|
A collection of boulders close to Llyn y Gadar on the Rhyd Ddu side of the Beddgelert Forest are currently being developed. Martin Crook, Noel Craine and George Smith made the first move with a pair of obvious V2/3/5+/6Aish lip traverses on the lower boulders.
Si Panton then came for a sniff around the upper boulders, and quickly honed in on an innocuous looking undercut block. Thinking it would be a quick hit, he was surprised to find himself tussling with an extremely complex and powerful problem. After a few frustrating sessions of warm, midgey weather he was rewarded with cool windy conditions.
“Despite the good conditions it still felt really hard to put together. It's a tough little bastard! I launched for the final sloper, completely in bulk and found myself swinging, but still in contact. I topped out a very happy man.” Explained Si.
Freddie Welsh V8/7B+ starts sitting with right hand on the top side pull and left hand on the small edge left of the aręte. Pull on and go for the lip up left, udging up two poor slopers to a slopey cusp; a tricky reach back right gets the slopey flake which allows a cut loose for a toe and heel hook connection with the lip. More complicated mini moves lead to a hard slap for a high sloper. If you hold this the top out is easier.
Immediately after Si flashed a right hand variant which pulls on matched on the double side pulls. Lurch for the lip and trend right past the slopey flake to gain another better flake and a mantel into the groove. Freddie Right Hand rates around V5/6/6C/7A?
Si also climbed a V4/6Bish sitting start to the slopey traverse close to the old building in the lower boulders, and a V3/6aish sitting start crack/aręte line on the middle section of the upper boulders.
Approach: from the usual Rhyd Ddu entrance follow the track directly into the forest, taking the first right turn, then shortly after bearing left at a Y junction. The track eventually terminates at an opening at the edge of the forest. A small path leads across a stile and diagonally leftwards through some trees. Drop down rightwards past two more trees, then cross the stream on the left and walk up rightwards to the obvious upper boulders (OS grid ref: 565 518). The lower boulders lie just down the hill. The slopey traverse by the old building provides a good warm up.
Relevant links:
Freddie Welsh
|
