25/05/2021

(Near Miss Observer) As I was climbing the final pitch of Hope on damp rock I saw a male scrambling around the top, at first I assumed he had soloed up as he had no climbing equipment. I then saw that he was with his wife and child as well as their dog, he was leading them and seemed insistent that he was going the correct way. As I was finishing up the slabs the male started to downclimb, at which point I shouted out to ask if he was okay. He replied that he was fine, followed by a pause before asking if this (Hope VD) was the way down. I told him he could not descend this way, I briefly described the way off and said that I would guide them down if he would wait for me to build an anchor and bring up my second. At this point he was above me, a couple moves from the top, and I was on a run out easy section below. As he made his way back to the top, where his family and dog were, both his feet slipped he luckily caught himself on a wet jug and pulled over the lip. If he had fallen he would've likely knocked me off, and fallen a long way down the slabs. When I arrived at the top the family where no where to be seen. (I saw who I believe to be the same male later that night, camping in the valley so assume all was okay in the end).

02/05/2021

The Ordinary Route

While climbing the rote with 2 leaders who were out of practice and one novice our progress was slower than anticipated. It was starting to become a concern that we would not make the decent which we had not done before in daylight. But rather than descend we continued on. while on the last pitch members of our party who had climbed a different route showed up to offer assistance with the decent.

21/09/2020

Tennis Shoe

Near miss: We were watching (from the bottom) a team of 2 ascend Tennis Shoe (HS 4b). The second was belaying at the stance in the gully at the start of pitch 4 (30m) whilst the lead approached the recommended belay at the ledge at the start of pitch 5. The lead looked around the ledge for some time and appeared to fail to find the (good) gear placements. The lead then started up pitch 5 (40m) looking for gear placements. When the lead was around 5m up pitch 5 the belayer was heard to say "low on rope mate" - no names were used. When the rope ran out the belayer proceeded to dismantle the belay and commence climbing without any further (observed) communication to the lead. The lead was still climbing. The belayer was about 5m above the belay when the lead questioned the second and the second told him that he was climbing. The lead then made a belay (unknown as to quality) half way up the pitch 5 slab whilst the second waited (without being made safe). Based on this it appeared that the team were using a 40m rope ? - which is not long enough for the abseil or possibly pitch 5. It is not known if this was a later issue.

29/07/2019

Charatiy

As Tom Ogg and I were approaching idwal slabs we noted someone soloing as we got closer we could see that the young girl (age 17) was struggling and attempting to downclimb. The girl was 40m above the ground in running trainers and no helmet. Upon arriving at the base of the climb, it was made clear that her dad, who was at stood at the base watching her climb, was in no rush to give her any assistance saying "this will teach her a lesson, she'll be fine, she has climbed 6a indoors once before". Even with multiple climbers trying to offer there assistance he was turning them all down, seemingly unaware of the consequences of a fall from such a height would have. Bypassing him and speaking directly to the young girl, myself and tom offered help which at this point was accepted, the dad still trying to get us to drop the matter. I then climbed up to the girl, making the girl safe, and lowering her to the ground. The dad and the girl had left the base of the climb just as managed to get to the ground myself.

15/06/2019

Original Route

I noticed while clipping a runner that I had only tied in through the lower (leg loop) attachment point of my harness on one of the half ropes that I was leading on. Easily corrected by clipping the other rope and retying correctly. This was while leading through, having seconded the first pitch.

13/07/2017

Tennis Shoe

Swinging leads on Tennis Shoe, my partner dropped a carabiner of nuts from the top pitch, and its landing was not observed. We climb with a double set of nuts, and so we were still sufficiently equipped after this error, that we continued up Lazarus to extend the climb. During this climb, I slipped off while seconding, and minorly strained one ankle which slowed me down a little for the rest of the day. Having gotten back down to our packs with plenty of daylight, and wishing to attempt to retrieve the dropped gear, we also climbed Heather Wall as it would place us at the top of Tennis shoe, from where we could abseil to look for the carabiner of nuts. It was a very slow climb, even for us. Finishing this, we set up the abseil and began our search on the grassy ledges below (the rope was threaded around the tennis shoe boulder, and backed up by nuts on the wall behind). I abseiled, with my partner waiting at the top so as to clean the anchor after I was off the rope. I was unable to locate the dropped gear, and my partner then had a *great* deal of trouble with freeing the rope, spending what felt like an eternity trying. By this point it was getting late in the day, and so I returned to our packs below Heather Wall to retrieve warm jackets and headtorches, and make my way up the 'usual descent' route to assist. While I was doing so, the rope was freed and dropped. As the light was fading, my partner felt uncomfortable with attempting to find their own way off so, I continued up around the descent route to find them, eventually needing the headlamp. I found my partner quite shaken up, a bit cold and lonely, and very glad to see me. We made our way back down to our packs and out to the car by around midnight and home without further ado.

22/02/2015

Idwal Buttress and Continuation

I was part of a four-strong club group climbing this Grade 2 scramble in the Ogwen valley. The group, which had no experience of the route, comprised myself (intermediate scrambler at this time), Person A (aspirant MIA), Person B (experienced climber) and Person C (novice scrambler). I solo'd alongside Person A and watched them build belays to bring Person C up on a rope. Person B solo'd alongside Person C to give them confidence. Midway up the route it began hailing/snowing and we started to encounter iced up rock. As the weather worsened Person C began to lose confidence and progress slowed significantly. Following discussion with Person A it was agreed that I would solo onwards to confirm the route to the relative safety of Seniors Ridge. I did this successfully before downclimbing and leading the group upwards. Around 20m from the top of the route we encountered an 'easy' 3m slab above a large grassy ledge. As I climbed this slab I slipped and slid around 2m onto the ledge, dislocating my left patellar in the process. This kneecap had dislocated in a trampolining accident (!) several years previously. Fortunately I was able to relocate the kneecap and a painful descent followed - including several abs down verglassed steps on Seniors Ridge and much hopping.