Day 1 skiing in the Brecon Beacons National Park for winter 2016-17
I've recently moved from Cardiff to Llandeilo in Carmarthenshire (my girlfriend Nerys has a new job with the National Trust) so the Mynydd Du (pronounced 'mun-ith dee', Black Mountain) slopes in the west of the Brecon Beacons National Park have become more accessible.
A 30 minute drive from Llandeilo takes me to Llandeusant and the 45 minute walk to the slopes above Llyn y Fan Fawr and Llyn y Fan Fach.
This part of the park is more difficult to access than the Central Beacons Massif and as a consequence sees far fewer visitors and feels more remote and wilder.
Llyn-y-Fan Fach is ringed by the glacial cirque of Waun Lefrith (677m).
Llyn y Fan Fach (Welsh: 'lake of the small peak') is the smaller and more westerly of two natural lakes within the Black Mountain. It is enclosed within a rock hollow formed as a result of glacial action during the ice ages. It is about 500 yards long and 200 yards wide, and roughly oriented east-west. It is drained by the Afon Sawdde which cuts through a glacial moraine which in part forms a natural dam. Llyn y Fan Fach is associated with the Lady of the Lake legend.
The lake can easily be reached by foot from the car park on the water board access road near Llanddeusant, although the road to the car park is poorly signposted, and in very poor condition for car travel.
You can access Fan Brycheiniog (802m) and the larger LLyn-y-Fan-Fawr (the larger of the two lakes) off the A4067 Abercrave to Crai road, but this trail although shorter is often waterlogged and boggy.
There was just a dusting of snow around LLyn-y-Fan-Fach so I traversed around the base of Bannau Sir Gaer (749m) and walked up the Twr y Fan Foel ridgeline (802m) to Fan Brycheiniog.
The summit plateau was snowcapped with skiable snow approx. 150-200m down the face.
But even with that information you never know until you go.
Last edited by Poster: A snowHead on Sat 6-05-17 8:40; edited 3 times in total
Obviously A snowHead isn't a real person
Obviously A snowHead isn't a real person
Excellent, and kudos to you sir ! I know exactly how much hard work turning those skis would have been, and jump turning the tufty bits must have been very tempting
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?
It's been hammering down all day in Llandeilo. Cold too.
Storey Arms webcam looking very promising for turns up high tomorrow or Wednesday
Then you can post your own questions or snow reports...
Then you can post your own questions or snow reports...
@Mike Pow,
After all it is free
After all it is free
Good stuff.
You'll get to see more forums and be part of the best ski club on the net.
You'll get to see more forums and be part of the best ski club on the net.
Cheers @AndAnotherThing and @Whitegold
Ski the Net with snowHeads
Ski the Net with snowHeads
TUESDAY 22 NOVEMBER 2016
Day 2 skiing in the Brecon Beacons National Park for winter 2016-17
UNDER THE SEA
At one time, in pre-history, the high peaks of the Brecon Beacons were under water. They were the ocean floor.
If you're lucky, you can still come across fossilised ammonites in the summit rocks
For my second day skiing in the Brecon Beacons National Park for winter 2016/17 I headed to the Central Beacons Massif (Corn Du, Pen-y-Fan & Cribyn) to see if there was anything left down low and anything new up high after the previous day's torrential storm.
The answer was yes to both.
There was a solid 'base' of compacted snow underfoot. Spongy, with a layer of buttercream frosting.
The visibility was down to 20 m at times with a fine mist blowing across the slopes which slowly but surely coated everything in a film of water - the snow, my clothes, the camera lens.
So much so it felt like skiing underwater.
The west face of Cribyn
It's been clear all day today, so the snow should last a few more days.
Thursday looks to be a sunny, inversion day.
Fingers crossed.
Last edited by Ski the Net with snowHeads on Sat 6-05-17 8:41; edited 2 times in total
snowHeads are a friendly bunch.
snowHeads are a friendly bunch.
Hehehe - good stuff - hope I don't get to meet you on a call out
And love to help out and answer questions and of course, read each other's snow reports.
And love to help out and answer questions and of course, read each other's snow reports.
Me too @AsterixTG, me too.
A few more likely candidates ahead of me though I think.
So if you're just off somewhere snowy come back and post a snow report of your own and we'll all love you very much
So if you're just off somewhere snowy come back and post a snow report of your own and we'll all love you very much
Nice day out by the looks of it
You know it makes sense.
You know it makes sense.
Scarpa wrote:
Nice day out by the looks of it
Always better than being indoors.
Got plenty of turns under my skis
Otherwise you'll just go on seeing the one name:
Otherwise you'll just go on seeing the one name:
Mike Pow wrote:
Me too @AsterixTG, me too.
A few more likely candidates ahead of me though I think.
Yeah, although it's actually been a bit quieter since the weather turned. Maybe people are being a bit timid.
We've training tonight. I'll ask the more experienced guys as I'm a relative noob.
Poster: A snowHead
Poster: A snowHead
@Mike Pow, Gwaith ffantastig!
