SnowSlider - Blogging From the mountains by ise

So, farewell to summer then! I think that might be my last high walk for a while, it’s snowing now and the higher level routes will either be impassable or need snow shoes or skis. Being a Monday I was the only person on the mountain yesterday and it’s not unlikely I’ll be the last crossing this route this season now. The farmers have moved all the cattle down and shut up all the alpages and taken down all the fences so it’s eerily quiet on the mountain.


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It’s pretty normal at this time of year that cloud covers the plateau with the tops of mountains poking out, it lasts a month or so into December when the lower air is cool enough not to condense like this. It means that late October and November it’s just much nicer the higher up you go. I’ve (finally) received some new boots from Raichle so I went out for a few hours around Moléson. I already knew from the webcam that the cloud was going to clear above 1800m or so and I’ve lived here long enough to have seem this all hundreds of times but jut like every other time it takes my breath away as you break through the cloud and see all the peaks poking through.


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Another day staying in the Oread hut and this time a shorter route around the local area, originally I’d thought about Moel Elio and a return on the train but the times didn’t really work although this was still an option as we left but it meant a fairly lengthy walk out along the valley and the route was going to be a bit vague. In the end it made sense to cut back across to Rhydd Ddu by a shorter route.

Another fairly clear day and some great views around the area, this is looking at Mynydd Mawr where I’d been on a recent trip in rather worse weather.

After a slightly wet day on Elidir Fawr with Jason I was pleased when Sunday started fine and dry. I was staying in the Oread Mountaineering Club hut in Rhydd Ddu, North Wales, I’ve used the hut a couple of times as a base when I’m in the UK as I’m a former member of the Oread. The hut was rented out to another club but another member was also there, Julie, although our times as active members didn’t quite coincide so we’d not met before.

Julie also fancied a walk and neither of us had firmer plans than to head in the rough direction of the Nantlle Ridge and see what looked good as we got to the col. So we decided to join up and decide as we walked. When we reached the ridge it looked pretty good towards Moel yr Ogof which had been on my mind to do anyway. We crossed into some open country to lengthen the ridge line a little and started make the ascent.


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