Pen -Y-Fan, Central Gully

I'd had a fattening Christmas and hadn't been watching the weather. I was tipped off about the approach of snow - so quickly made it back to South Wales from England, packed a bag and met up with Ed Abbley. We wanted ice (doesn't everybody). We were disappointed not to find Nirvana - 'roadside ice'. The temp at 400m was still 1 degree C. In fact it was positively warm. So Ed Abbley and I set off for the Pen-Y-Fan North Face (actually E facing) t0 try a little mixed. We were pleased to find the temperature dropping and it reached freezing at about 600m (at last). On the ridges and summits the wind was strong and was moving the old and new snow about. We found Central Gully - and I instantly wished for an ice screw or 2 (left in the car at road side), at last we found ice. The turf was frozen (just), and there was a huge amount of rime on the rocks. It was difficult to get the camera out most of the time (or it was frozen), so I missed all the action. On the way down we found masses of sledge tracks, and we wondered who had been having the most fun. Roll on the winter...

Take care with your climbing everybody - 2 people died on the Ben this morning, tragic news. Let's all have a safe winter season...