It was time for another fundraiser in aid of Glasgow Children’s Hospital Charity. This time we have went up a notch in relation to the conditions compared with Ben Nevis. Although Ben Nevis was longer it was good weather so in essence the safety aspect would need to be planned to a greater level. The conditions were to be cold, wet and snowy as the elevation got higher. Our summit attempt would take place on the 3rd March 23.
The plan was to leave Thursday at 4pm and drive the 6 hours to a Premier Inn to spend the night before our summit attempt. The car was packed and unlike Ben Nevis we had all our winter gear and safety equipment. This ranged from thermal layers for Faye to Ice axe and Crampons and of course our GPS Responder.
We managed to leave on time and we stopped at a service station for dinner and to put Faye in her pyjamas for her to fall asleep on the way down. By 8pm Faye was out for the count and the music was off to allow her to sleep. Your mind tends to wander whilst driving in the dark in silence. I started thinking about the next days adventure, playing it over in my head the more sporting sections we would need to take extra care on. Especially the last 100 metres up the Pyg Track in snow and ice it can be one long fall if you slip.
We arrived at the Premier Inn and got tucked up. It was a family room so spacious enough I could keep a light on whilst Faye slept and I could prepare for tomorrow. I have found that the more you get done the night before the more relaxed the start can be which is especially important if its an early start. Faye arose at 6am wanting her cartoons and porridge which I sorted as it would give me more time for final preparations. We left the hotel at 9.45am. I had planned on a 9.30am start but it took numerous checks on the kit for me to be happy to start.
The weather was already closing in and I could see snow even lower than I thought. For the first time Faye wanted to start the climb herself which I was super happy about and encouraged. We made a wee video which you can see below. The Pyg track is popular as it starts quite high up and there are 3 routes up Snowden that start from the car park. We met loads of people and quite a few that weren’t or certainly didn’t look like they were dressed or equipped for the conditions further up. An Italian couple passed who were in trainers and shoes. I didn’t think much on it but at this point didn’t realise that we would have to help the lady further up the mountain. Faye went in the bag after 30 minutes and fell asleep soon after. When she woke up she was upset and at this point I thought we may need to turn around. I got her out and let her settle before deciding. It was also important for Faye to tell me what she wanted to do and she wanted to keep climbing. The conditions now needed crampons on and ice axe out. Its better to put these on before they are needed especially if you have a wee one with you.
We were now an hour from the summit ¾ of the way up the Pyg. We arrived to the section of mountain that I had been thinking about on the drive down. It’s technical in the ice and snow and if yuor not experienced can catch you out. There was a que of people for some reason. I waited a few minutes and could hear a commotion about 10 people up the line. I knew something wasn’t right, so I went by people to find out. I could see a man sliding on his bum along a ledge towards us. The ledge overhung a steep drop and it was at an angle where you could slide right off. It was the Italian man; he got to the foot of the ledge and said his wife was still up there in broken English. No-one had crampons on so I asked him to wait, and I would go up and see if I could help his wife. His wife was out of sight but after a few minutes I reached her, she had become crag fast. Crag fast is where the person is stuck or stranded on a rocky area and cant move. I calmed the lady down and assessed the area as its was not just her safety I was concerned about it was Faye’s also. I asked Faye to start talking to her whilst I worked out what to do. I then told the lady I would hold her and slowly lower her down the ledge, but she had to do it slowly. Her English was quite good so I knew she understood, I could see she was adherent to my words. We manged to lower her down and at the end of the ledge another few bystanders grabbed her and got her down. We accepted the thanks and then turned and headed on.
By now it was a whiteout and the ground below us was frozen solid. The wind had whipped up and was now buffeting us. It was especially important now that i kept an eye on the internal temperature of Fayes snowsuit. I do this through a small digital thermometer. I could make out the top of the track that then joins the main route up to the summit. It was a great feeling to top out especially as Faye was singing along to her songs at the time. Once we joined the main track Faye was getting a lot of attention which again, she loves the interaction with people. Throughout this climb I kept Joanna updated and kept checking the GPS had a lock on us just in case it was needed.
It was 20 minutes to the top and I’ve never seen so many hikers standing in a que for the summit cairn in freezing conditions. It was great to see. By now the external air was reading minus 6 so I was continually checking Faye’s internal temperature in her onesie, and she was nice and toastie. Most had come up the miners track from the village. It’s a straightforward route but not as interesting as The Pyg track. We spent 15 minutes at the top. A guy came up and commented on it was great to see a father out with his daughter as he had a wee one on the way and thought his hobbies would end. We had a 5-minute conversation about it whilst in the que then it was Faye’s turn touch the top. A lady took my camera, and we got some great shots!
As always getting up is one thing but most accidents happen on the decent. Sometimes due to tiredness, lack of concentration, less perception of RISK as you have hit the summit, it can be for various reasons but all I know is I’m always super careful on the decent. We headed back down and joined the Pyg track. With crampons we descended the icy track with ease. Faye fell asleep again halfway down and woke up just before the car. She was quite upset as always when she wakes up from naps, but a lady came over to speak to her which calmed her down. Its great that the lady took the time to support Faye and when we spoke to her, she also had a wee one so knew exactly what was happening.
We got changed in the car then headed straight to the lodge we booked in a village close by. It had an upstairs sleeping area looking over the main living room, Faye loved this! We headed out for dinner and Faye was telling anyone that would listen that she had climbed Snowden. Faye raised £928 for Glasgow Children’s Charity Hospital. Super, super proud of her and in her words, we done it to “help the boys and girls who need help”.
Elapsed Time – 5:24
Distance – 8 miles
Total Ascent – 2618ft