 Poster: A snowHead
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We were keeping a keen eye on the weather forecast looking to see where the most snow was falling. Eastern Wales seemed to be getting it more than most so I just kept looking out for the best day. New Year's Day (Friday) was predicted to be sunny so I hatched a plan.
We managed to get up before dawn - just - and were soon on our way down the A483 past Wrexham. The scene looked fantastic. The air was still, the sky clear and the morning glow was lighting up the snow on the hills as we drove south. At Llynclys we turned right along the minor road that runs over the hills to Bala. I half expected it to be closed but, with caution, it was passable. At the top (486m) all the parking was inaccessible due to ice so I just pulled back off the road - only to land up to the gunwales in the snow! Luckily, I'd brought a shovel and some sand and, after 20 minutes of digging and pushing we were out again. It was bitterly cold with a firm breeze so that un-gloved hands were soon numb. As we continued getting ready it started to snow. "I'm not setting off in this" said Mrs A. So we sat around inside waiting for it to stop. Eventually, it eased and we raced round putting skins on with numb hands.
At last we were off - but the going was very slow. The snow was soft and kept giving way to the heather underneath. We took turns to break ground and soon discovered it best to use small steps in a cycling motion. It was very tiring and we often caught in the heather underneath.
Every now and then we'd come across some crunchy ice and realise that there was a path underneath. This briefly made for easier going but, every now and then, the path would disappear under huge snowdrifts and we'd lose it for a while.
As we gained altitude the vegetation got lower and the snow firmer but the wind increased and the visibility fell to nothing. At one point I found myself attempting to skin up the vertical wall of a snow drift. It wasn't at all pleasant and there was nearly a mutiny but we managed to keep going in the clag. If I didn't have my GPS with me telling us just how far it was to go then we would certainly have turned round. We came across a wire fence covered in rime that obviously led to the top. It was reassuring to have some reminder of mankind! Suddenly, we were at the top of Moel Sych - 827m, and equal highest point of the Berwyns. There was a measly cairn, the fence took a right angle and there were two stiles - not that we wanted to cross either of them.
I tried to use the flash but it was impossible to operate my camera well in these conditions. It was late and we hadn't stopped for lunch so we headed down the hill slightly and found a bit of a dip out of the worst of the wind.
I warmed up a bit and had chance to wander round with the camera. Under all that rime is a simple wire fence. The best posts had probably 60cm+ of riming.
We didn't hang around for long for it was bitterly cold. We quickly skinned back up to the top and headed back the way we'd come. It seemed even colder now with possibly a little more wind. We didn't even consider wrestling with the skins and just kept heading down slowly. Mrs A had ski gloves and silk liners but they were not enough and I had to help her put on over-mitts. The change in weather was, however, not without its compensations. Suddenly, we could see!
The clag blew away and we were treated to fine views of the hills about. The wind was still bitter and the going mainly flat so we kept our skins on for quite a while.
Eventually, the ground steepened and we could get in some real skiing - at least in short bursts. And very fine it was too.
Lower down we had to tussle once more with the tussocks. It was very slow - and exhausting - going, and took us longer than expected. We just got back to the road in the last of the daylight - a little brighter than this photo makes it look. Another half an hour and we'd have been using head torches!
Luckily, the van escaped okay and, despite a few icy patches down the hill, we made it back home in reasonable time for tea. A grand day out!
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Obviously A snowHead isn't a real person
Obviously A snowHead isn't a real person
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Well, the person's real but it's just a made up name, see?
Well, the person's real but it's just a made up name, see?
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Been that way in summer on a bike and there is quite a lot of boardwalk on that route. Maybe that was the path you found occasionally!
But full respect to tackling it on skis in winter - I guess you saw no-one else.
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You need to Login to know who's really who.
You need to Login to know who's really who.
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Thanks sarah.
We saw a couple of walk boards but the rest of the time the path was completely invisible until you felt the crunch of the ice underneath. The snow was compressed so folks obviously had been up there on previous days - but not that day. We saw plenty of fox tracks though and one from a hare, I think. Coming down, we saw a few folks sledging around the quarry by the road but when we got back there was only one car left. I briefly spoke to the owner and he'd given up trying to walk up the hill when the snow came in the top of his wellies.
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Anyway, snowHeads is much more fun if you do.
Anyway, snowHeads is much more fun if you do.
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altis, Amazing, thanks for sharing.
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