Climbing Snowdon early pregnancy?

[MsBallen]

Has anyone got any experience climbing Snowdon in early pregnancy? Aibu to even consider it? Is there anything worth knowing? I would be getting the train there in the morning and when I finish.

*salt and vinegar chipsticks. I wouldn't recommend eating chopsticks....

For me the main issue might be the nature of the path. The first bit out of Llanberis is steep but tarmac. The rest is more steady (welcome) but a mixture of rocky, gravelly and large rocks.
one time we did it someone ran past up on the way up but he slipped on the rocks and gravel on the way down and cut his knees and grazed his face. We saw him later sat with his bandages on outside the cafe at the bottom. He was running rather than walking but coming down is hard on the knees. If you have hyper mobility normally then you will also have softer tissues due to pregnancy hormones.
Please look at photos of the Llanberis path and take a good look at the surface. Obviously the weather is unpredictable and can close in making underfoot wet and visibility poor. You shouldn’t get lost on the popular Llanberis path if you stick to it carefully but it’s a proper slog in poor weather without the views.

I am horrified because this poster, who walks a 6 mile round trip once a week and in the past did xyz, is planning on hiking up a mountain notorious for rescues whilst in early pregnancy, having previously suffered an early MC, and was dead set on doing it on her own no matter what anyone said (a friend has mysteriously "reached out" during the course of the thread, so there is one good thing that has come of people's heartfelt advice to rethink this plan), and being generally unreasonable, having asked AIBU.

I am also horrified because I live in a mountainous region where blithely unprepared tourists are forever falling, getting lost, and requiring emergency services to find and winch them out, at great cost to the rest of us, and putting the lives of the rescuers and volunteer searchers at risk.

Thank you that sounds amazing. I will look into beddgelert later!o will look into pyg path and Lanberris as seems there's mixed reviews here!

A mountain climbing thread! Yay!

Alison Hargreaves climbed the north face of Eiger when 6 months pregnant back in 1988. She was being cautious - she originally planned for Denali, but heard that high altitude is bad for the pregnancy, so she chose a smaller mountain.

My point is that there are no specific rules for climbing when pregnant.

It does sound like you're prepared. Hiking boots are necessary, as are snacks, food and water. Obviously. I especially like your idea of bringing a bivi bag (your bag that turns into a bright orange sort of tent). If you do get more exhausted than you expected, you'll at least not get worse due to exposure if you need to make a prolonged rest stop.

I'm not British and never climbed Snowdon - pregnant or otherwise. I did do some rock climbing - both indoors and outdoors throughout my pregnancy. I even climbed the world's highest artificial wall in Copenhagen at 30 weeks pregnant. I was careful, I only did top-roping or climbed second (and had experienced climbers lead within their comfort zone and not at their max level), took plenty of tests and so on. My main problem was the fatigue. I lost physical stamina really fast. Carrying heavy backpacks was also a problem for me, so when planning and preparing, you can also consider how much weight goes in your pack. Or maybe your travelling partner can carry a little of your load - I sometimes asked this of my climbing partners. But if you don't feel nauseous and fatigued, I wouldn't think hiking up Snowdon along some of the popular, easier paths should be a problem. I can see from your comments that you originally planned on doing it alone, but decided on finding someone to do it with, after all. I definitely recommend not going alone. Especially when pregnant, but also when you're not pregnant. I'd focus on finding someone with a good fitness level, and ideally someone with a little more mountain experience than you seem to have (sorry, I know you've been annoyed with everyone who pointed out your lack of mountain climbing experience so far).

Enjoy your trip! - I'm only a little jealous, Snowdon sounds like a lovely mountain.

Thank you and that's pretty cool! Ah I love climbing I want to do the lesser go ape, i know you can do it pregnant although they don't advise it because I don't trust myself getting scrapped up when I used to rock climb.

And absolutely the person I'm going with I haven't seen in ten years so it's a double fun of a long catch up and a nice walk. She's not done Snowdon but has done scaffel pike so will be a nice change for us both.

Haha don't worry it's not people that are saying I am inexperienced that's irritating me, i am inexperienced I've never climbed a mountain and pre pregnancy i wouldn't even ask the question i would just go. What's irritating me is the insinuations that im unfit, that i will suffer in early pregnancy even though I haven't had a symptom of this so far in either pregnancy, and that fact I had a mc supposedly means I should not climb a realitively straightforward path and that i will need mountain rescue. I'm pretty sure MR don't routinely rescue normal people following a simple path safely. Seems they rescue a lot of people being stupid eg the two MR Snowdon stories i just read were for a drunk group and people who came off the path and climbed into a rock face they couldn't get down from.

Actually I think your miscarriage is irrelevant to the question of whether or not Snowdon is a good idea, unless your doctor has specifically adviced against strenuous activities, and it doesn't sound that way. I suffered two miscarriages, and still climbed throughout my third and uncomplicated pregnancy. One miscarriage doesn't cause elevated risk of miscarriage or complications in future pregnancies, and exercise lowers the risk of complications. Miscarriages are devastating, and you're allowed to stay as careful as you need to feel safe, but it's nobody's business to tell you not to go hiking just because you had a miscarriage in a previous pregnancy.