Obviously A snowHead isn't a real person
Obviously A snowHead isn't a real person
Harrison the Rabbit wrote:
@Mike Pow, Gwaith ffantastig!
Diolch yn fawr
For the non-Welsh, 'Thank you very much' in reply to your comment 'fantastic work / job'
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?
Day 3 skiing in the Brecon Beacons National Park for winter 2016-17
GO INTO THE LIGHT, CAROL ANNE!!
For my third day skiing in the Brecon Beacons National Park for winter 2016/17, I returned to the Central Beacons Massif (Corn Du, Pen-y-Fan & Cribyn) hoping to enjoy the forecasted inversion.
The inversion didn't materialise, instead today's turns were brought to you by the movie Poltergeist. Click the link below to get a sense of the pre-dawn conditions
The turns off the summit of Pen-y-Fan down towards the Upper Neuadd reservoir were smooth and consistent on 'corn' like snow and the snow on the path back to the Afon ar Daf car park was firm and rutted, but good fun nonetheless.
Here's hoping for some sunshine tomorrow
Last edited by Anyway, snowHeads is much more fun if you do. on Sat 6-05-17 8:42; edited 2 times in total
Then you can post your own questions or snow reports...
Then you can post your own questions or snow reports...
Nice.
As I said, quite a few candidates ahead of me.
Passed three guys on the way down this morning, walking up in jeans and trainers with no backpacks and no backup.
After all it is free
After all it is free
Mike Pow wrote:
Passed three guys on the way down this morning, walking up in jeans and trainers with no backpacks and no backup.
I was on an outwards bounds course when I was 17 and we got caught near top of Penyfan in April when the weather closed in. Sleet, strong wind, zero viz. Genuinely scary experience. Too many people think it's "just a bit of a walk". in the hills.
You'll get to see more forums and be part of the best ski club on the net.
You'll get to see more forums and be part of the best ski club on the net.
Mike Pow wrote:
Passed three guys on the way down this morning, walking up in jeans and trainers with no backpacks and no backup.
Walking (edit: ski of course) in the mountains you sometimes enconter "funny" people - and sometimes you have to help them out.
Ski the Net with snowHeads
Ski the Net with snowHeads
Hyst wrote:
Mike Pow wrote:
Passed three guys on the way down this morning, walking up in jeans and trainers with no backpacks and no backup.
Walking (edit: ski of course) in the mountains you sometimes enconter "funny" people - and sometimes you have to help them out.
Absolutely.
I gave them a full description of the conditions they would encounter.
They carried on up.
snowHeads are a friendly bunch.
snowHeads are a friendly bunch.
See it all the time.
Ignorance.
And love to help out and answer questions and of course, read each other's snow reports.
And love to help out and answer questions and of course, read each other's snow reports.
FRIDAY 25 NOVEMBER 2016
Day 4 skiing in the Brecon Beacons National Park for winter 2016-17
WHITE FRIDAY
After a couple of days of near zero visibility, high winds and saturating mist I headed up to the summit of Pen-y-Fan under a clear, starlit sky.
I've never seen so many stars.
Little wonder the Brecon Beacons National Park is one of just five destinations in the world - and the first in Wales - to be accredited by the International Dark Sky Association as an International Dark Sky Reserve.
By the time I got to the summit the 'dragon's breath' mist had rolled in, shrouding Cribyn and the sunrise. But around 45 minutes later the mist cleared to reveal the Beacons in all its glory.
The snow had firmed up since yesterday and I was able to make laps on the East Ridge of Pen-y-Fan in the alpenglow of sunrise
Day 1 skiing in Snowdonia National Park for winter 2016-17
A change of scenery today, and my first turns in Snowdonia National Park.
I'd arranged to meet up with Mark Handford of Snowdonia Adventures (snowdonia-adventures.co.uk) who'd skied the Carneddau Range with our very own AndAnotherThing last season.
Other images from the area can be seen in AndAnotherThing's thread
Then you can post your own questions or snow reports...
Then you can post your own questions or snow reports...
Great effort.
Skied down to the Black ladders from carnedd Llewelyn in Easter 1995. Absolutely superb run. Did it twice despite the hour walk back up. Lot fitter in those days.
Some fabulous skiing in Snowdonia if you can get the conditions.
After all it is free
After all it is free
Sharkymark wrote:
Epic...
Cheers
You'll get to see more forums and be part of the best ski club on the net.
You'll get to see more forums and be part of the best ski club on the net.
Peter S wrote:
Great effort.
Skied down to the Black ladders from carnedd Llewelyn in Easter 1995. Absolutely superb run. Did it twice despite the hour walk back up. Lot fitter in those days.
Some fabulous skiing in Snowdonia if you can get the conditions.
Thanks.
Might have to get the passport ready and head for The Lakes
Ski the Net with snowHeads
Ski the Net with snowHeads
Hi all, it's been a few years since I last logged in!!!!!! sorry haha
cheers for a great day Mike,brilliant fun and always nice to meet a snowhead. Great write up about skiing in Wales, we really do have some great places to ski.
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Poster: A snowHead
