[mark]

Off to visit the outlaws on Deeside this weekend and I'm hoping to make my excuses and escape on Saturday afternoon for some bouldering. I wonder what everyone reckons are the best problems in the Llanberis Pass and Ogwen valley. Are there any gems that I've missed? What should I be throwing myself at? I'm particularly after suggestions from V5 to V8 but feel free to include anything you think is particularly good.

My votes for the best problems I've done there are...

Caseg Groove, Caseg Boulder V5
King of Drunks, Utopia V6
Moose's Toothpaste, under Hidden Wall V5
The Ramp, the Domes, above Utopia V5
Kingdom of Rain, Sheep Pen V7

[dave]

I particularly enjoyed:

Gnasher, Sheep pen (Originally V9? about font 7a)
The Pinch, Sheep pen (7a+?)
The Mininum, Dinas Mot (7a?)
Pit Arete, Milestone Buttress (6b?)

Theres also Harvey Oswald about V7 at Milestone, but i didn't do it as it was slicing my skin - v-sharp holds, one move.

Don't think i really enjoyed much at the Cromlech, tried the roof crack it was particularly unpleasant.

[mark]

Hmm, tried Gnasher and the Pinch last summer but didn't manage them. Am I any stronger now?

Have never tried the Minimum, perhaps that's one to have a shot at this weekend.

Pit Arete is very good, as is the problem just to its left. I have an awesome bit of film from the day I was there. Some guy on a trials bicycle was bouncing and jumping around the boulders. I filmed him leaping his bike from the top of Pit Arete across a huge gap onto the next boulder. Never seen anything like it. If he'd blown it, it would have been very messy.

[Scouse D]

Try elephantitus in Nant Gwynant. Some might say it's the best V6 in Wales. 5 moves of roof climbing to a slopey lip top out-the first ascentionist must of had some vision!
Other quality probs are boysens groove(V4), killer weed(V4), the witch(V7), harvey oswald(V6ish- classy move)...and so on. The minimum is also class but pretty easy with a cunning knee bar.

[Doylo]

Here's a couple of gems you might not know about.  At wavelength in the pass go and do Fear of a Slopey Planet, v6 , slopey traverse on lovely rock. Another excellent v6 slopey traverse is Raging Bull underneath Gribin Facet in Ogwen. V7 from a low start i think. Defenetely worth wandering up there to do that.  Have you checked out Gallt Yr Ogof and Caseg Ffraith, park in the same place for both, nice rock, some nice easier problems and some hard stuff too.  At Caseg Ffraith lower do Boneyard, slopey v8 traverse, last moves a dyno. Its wicked.  The world will be a better place when that guide comes out!

[Scouse D]

Caseg Ffraith probs are pretty cool- there's even a sick hard project still to go down there. Again- Raging Bull is tops, awesome rough slopes.
Fear of a Slopey Planet is one of my fave problems- a welsh green traverse maybe? Another quality problem in Ogwen is a John Welford creation at milestone.Approaching milestone from the L-before reaching the style you'll see a big wall split by a large offwidth. The L arete of the crack is high+hard V6, the R arete is maybe a tad harder, but the best line is right again up a rib on shallow pocketsp- big last move and very high up. V7, a lot of flutter, and 3 stars of anyone's money!

[Doylo]

Fuck me that is THE project in Britain. Such an obvious line and so completely nails. Mooney and Gaskins have tried it!

[Scouse D]

If you come in off the adjoining boulder to the pinch on the lip then take your feet off it becomes a cool campus problem at ~V8 but the moves up to the pinch are 'kin mental!

[dontfollowme]

pinch arete at the sheep pen boulders v5
the dog shooter also at sheep pen v5
the arete at Gallt Yr Ogof v4 but a tricky start
the ramp at the above venue it says v6 in the guide but it feels like v5
killer weed at the meadow v5

[mark]

Another quality problem in Ogwen is a John Welford creation at milestone.Approaching milestone from the L-before reaching the style you'll see a big wall split by a large offwidth. The L arete of the crack is high+hard V6, the R arete is maybe a tad harder, but the best line is right again up a rib on shallow pocketsp- big last move and very high up. V7, a lot of flutter, and 3 stars of anyone's money!

