Author: Matt

Friday dawned and one by one the fleet of MMC’ers started heading towards Eryri (Snowdonia) in North Wales from all over England, with the early start award certainly going to Faff for his 0500 departure to grab the good weather. Speaking of weather, the forecast was certainly different to the last time the MMC held the AGM in Llanberis – clear and cold were not on the forecast this time!

Faff and Robin put in good efforts on Friday getting out on to the beaches of Anglesey to make the most of the rather pleasant Friday weather. Damian and Marie also made it out for a stroll in the pass – heading up to Dinas Cromlech to eye up the classic Cemetery Gates (E1, 5b). Maybe one for the 2023 season…

As more and more arrived, plans for the weekend were discuss and weather forecasts reviewed with distaste. Saturday arrived and brought with it the weather – strong winds and rain for most of the weekend.

Harry led a team on a Navigation refresh day, heading to the south of Yr Wydffa (Snowdon) to Cnicht and the bowl on its north west side. Harry’s ML qualification apparently includes the “Weather God” add on, with the decision to head south meaning the day was spent in the rain shadow of Eryri to the north. Strong winds persisted throughout the day and the group made a good decision not to head up on to the ridge, but to stay lower down and focus on map work.

Harry, Mark, Anna, Christine, Damien, Alistair, Sarah Waldram and Matt all managed to successfully navigate their planned route. Many thanks to Harry for taking a group out for the second AGM in a row.

For those remaining in and around Llanberis the weather was less favourable, with heavy rain being added to the high winds. Nick and Simon went bouldering indoors at The Beacon, returning to the hut to demonstrate their sporting prowess by watching both the rugby and the football simultaneously.

Several members of the group went for runs and walks, employing various strategies to try to avoid the rain. Alix and David headed to the forests near Betws Y Coed and a group including Marie, Sarah Glover and Faff hunted out some waterfalls. Joe and Stef also confirmed for everyone that the Slate Museum does not open on Saturdays during the winter, and headed to Caernarfon Castle for the day.

On Saturday evening the whole group headed into Llanberis for a meal at the Spice of Llanberis. Tales of the season just gone and aspirations for the next were discussed over a hearty curry and few beverages before everyone headed back to the hut for the AGM.

I won’t recount the AGM here, however rest assured it was minuted for future generations.

Sunday dawned with the weather looking more promising. Plans made the previous evening were put into action. Alex, Matt, Nick and Simon left the hut at 0745 for an early assault on Tryfan, possibly setting the record for the earliest departure post-AGM (at least for a while anyway)! They made good progress completing the North Ridge and returning to the A5 via Ogwen Cottage in under 3 hours, including relocating Nick between the north and south summits after some confusion about which decent route the group was taking.

Three teams of Alix & David, Harry & Damien and Anna & Mark headed to tackle Dolmen Ridge (Grade 3) on Glyder Fach. Conditions were reported as being marginal, with some route finding challenges faced however all parties returned safely.

Sarah Waldram went for a walk on Moel Siabod and the majority of the remaining group headed to Llanddwyn Beach. Ferocious waves and chilly waters meant they left the sea to a few brave kite surfers headed for the “Alpine Dunes”, one of an number of newly named areas and routes coined during the day. First recorded ascents of “Alpine Sands Route” and “Pinnacle Beach” were recorded in the Alpine Dunes, which is tipped to be one of the hottest new crags to explore in 2023. Exhausted from their pioneering day they headed to the Green Olive for a late lunch / early dinner.

Cars started to leave as the various parties completed their plans for Sunday with all arriving home safely by late on Sunday.

Editor: Thank you very much to Matt for organising a fantastic meet and the excellent write-up!