the valley floor ! At this point the person at the front ( not me ) said ‘ That’s funny …… Same thing happened last time I was up here’ !!!!!!!

How we laughed, before climbing the sheer scree slope to the summit

Mike Mason · Joined: 02 Jun 2006 Posts: 947 Location: Hockley

Cheers Mikey. The picture of the dog stands out.....and looking back at Grib Goch it looked like a surrealist painting of small matchsticks stuck to the climbs.................

I will never climb Tryfan.......................never................

rgds

Mike
_________________
'sometimes I am running so fast it appears that rocks and trees are standing still......' 'I may be slow, but you are ugly and I can train harder.' '90% is mental, the other half is physical'it's going to get a lot worse, before it gets worse'.

Jez · Joined: 18 Feb 2007 Posts: 187 Location: Eastwood

MM1 I can tell you we climbed up Tryfen and got to within 50 metres of the top, before we decided that it was slightly foolhardy to take poor paddy any further.Going up wasnt a problem but boy coming down was another matter. At one point coming up was a family in climbing hats and ropes, whilst Lucy and myself scrambled down with a trembling dog on a lead. Metres further on we came to a point where we couldnt get down, Paddy hid behind me on a ledge almost pushing me over, whilst Lucy scrambled around to look for a way down(which actually meant going back up and contouring around)

All this done in freezing weather and cloud coverage.I kid you not as soon as we got back to the car, the clouds parted,the sun came out and we could see quite clearly the "easy path" to the summit, which we should have taken.(Lucy swore that on a previous trip the instructor had walked up with his dog, not until I saw this path was I entirely convinced!)

To this day poor Paddy trembles when he hears the word Tryfen...as does his owner! That said the views were stunning when not immersed in cloud.

Mike Mason · Joined: 02 Jun 2006 Posts: 947 Location: Hockley

Jezz, fantastic. I too have Paddy's pavlovian response to the word. We saw a few dogs up Snowdon (the easy one) but nowhere else. I just can't imagine why people want or like to scramble - it is truly insane.

I am suprised that more people don't die up there and you can stuff the Welsh 3000ers for ever. I will now move onto the 'easy ones' - a category like a Wainright or a Munro etc but regardless of the height is just a hard slog up and down.....

I need now to get a large photo of Tryfan for my wall......
_________________
'sometimes I am running so fast it appears that rocks and trees are standing still......' 'I may be slow, but you are ugly and I can train harder.' '90% is mental, the other half is physical'it's going to get a lot worse, before it gets worse'.

mArKw · Joined: 15 May 2006 Posts: 255 Location: Benfleet

MM1

I hate to give you the news, but some Wainwrights and Munros can just be as bad dependant on route. One time in the Lakes , I decided to do a walk up and around Pillar and back. I found a path on the map which went straight along the valley and then up. The morning was very misty with the occasional shower. Started to climb up on the path until the path just faded away.

Like a fool I carried on up in the direction of the path as per the map. What lay ahead was a 400 metre scramble on a boulder field which went nearly straight up (almost vertically) to Pillar. It was too late to turn back. It took me 2 hours to clear that damn boulder field. Hands, feet, teeth were all needed for grip. It must have been 1st April when the cartographers put that one in.....

The mountain in my avatar is Glyder Fawr, btw. As Jez says the sun does come out sometimes.

Mark
_________________
The hills are alive........

mikey · Posted: Thu Aug 02, 2007 2:53 pm Post subject:

From memory

Think it looked something like this

Maybe with a wif of clould on the top

ps

Can see Paddy's ledge in this view

Mikey

MM1 follow this link for some proper pictures

http://www.algieri-images.co.uk/s...7&sec=Location&line=print

Lucycat · Posted: Thu Aug 02, 2007 4:38 pm Post subject:

MM1 you need to get with it. Scrambling is where its at.

Tryfan is by far the best. By the north face. Jez clearly remembers the experience.

I have a plan that involves Paddy Jez me and Crib Goch. Got him a little climbing harness and rock boots and everything (paddy not jez). bom

When finding a route never follow the water!

PS The Brecs are boring. Big grassy hills dont have to use your hands once.
_________________

Lucy and Paddy

Mike Mason · Joined: 02 Jun 2006 Posts: 947 Location: Hockley

Lucy, many thanks -the Brecs sound like heaven.............

rgds

Mike
_________________
'sometimes I am running so fast it appears that rocks and trees are standing still......' 'I may be slow, but you are ugly and I can train harder.' '90% is mental, the other half is physical'it's going to get a lot worse, before it gets worse'.

mikemoreton · Joined: 23 Apr 2007 Posts: 539 Location: Hockley, GORC.

Yer all bonkers!!!!

I have a job to go up a ladder for fear of heights!!!

Good luck to you all, it takes all sorts. Which reminds me, I have some licquorice allsorts somewhere .............mmmmmmm yummy.

cheers