SCRAMBLING
BEST FOR: saving for summer
SHARK BUTTRESS ON
GLYDER FACH Grade: 3
A
R The imposing Shark Pinnacle.
s someone who had grown up scaring himself with countless viewing of the Jaws films, this route held a special
fascination for Carl. The reason for the enticing name is all too obvious on pictures of scramblers tackling the menacing jaws of rock. Needless to say, the route lives up to its intimidating name. Strangely, this memorable hard outing does not seem to be particularly well known and scramblers visiting Glyder Fach’s main cliff seem to gravitate towards Dolmen Ridge or Main Gully instead. The route is one of the harder and most serious scrambles in the area: it is a long and committing line with technical challenges throughout and is hard to back out of and therefore best saved for optimal conditions. Somewhat surprisingly, the exposed passage to surmount Shark Pinnacle itself is not even the most difficult section of the route.
PENMAENBACH ARÊTE Grade: 1+
T
his appetising looking line was something that we’d seen for years driving past it on the A6 to Conwy, from which the route seems to curve up straight from the road and the sea. The mini-summit of Penmaenbach (245m) itself nestles in the foothills of Snowdonia National Park and its striking westerly ridge had been recommended to us by a couple of local scramblers. The route itself is on relatively stable limestone
and we found it surprisingly lengthy and sustained at its grade, with a few interesting little moves. Overall, there’s a great feeling of exposure and excellent coastal views across Conwy Bay and to Anglesey from the heathery fell-side and by hunting out the most continuous rock, you can scramble nearly to the summit. Penmaenbach itself is a remarkably serene corner of Snowdonia and the route is probably best used as a satisfying short outing when the higher Snowdonian mountains inland are shrouded in mist. Penmaenbach Arête certainly doesn’t have a remote mountain feel, but anyone used to climbing on Milestone Buttress on Tryfan can hardly complain about the proximity of an A road, and for a year-round brief scrambling fix it gets our seal of approval.
BEST FOR: being in condition year-round 66 | CLIMB. WALK. JOIN.
R The relatively stable limestone of
Penmaenbach Arete.
PHOTO: CROLLA & MCKEATING.
PHOTO: CROLLA & MCKEATING.
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