GMC Skills Weekend 2023 – Snowdonia, 7th-10th April

By Paul Nicholls

The 2022 GMC Skills Weekend (in The Peak District) was such a great a success with about 12 of us on the trip refreshing skills such as self-rescue or learning how to trad lead, it was going to be a hard act to follow.

This year we booked instructors with Alice Kerr Mountaineering. Alice has made some good instructional YouTube videos with DMM and she seemed to deliver good training.

10 of us set out for Snowdonia on Easter Bank Holiday Friday, some opting to leave at ‘crack of sparrows’, beat the traffic and get a day of climbing in whilst others took a more leisurely approach to a day of travel.

Conor, Peter G and Charlotte, having left about 4.30am, were in Snowdonia really early and set off to find a good crag to climb. Enticed by the ‘?!’ after the routes grade in the guidebook Peter suggested they climb Monolith Crack HS on Clogwyn y Tarw (The Gribin Facet) and not deterred by phrases such as ‘practically ungradeable’ and ‘impossible for the claustrophobic’ the guys set off up the first chimney. They had to abandon their packs, which wouldn’t fit in to the chimney with them, throwing them down to the bottom of the route. As his pack landed Peter almost lost his jar of chocolate spread, but fortunately only the lid cracked in the fall (disaster avoided!)

Paul K and 12 year old son Josh had a wonderful day out on Crib Goch, although it sounds like Paul found Josh’s limit on the ridge (and perhaps stretched Paul’s comfort zone short-roping Josh on steep ground!!)

John, Aston and Daniella, who had also left early on Friday morning arrived at the campsite a little later. Aston took up residence in one of two ‘chicken coops’ on site (the other being frequented by Conor) and the others pitched their tents and all headed off to explore Beddgelert and get some last minute gear from Joe Brown’s in Capel Curig.

Paul N & Mark took a more leisurely approach leaving at 8.00am and arriving at the campsite in Capel Curig about 3.00pm. We too had a potter around Joe Brown’s, buying some sunscreen for what was looking like a fine weekend, as well as the obligatory gear purchase. We even had time to double check that the bar at Plas Y Brenin still had beer in stock (just in case)!

After a rather cold night (other than the ‘chickens’ in their ‘coops’) we cracked the ice off our tents and got moving to the Siabod Café to meet up with our guides. After meeting with Alice and getting an idea of what our day would entail, Aston, Daniella, Charlotte and John were teamed up with their instructor Tom for their ‘intro to trad’ course and Peter & Conor and Paul N and Mark set off with Dean and Andy respectively for their ‘multi-pitch’ courses.

On a crag over near Betws-Y-Coed, the ‘Intro’ group got stuck in to all the usual good stuff – placing gear, building belay anchors, lead belaying etc.

The multi-pitch groups both headed to the Moelwyns near Blaenau Ffestiniog. Conor, Peter & Dean headed up ‘a route they can’t remember’ and Paul N, Mark and Andy (after a short hiatus whilst I trotted back to the car to get my harness) set-off up Y Gilfach VD on Craig Yr Wrysgan. Probably one of the hardest VDiffs I’ve tried with almost zero gear on the route (was kinda grateful for Andy’s top rope which I was supposed to be ‘ignoring’ as I placed the first bit of gear at about 20 metres!) We then moved on to Y Gelynen VD, also on Craig Yr Wrysgan, where I was reminded all about the joys of rope drag on the leader (especially when both ropes are irretrievably caught around a bush!) We all had a great day, in fantastic weather honing our anchor, rope management and guide belay skills as well as, whilst we had an instructor, asking all those ‘silly’ questions you’re never quite sure about. [Andy, our instructor, soloed everything we climbed; climbs E2 comfortably with clients and pushes his grade at E5!]

Saturday evening we all had a very nice meal in the Tyn-Y-Coed pub, 5 minutes up the road from the camp site. [Interestingly, the pub is now owned by the Zip World group of companies.] But all worn out from our day’s activities with another day ahead of us it wasn’t long before we were all back in the tents for some well-earned sleep.

On day 2 of our training Conor, Peter and Dean as well as Aston, Dan, Charlotte, John and Tom all headed to Craig Y Tonnau. Conor and Peter got a chance to try falling on the trad gear that they had placed and Peter even experienced what it was like when your cam breaks the rock and you fall to the next piece of gear (there was a top rope in place, just in case!)

Paul N, Mark and Andy headed to Tremadog for the day and, this time without a top rope, headed up Hail Bebe VD with Andy dangling beside us checking our placements and anchors and helping us experiment with different set-ups. It’s a nice, enjoyable route that reminded us all about ‘thrutching’ and with an interesting flake on the final pitch. We finished the day with Andy leading me up the three-star Merlin Direct HVS. Such a good route with a nice well featured first pitch and then a much steeper second pitch to the top.

By the end of Sunday we were a little scattered around Snowdonia. Peter needed to head home and Conor and Charlotte decided to avoid the oncoming weather so the three of them headed off South after their climbing. John, Dan & Aston went for food in Betws-Y-Coed, Paul N & Mark cooked at the campsite and Paul K & Josh decamped to a well-earned plush hotel in Betws-Y-Coed.

Overnight the heavens opened overnight. The wind was ferocious and the rain very heavy. John, Dan and Aston had managed to get packed away the night before and all stay in the ‘chicken coops’ and the last two in tents, Paul N & Mark, managed to get their tents away without getting too wet.

Paul K & Josh stayed on for another day and went in search of waterfalls and hail storms in a deserted Devil’s Kitchen (Cwm Idwal)! They discovered 9 mountain goats!!

All in all a really good productive weekend of climbing instruction, just as good as last year’s. Everyone seemed fired up with their new or renewed skills and ready for the next GMC trip! Plus Josh now wants to go and live in Wales!!