DS wants to climb Snowdon in December

[JoggyBear]

He's just said this.

He's never hiked before in his life.

He's 18! And he says his friend, who he is going witjlh, has done it a few times.

It's madness right??

They could get a train to Skipton, stay over in one of the pubs and then do a full day Skipton to Malham which is a lovely walk about 12 miles and either bus back or you collect at the end. If there's a vague show of interest in something other than gaming I'd be doing all I could to facilitate and encourage whilst diverting from Snowden in December😁

How many of those others on this A1 motorway are also relying on those around them to follow because they also do not know the way properly?

A Quick Look at the Eryre mountain rescue Facebook posts this week shows that they have been extremely busy rescuing those heading into the mountains woefully unprepared and inexperienced for winter hiking.

Properly prepared a walk up Yr Wyddfa is fine. The concern should be lack of preparedness which the OP has addressed.

When I went up there on the railway a few summers ago, the level of unpreparedness was visible. I'm not surprised by the mountain rescue calls made in winter.

@JoggyBear He’s being incredibly naïve.
Proper walking footwear is needed that is well broken in, otherwise his feet will be a mass of blisters and rubs.

He needs Goretex clothing to keep the sleet and driving rain out .
Exposure is a huge risk

Unsuitable clothing gets soaked and then deep chill a h hypothermia is a real risk.

If he’s not a regular walker, he’s putting rescue services at risk.

It’s a foolish idea.
Ive never known such a wet place as Snowdonia ( was there with a horse) and even the horse had his head down against the horizontal rain.

Not advised in winter!

Snowdon was my first ever mountain walk when I was 16. It's a fairly easy one (tho' the Crib Coch ridge is exciting). If the weather is good, I wouldn't be worried and if it's NOT, I hope he has the sense to stay in the pub (Douglas Arms, Bethesda in our case).

A lot of posters don't seem to realise that in December Snowdon is often covered in snow / ice. He sounds totally un prepared for the conditions, which in winter can change suddenly and be brutal. Crampons will likely be needed. But fear not, the train station is miles away and he'll never manage the travel there and back, let alone the climb as well, in one day. Tell him it's a great plan for spring / summer.

Don't assume it will be really busy. We did part of it in September this year, it was slightly wet and very misty - we turned back before halfway station which we'd planned to do from the off as we knew we didn't have the wet weather gear needed to get to the summit and had just wanted a short walk a bit up Yr Wyddfa. However, there was barely anyone on the Llanberis path, we saw less than 10 people walking up the whole time we were out. Another time we did it in the height of summer, absolutely beautiful day but on a weekday and even then it wasn't busy, it was so quiet.

I haven't read the full thread so this has probably all been said before, but my experience of Snowdon was on a warm, August day with correct equipment and plenty of drinks etc. We took the Snowdon Ranger path, which I think is the second easiest one - but it was anything but easy, we had to stop off multiple times for 'breathers' and the climb involved a fair bit of scrambling. Once at the summit, the temperature dipped by a good 10-15 degrees - again remember this was a warm summers day, it was cold then but it will be absolutely freezing in December. We are reasonably fit but it took us almost 3 hours to ascend and then a further 2 hours to descend - it's a killer on the knees and calves coming down! So if you presume an hour at the summit, that's 6 hours - coincidentally, about the amount of daylight we could get in December, if conditions are right. But there is no way on earth I'd be thinking of climbing in trainers and with no experience, at that time of year. Visibility will be poor which not only will make for a difficult climb and potential danger for him, it will also negate the possibility of a rewarding view from the top. I would do all I could to talk him out of it, and persuade him to a) leave it till late spring or early summer when conditions will be better, and b) invest in the correct equipment - suitable footwear and clothing, and maybe hiking poles.

How are they getting there OP? Train or driving? I can see the mountain from my window and I can promise you the summit is snow covered and will stay that way.
it is quite an easy ascent but I would not risk it without hiking boots and a proper coat. Early Christmas present maybe?

A lot of posters don't seem to realise that in December Snowdon is often covered in snow / ice.

And its head seems to be in the clouds a lot of the rest of the time so even if the big path might be safe enough in fog there's going to be bugger all view at the top. We didn't bother walking up till our 3rd trip to the area when dd was a teen - looked at the weather and decided to do something more enjoyable.

I’ve been (skiing) on the mountains before in a white out - not fun. I fell off an invisible ledge about 5 foot as you just can’t see where you’re going. It could have been a steep drop instead and that would have been the end of me. Persuade him to wait for the spring/summer if you can!