The reason why I'm saying to bring someone who has mountain experience is because there is a certain way of "reading" a mountain in terms of navigation, weather, difficulty of the hike/climb, risk of falls, avalanches, rock falls, and so on in relation to one's own technical level and fitness level - and make relevant judgement calls based on all of the relevant factors. This ability only comes with experience, and while it seems that Snowdon is a hike that can be done with minimal experience and minimal technical ability, it might be good to be with someone who does have a little experience - just in case.

Thanks for your reply yes I totally agree with that and absolutely, i won't be going alone it was a very brief idea i had when I couldn't find anyone in my main friend group to go with but I get it's far too risky even if it's only in regards to falls or becoming unwell or the weather becoming hard to navigate alone.

I avoid the Llanberis path as it’s very steep initially then just bloody long!

The miners track and pyg trail both leave from the Pen y Pass car park.
miners is flat for a while then up up and up. Pyg starts up, levels off then meets the miners path.

pen y pass car park is 300ft up so you have 740 ft to climb. Llanberis is lower , further to walk and more height to gain.

Watkins and Rangers path ( aka Rydd Du ) have the highest gain and exposure to ridges respectively.

as you’re using public transport ( unless you’re friend is driving ) you can stay in Llanberis, Beddgelert or Betws y coed and use the Snowdon ‘S’ buses to go between any of those places and Pen y Pass or Llanberis. Check timetables!

@tanstaafl Isnt Rydd Du the old Beddgelert path, not Rangers? I climbed it a few years ago. Beautiful, quiet, a little bit of scrambling.

When we hiked up we ended up leading other groups down with us who had got lost following the tourist path in fog. They were totally off trail. We had map and compass, they didn't. On a lovely gentle summers day, if you are reasonably fit, have sensible boots or shoes that aren't brand new, then for most it's doable. It's when it goes wrong that's the issue.

Good luck OP. Take lots of water and many many snacks.

I had to wee constantly in early pregnancy so be prepared for that and keep an eye out for secluded nature wee locations.

I just can't imagine a trip you've saved for years to do, you would risk failing at because you go on to develop unforseen pregnancy tiredness issues. Seems like a bonkers time to attempt it when presumably you could go in a year or so's time and be perfectly capable of achieving it?

I haven't suffered these things so far and there's no reason why I may end up suffering them in a few weeks when first trimester symptoms tend to settle down so I don't see why I should end up waiting a year or more depending on what life throws at me then and risk never going.

Please come back & tell us what a great time you had. x

😁 hopefully I will if not I will let you know how mountain rescue came and gave me a bollocking for walking.

The Snowdon Ranger Path starts from the namesake youth hostel part way along Llyn Cwellyn. Rhyd Ddu is the village a mile and a half to the south. There's a path linking the two, which passes through the disused Glanrafon slate quarry. I remember re-directing a couple of lost hikers from here who were trying to climb the mountain from Rhyd Ddu but were heading around the side instead.

Beddgelert is on a completely different side of the water shed (the Gwyrfai flows out into the Menai Straits in the north, the Glaslyn flows out into Tremadog Bay on the west coast. No paths directly start in Beddgelert, if you imagine Snowdon boxed in by a rectangle, it's off on one of the corners.

The combination of pregnancy and EDS is what concerns me. Your ligaments loosen during pregnancy and your already have connective tissue issues. I would suggest ensuring your have the most supportive boots but also look at ankle braces/supports and knee braces/supports.

Thanks @DdraigGoch , that was a very easy to visualize description

@DdraigGoch thank you that's really helpful to know.

@DdraigGoch
thank you for the clarification.
why I didn’t look at the o/s map before I posted I don’t know.

a point to make is both rangers and Rhyd ddu have exposure to ridges higher up and for the OP who might be using public transport , they start in a quieter valley.

Snowdon Ranger is pretty sheltered. I'd say that it was the easiest out of the six. Rhyd Ddu is a little more exposed

Haven’t tried the Ranger path.
Will now thanks.

In your opinion which path do you think would be best for me to climb? Baring in mind I'm due to go in September hopefully if my friend is available, even if I have to delay it until she is.

I don’t understand why the only two options available to you are 3 miles to a store in your town or Snowdon.

Where is this “ inner city “ that has no parks where you could walk or buses / trains to take you to the countryside where you could do lowland walks ?

Why does your city have no walking groups or ramblers groups that you could join and start walking gently?

What does your doctor /midwife say about your plans ? Because the usual advice is to continue doing exercise that you did before you were pregnant but this is new to you. Obviously they will know you medical history which no one here does.

Here are HUNDREDS of safe walks that you could do with others in the next week. One of them will be near you.

www.ramblers.org.uk/go-walking.aspx

Why don’t you start there and build up your fitness and your experience ?