[Johnboycfc]

Right all you Gogledd Cymru Boulderers!!  I need a bit of a ticklist for next weekend - quality 3 star problems between V3 and V7 in the pass or in the ogwen area!!!  Any suggestions ?

                                                Diolch

[bigphil]

Snap!.  'Tis my first visit to the pass this coming weekend and any recommendations would also be appreciated.  I have Pantontino's guide but other suggestions would also be good.  And being a bit lanky will I have problems with all these sit starts I keep hearing about?
(Sorry for hijacking your post Johnbycfc). 

[Pantontino]

Okay, I'll bite, seeing as no-one else is.

Pass: warm up at the Cromlech roadside face, tick The Edge Problem and Cave Route; then head over to the Pont y Gromlech slabs and nip up The Seam. Trot up the scree path for Gav's Big Problem (knee bar start on the right); then head straight across to the Barrel (ticking The Bogey on the way if you fancy it). Do Prob 3 and The Minimum. Next: The Grooves Boulder. Boysen's Groove, The Witch and Paul's Bulge are all essential. Up left to do Northern Soul, Arse Soul and Kris' Groove; then up to The Meadow for Killer Weed and Meadow Roof, and Lordy, Lordy on the Dome. Back down to do everything you can on the Wavelength block and finally finish off on the Utopia block. Collapse into Vaynol for many pints.

I dare say you'll be too knacked to make it over to the Ogwen after all that.



(If I get time later, I'll post an Ogwen circuit.)

[bigphil]

 
That'll do nicely thanks Pantontino.

[Johnboycfc]

Diolch Si,

[BenF]

Pass: warm up at the Cromlech roadside face, tick The Edge Problem and Cave Route; then head over to the Pont y Gromlech slabs and nip up The Seam. Trot up the scree path for Gav's Big Problem (knee bar start on the right); then head straight across to the Barrel (ticking The Bogey on the way if you fancy it). Do Prob 3 and The Minimum. Next: The Grooves Boulder. Boysen's Groove, The Witch and Paul's Bulge are all essential. Up left to do Northern Soul, Arse Soul and Kris' Groove; then up to The Meadow for Killer Weed and Meadow Roof, and Lordy, Lordy on the Dome. Back down to do everything you can on the Wavelength block and finally finish off on the Utopia block. Collapse into Vaynol for many pints.

Right on.  Quality circuit that lot.  However, (and this is not intended as a criticism Simon) not enough weight was given to the Wavelength block in your description and I feel it could have been overlooked by someone doing that circuit.  Probably due to exhaustion after doing the previous lot!!  Wavelength gives a great bunch of problems, in particular King of Drunks, Gav's Sitter, Wavelength central SS and the groove.  All ooze quality.

I'd also add Emyr's Arete up at Craig LLwyfan even though it's a bit out of your way.  Maybe do it after doing the Seam like 50 times because it's such an amazing problem.  Once is never enough.  As you return to your vehicle, knackered after climbing everything in sight, get on Fear of Slopey Planet.  As well as being one of the best named problems around, it's class.  Then finish your skin off on Crook Roof.  Oh yeah, then try Jerry's Wall before collapsing... 

[BenF]

And here's a suggested introductory Ogwen circuit from me.

Start at Caseg Fraith.  Start on the left and work your way along until warmed up.  The arete, Oh yeah and most of the easy stuff are all very good and feel like minature Welsh mountain routes.  It's also worth doing the first little arete from sitting too.

Once warmed up, head over to Milestone Buttress and tick Marilyn Monroe, Ding Dongs Wall, Tormented Evaporation, Pit Start, Jez's Arete and rip your skin off on Harvey Oswald. 

Then move on to Clogwyn y Tawr.  Red Sky Wall (stand up and ss) is dead good, Here comes Cadi, Raging Bull, El Gringo 29, the easier stuff by Raging Bull are all good problems and worth the walk.  Maybe check out Swamp Thing and Bogside on the way back.

To warm down, climb everything you can at Idwal Cottage crag.  The first arete, v3 wall, big slab are all good even if some of the problems get a bit high above a tarmac landing!

Or, forget all the above and go to Sheep Pen, Caseg boulder and Braichmelyn and climb everything you can.

[Rhys]

Clogwyn y Tarw is well worth checking out. There's some real classy problems here- slanted V5, red sky wall sitter V7, raging bull V6, and here comes cadi V6 are mint. Then a recouperative march to the Orion boulder for the essential V4 groove, ticking off the neat wall, V2, and arete, attackships, V3. The bogside boulder then has lush sloper pulling, plenty to do in the scattered boulder field whether you're bushed or still have the hard fire inside.

[Jim]

if its your first time in wales then do not under any circumstances go to the cromlech boulders!
Good place to start is the RAC boulders then up to boysons groove and pauls bulge then up to lordy lordy then to the wavelength boulder IMHO.
Also prepare to climb below your level as welsh grades are particular harsh on first aquintance IMO

[a dense loner]

off topic slightly has anyone done smackdown? looks totally horrendous and harder than swaybigfuzzmuff on. if so can you tell me how to do it in minute detail since i am of firm belief that this is still a project

[c.j.d.]

  Dense man, what the F is Smackdown and where is it? Must admit, it does'nt ring a bell, athough if it looks harder than SuperfuzzBigmuff (aka Sway On!), I would very much like to know!

[unclesomebody]

Also prepare to climb below your level as welsh grades are particular harsh on first aquintance IMO

i wouldn't expect harsh grades unless you live in cloud cuckoo land (magic grades). I think they are fair to soft. You just need a benchmark Jim... (ie. The School) 

[a dense loner]

shit, it's obviously not called smackdown then chris. i'm on about the V8 on the other side next to the arete. good to see you still get psyched tho

is there a prob called smackdown anywhere or have i finally lost it?

[unclesomebody]

Yeah, it's at Black Mountain. It's the 7C next to buzz saw... how could you forget!!! (ie. You haven't quite lost it, but you're close)

[ding dong]

smackhead i believe.

urr.

hard pull on,
left snatch backhand.
right knee bar can help to get right ahnd into opposing backhand with more control.
any sense so far?
from this position go big for the top!
awesome move

also 'katz sat on his mat' is a funky little tussel on this boulder too.

(called 'chris sat on his mat' in the guide, but i doubt naylor would mind the original.?)

[Doylo]

your not alone in thinking Smackhead is nails Dense.

[ding dong]

hang on! maybe you go with the right hand first, with left hand in that little sidepull under the roof to start.

definately right kneebar though,

other hand up,
(remove kneebar)
go big for the top .

[Johnboycfc]

Hey BigPhil!!

        Its Irish John here who you met in the Pass on sunday!! How did the rest of your climbing trip go? Hope you got some quality problems done!!!!  keep in touch