Took your suggestion and went there on Saturday. Warmed up around Pit Arete then piled our mats up under the Welford problems and started tussling with them.

I flashed the right hand line but it was certainly not V7, more like V5. I think we were probably a couple of feet right of John's original line but that was where the most attarctive line went.

Got within a move of the right arete of the offwidth but it was a bit damp and lichenous and high so I wimped out of the final lock frrom a pocket to a jug and escaped back down.

Had a couple of looks at the left arete but I didn't feel comfortable on it and didn't give it a serious go. It is an attractive line though so I'll go back.

What did everyone else get up to?

[Scouse D]

Went to porth ysgo with Dave, Cofe + Paz on a stick it tickin mission. All the problems we did were fuckin awesome- I lived in wales for a while but never made it down there; wish I'd made the effort before.
Sunday we were meant to go to Wavelength then I was going to take everyone to Elephantitus but weather was shit. Ended up in parisellas though where we all recieved a good old fashioned full body beating!
 Good effort on those Welford probs Mark. On the RH Line did you end up doin a deliverance style slap for the top or go off rightwards?

[mark]

Went to porth ysgo with Dave, Cofe + Paz on a stick it tickin mission. All the problems we did were fuckin awesome- I lived in wales for a while but never made it down there; wish I'd made the effort before.
Sunday we were meant to go to Wavelength then I was going to take everyone to Elephantitus but weather was shit. Ended up in parisellas though where we all recieved a good old fashioned full body beating!
 Good effort on those Welford probs Mark. On the RH Line did you end up doin a deliverance style slap for the top or go off rightwards?

I have to make the effort and get to Porth Ysgo some day. Sounds a great place.

On the RH Welford I started by making a couple of moves up and right to a good edge then used slopey layaways to reach good layaways and used these to run my feet up onto the good edge and reach an incut edge at the top. All this is roughly in line with a seam that runs down from the top of the buttress. I'm guessing that John's line uses the pockets and is a couple of feet to the left of what I climbed.

[Paz]

"I have to make the effort and get to Porth Ysgo some day. Sounds a great place."

You should do that, the bouldering's as good as it is anywhere, best problems I've done in Wales.  My top anecdotal tip (because I like this sort of thing) would be that (at least for this weekend) the tide times there are closer (within an hour?) to those of North Pembroke than for Holyhead (using the Climbers Club site the Holyhead times were about four hours late/eight hours early).  And to harden your skin up the week before.

[Bubba]

Probably worth mentioning that it's not really a solo venue as the landings are very bumpy, so bring your spotting team....

[dontfollowme]

We went to the dome, I did the v5 ramp thing which was great. I couldn't manage the mantel on the double dyno problem though

The weather is still looking good

[Pantontino]

Mark, sorry I missed you on Saturday. I couldn't get out until late on. I was at the Cromlech warming up when you pulled up briefly, before driving off. I saw Robin Barker and John Barton.

We had a good session although it was a bit too cold in the wind. I went off to try my project again, and got (unbelievably) one move further, but still blew it with cold fingers and fading power. If I don't do it this week, I think I'll go insane. Mind you, if I do it, I suppose I'll just have to start on the next project (got a beauty lined up already).

Good to see lots of faces out and about in Wales.

Cheers, Simon.

[mark]

For anyone who is interested,
I spoke with John W last night and asked him about the Milestone problems. Apparently the rib problem goes up the pockets with a hard last move. The problem we did to the right of that is in the last Northern Soul, but John has my copy at the moment so we didn't know about it and hence got mixed up about which problem goes where.

The left arete of the offwidth is called Monkey See, the right arete is Monkey Do, and the problem up the pockets is Saturn. Apparently Saturn was the Greek god of old age and John did the problem on his <cough>th birthday.

Simon,
I pulled up at the boulders, then looked at the clock and realised I was already going to be late getting home so decided just to head off straight away. I should have come and said hello but that would have led to putting my rock shoes on and that would have led to getting involved in a problem too hard for me which would have led to being back hours too late which would have led to Jenny giving me a good kicking. Hope to be across again before too long so maybe see you then.

[Mule]

Animal magnetism is a brilliant v9 at caseg fraith upper, there are some real gems beyond the fence on perfect rock well worth the look if your going to wales.