Snowdonia National Park, North Wales

International Climbing Meet in Snowdonia

A report of the second International Climbing Meet in Wales of the DAV Wetzlar and Alpine Club London from 5 – 12 April 2025.

An international exchange meet between climbers from different countries is more important than ever in these already tense times of European identity crisis, major national political upheavals and the long-term consequences of Brexit. An exchange on an international level, especially among like-minded people with the same enthusiasm and passion for mountaineering, is an excellent opportunity to look beyond one’s own nose, to exchange ideas about mountaineering traditions & differences and to learn from each other. There is so much that unites us, and the differences offer a lot of potential for broadening our own horizons – fantastic conditions for an exciting week.

Snowdonia National Park in North Wales is one of the wettest regions in the UK. So it’s no wonder that waterproof clothing was at the top of our equipment list. But thanks to the constant high pressure, when it came to packing, it was clear that we would have to change our plans. Instead of Gore-Tex jacket and trousers, we opted for sunglasses, sun cream and a T-shirt, as we were in for a week of perfect sunny weather. We (Fabi Jacobi, Konrad Becker, Kevin Rick, Fritz Fimpel and Micha Rinn) made our way to Manchester, where a British delegation met us at the airport. From there we travelled by car to the north of Wales to Nant Peris and to Fronwydyr Climbing Hut, our accommodation for this extraordinary week.

The rock faces in the 2000 square kilometre Snowdonia National Park play an important role in the history of British alpinism. Clogwyn Du'r Arddu, south of the Pen-Y-Pass, was climbed as early as 1798, and Sir Edmund Hillary also trained on Snowdon in later years for his ascent of Mount Everest. Climbing here is mainly on rough volcanic rhyolite, a crystalline quartz porphyry. The rock faces are criss-crossed by long cracks, and in addition to very good crack- and corner-lines in all facets, there is also challenging slab climbing. The protection in the classic areas is typically British in accordance with the high climbing ethical standards on the island, i.e. the climbers are responsible for their own protection.

During the whole week, we moved in daily changing international parties to different crags. Thanks to our British friends Nick Simons, Nigel Bassam, Adèle Long, Adam Butterworth, Gus Morton, Phillip Benson and Rob Gates, who knew their way around the whole area and showed us the special features of the climbing crags in their open and friendly way, we were able to climb some of the most important routes in this region.

At Llanberis Pass, we climbed Dinas Mot, Clogwyn y Grochan and the legendary Dinas Cromlech, a crag where history has been written for generations with increasingly difficult routes. It is also home to some of the best routes in Wales.

In Ogwen we climbed the striking Tryfan with its two summit monoliths Adam & Eve via various routes. In the neighbouring valley, we spent a day climbing in Tremadog on Craig y Castell and Upper Tier. We were also active at Dinorwic Quarry near Llanberis, one of the largest slate quarries in the world. The quarry has not been in use since the late 1960s and is now an excellent climbing area. The climbing on the compact slate with its tiny crimps is quite demanding, but the routes luckily take lots of microcams and small brass nuts.

Of course, we also climbed on the coastal cliffs of Gogarth. While we climbed what is probably the most famous multi-pitch route in the UK, “A Dream of White Horses”, we were able to watch the seals in the sea from the belays.

Dinner at the Pen y Gwryd hotel.

Beside a visit to the Pas y Brenin National Outdoor Centre, a fine Welsh dinner at the legendary Pen y Gwryd hotel was another highlight on the programme. Nowadays, you can observe some of the equipment used by the first ascensionists of Mt Everest, Sir Edmund Hillary and Tenzing Norgay in this hotel.

My sincere thanks goes to Nick Simons, who put so much heart and soul into organising this meet on the British side and played a key role in making this event a great success for all participants. During this week, we got to know a fantastic climbing area in excellent weather and, thanks to our hosts, were able to discover some facets of the great history of British alpinism. We had a lot of fun climbing together during the days and spent the evenings chatting intensively over lectures and good Palatinate wine. But what’s more important, we found friends with whom we share the same passion, regardless of language. Meeting each other on this level was incredible enriching for us in every respect.

Facts

Let’s see where it is:

Our selection of crags:

» Gogarth
» Llanberis Pass: Dinas Cromlech, Dinas Mot & Clogwyn y Grochan
» Tremadog: Craig y Castell & Upper Tier
» Ogwen: Tryfan East Face
» Slate: Serengeti & Australia

Recommended dinner location:

» Pen Y Gwryd Hotel (www.pyg.co.uk)

» Plas y Brenin – National Outdoor Centre (www.pyb.co.uk)

Route equipment:

Belays in multi-pitch routes must be set up by the climber, abseiling belays are usually in place.

Caution:

In addition to the British difficulty rating system, certain key words in the warmly understated route descriptions in the climbing guides are important for understanding the difficulty of a route.

Climbing gear:

50-60 m half ropes, 1-2 full sets of Stoppers, Micro-brass Nuts, 1 set C4-Camalots up to #4, Micro-Cams, slings

Further information:

» Alpine Club meet report (PDF: 2227 KB)

» Alpine Club, London (alpineclub.org)

» LMC Fronwydyr hut (www.londonmountaineeringclub.com …)