A great turnout for some bank holiday fun based at the club hut for a mixture of mountain activities.

Most people arrived Friday evening after negotiating the bank holiday traffic, but Andy S, Jess P and Lewis managing an early skive from work to climb on Holyhead Mountain during the day.

Come Saturday morning the weather wasn’t looking great with low cloud and much mizzle. Undeterred, a group headed out to Llanberis pass to do some scrambling in head to toe Gore-Tex whilst the more deterred of the group had a very leisurely breakfast then opting to go cragging at Craig Y Tonnau…once the rock dried.

The meet was combined with some alpine themed training days with a couple of IFMGA mountain guides which was organised by Jared. Sunday was the first of these days and thankfully the weather was looking more ‘summer alpine’ than ‘summer Wales’ and the Sunday mountain skills group headed over to the Ogwen Valley rather early to take advantage of the forecast (and to also ensure a parking spot!). Jess B took the alpine theme very seriously and opted for an alpine start from Manchester to get to Wales on time. Skills included rope work, moving together efficiently over varying terrain and taking coils with everyone (from budding alpinists to the more seasoned alpinists of the club) getting a lot from the day.

A separate party headed over to Caidar Idris to climb the classic Table Direct onto Cyfrwy Arete, mostly sticking to the alpine theme of moving together, with some mountain queuing thrown in for good measure. After bagging the summit the group headed back down, to the pub.

Bank Holiday Monday was day 2 of the alpine skills course and this meant some crevasse rescue training on the well known Dinorwig Glacier. The group split into 2 groups, and the guides demonstrated how to set up a rescue pully system. It was then up to us, working in pairs, to re-create and rescue your fallen partner from the crevasses of the Dinorwig Glacier. This of course added comedy value to the day as people were dragged across the grass to safety. Co-ordination skills were also put to the test when learning how to prussic out of a crevasse, another moment of comedy value.

Those not on day 2 of alpine skills made the most of some dry rock and went climbing on the slate, or heading into the hills for a nice big walk.

All in all, a very successful long weekend.

Okidoki KMC’ers, it’s an early summer Bank holiday extended w/e, so why not ‘come-on-down’ to our wonderful Ty Powdwr hut for some fun time action?   Walk, climb, scramble, cycle, swim, or maybe just a Llyn side stroll with cafe & cake stop.  The choices are endless, whatever tickles your fancy.  Oh and of course, plenty of social mix-n-mingle chita-chata fun & banter too!

The weekend will also include two days (Sunday & Monday) of alpine training which Jared has been good enough to organise (attendees now confirmed), details of which have previously been advertised/communicated, additionally included within the Zermatt alpine meet promo – extract from this below.

The weathers going to be peachy, so pack your bags, arrange some joined-up car sharing (gota do our bit for the carbon footprint) and get yourselves over to North Wales.  It’ll be great to see folk – let’s make it a goodin!

Happy days!

Jess & Stevie G.

Alpine training details…

The club is running two alpine skills courses in advance of the Zermatt meet. The courses are being led by Llanberis based British Mountain Guide, Andy Teasdale, on Sunday 5th and Monday 6th May 2024. This is the weekend of the KMC Bank Holiday meet at Ty Powdwr and the courses will run out of the clubs’ hut.

Sunday 5th April: Technical Alpine mountaineering

There are many techniques of moving while roped in the mountains. Which technique is used depends on the terrain, and since the terrain changes often in the mountains, being able to dynamically change the rope system is the key to climbing efficiently. This can make the difference between a slick and fun ascent, or a 20-hour epic! This course will teach/revise these rope techniques and put them to use in technical mountain environments. It is an often overlooked topic but essential for all mountaineers. 

Monday 6th April: Glacier Travel and Crevasse Rescue

Approaching alpine summits is often by glacier and the risk of falling into crevasses is real. This course teaches/revises good practice for glacier travel and the rescue systems needed in case the worst should happen. This is an essential course for all those wishing to head out onto glaciated terrain. The topic should be revised before every alpine trip and is highly advised.

The courses are subsidised by the KMC grant scheme and are being offered at £40pppd. Bookings are open to full and associate members and there are initially 8 places available per day. If you would like to book a place, please contact the meet leader.

PERSONAL NOTE: £80 for a two full days training in alpine climbing with a BMG is a great deal and a great opportunity! Even if you have learned these skills before, coming to revise and ask questions is a valuable learning experience. It is highly recommended!