Unless there's snow, the tourist path is long but relatively easy. That said he'll need hiking boots with ankle support for traction, proper waterproof jacket (weather changers fast and wind is an issue) and waterproof trousers, layers for under the jacket, an actual map and compass in case signal is non existent and it fogs in. He should carry emergency supplies including a torch, foil blanket, extra food eg energy bars in addition to what they think they need, and ideally waterproof matches, a compact stove with gas, cooking pot and hot food (tins of soup/stew perhaps) in case they get very cold. Don't forget hat, waterproof gloves and standard gloves, neck gaiter ...

It's doable but in winter they need to take it really seriously

The easiest route is 18 miles for the round trip btw, took me 7 hours and my then 9 year old did it too so it isn't technical but it's still a long way!

www.visitwales.com/things-do/adventure-and-activities/walking/walking-snowdon-wales-highest-mountain

Can i recommend they start with a more local mountain/hill that's lower thus less likely to have snow building up to climbing snowdon in the spring (and I know they want us to use the Welsh name but i can't spell or pronounce it). Either way he needs proper kit to go hiking in winter, a trip to mountain warehouse perhaps...

As some PP have said, it's not necessarily the difficulty of the path for a reasonably fit 18 year old, but the limited hours of light in December and the time taken to travel there. If they are set on doing it then (and I do get that for some people, it's the challenge which makes it worthwhile) then they need to go the day before and stay at the YHA, and start early.

Llanberis path starts easy but gets precarious near the top and people can get blown off the steep slope. I was there one April, there was snow and the slope was scarily icy. It would be tempting to return using a different route (like I did) but they are all more difficult than Llanberis.
I was shocked that eg Pyg was not well marked at all near the top and at times involved scrambling down the rocks.
I wouldn't recommend it for a novice in a snowy, windy or wet weather and there is bound to be snow there by now. It's a nice thing to do (I did it on my significant birthday) but it can prove a big challenge.
The train is probably not running to the top now till about Easter and it's that top part which is most dangerous - and u can't simply walk on the track either.

I'm a fairly experienced walker, but I wouldn't carry tins of soup and a stove on a UK winter day-hike. And I'm not even sure what a neck gaiter is! This seems overkill.

I went up Snowdon in May. We had sun, cloud, fog, hail... like a PP you couldn't see off the edge by the railway until the fog lifted, and then you could suddenly see miles and miles. I really wouldn't want to do it in December, and I wouldn't want my inexperienced teenager to do it.

And I'm not even sure what a neck gaiter is!

A scarf without the dangly bits. good idea if the collar of your jacket doesn't do a good enough job of keeping the draught out.

Lugging a stove and tins of soup shouldn't be necessary though. If it's likely to be bad enough they'd need them then they shouldn't be up the hill.

It's not 18 miles. It's 9 miles in total so 4.5 miles each way.

Yr Wyddfa is pronounced Uhr With-va

My very fit, army trained adult DS did it back in April and encountered some utterly horrendous weather which meant they couldn't camp as planned and ended up in a B and B overnight. It was 100mph winds and really dangerous.

He'll need to be extremely well equipped with a back up plan if the weather is against him. It will be very cold, much colder than you think.

This is a good video on how quickly things can go sideways up there, even for the well-prepared. Best be cautious and do a bit of research before he goes up!

Unless he can take a bearing when it is dark, foggy and you can't see your hand in front of your face then he has no business being out there in December. If fog comes down or a blizzard and you can't see what direction you are walking in then you need to be able to use a map (proper OS map) to take a bearing using a compass (real one, not on a phone) and follow it to find your path.

Plus of course you need to have the right kit. And know how to use it.

When I was young and less careful I went up Yr Wyddfa one New Year’s Day. Miner’s track (one of the easy ones, I’ve done it many times and it’s my favourite). I was with someone who really knew what they were doing, it was a clear and quite still day and we planned carefully to maximise daylight hours.

It was terrifying. There was a LOT of snow high up, including forming a cornice near the upper ridge so there was always the risk of stepping onto what looked solid but would give way under you, not to mention small avalanches. The snow had blurred the outlines of everything so it made the gullies and sheer drops much harder to see. It was very, very slippery (unsurprising as the mountain is mostly, erm, steep slopes and these were covered in snow and ice).

On the way down I slipped and slid down probably tens of feet. I wasn’t really too worried at the time and managed to stop eventually, but my knowledgeable companion was as white as the snow itself when he caught up with me - I could easily have slid straight into a ravine and it was only by luck I stayed on the path.

It was absolutely beautiful up there on a cold crisp day, but a couple of decades later I mostly remember the fear, and there’s absolutely no way I’d do that again.