Having climbed a few decent outdoor routes, my brother David and I were really keen to try multi-pitch climbing on something BIG! We had so far managed outdoor lead climbs up to a grade of VS, and around a 5C indoors.

David’s mates Paul and Stuart showed us a pretty easy route called Middlefell Buttress, 97m Diff at Langdale in the Lake District. The climbing was easy, but in some places exposed which made for really enjoyable climbing. Needless to say, we were hooked!

I decided to start trawling the internet for big multi-pitch climbs, and came across one or two blogs describing a climb called the Amphitheatre Buttress, in the Ogwen Valley, Wales. The pictures posted on these blogs made my jaw drop, and at 294m, it was to be out biggest climb to date (by a long way). What’s more it’s only graded as V Diff, so well within our technical ability. I told David about the climb and we started to make plans for our Snowdonia climbing expedition.

At this point I had only managed to find blogs and log books referring to the climb, so the first thing we had to do was find a guidebook; to enable us to locate the crag and pick the right climbing route. We settled on Scrambles & Easy Climbs in Snowdonia, which turned out to be an excellent purchase (more about that later).

We opted to go one weekend in May. David owns a butchers shop and has to work most Saturdays so we had to plan well in advance so he could arrange to take the Saturday off. The weather, the week leading up to the chosen weekend was dubious at best, and the forecast looked pretty ominous. Every day of that week we checked the met-office forecast, hoping for the best. By Thursday night, it looked like it could go either way, so we agreed to just go for it.

Late Friday afternoon, we set off from my place in East Yorkshire, scanning the sky for BBCs. The journey was pretty uneventful apart from the fact I hadn’t actually booked anywhere to stay which meant David had to start calling his way through a list of potential bunkhouses I had hurridly put together. Unfortunately, trying to book a bunkhouse for that evening in North Wales, so late in the day, was futile. We eventually gave up and decided to have a look once we got there.

Betws Y Coed is a few short miles from the Ogwen Valley, so we started there. It’s a beautiful, lively village and by the time we got there we were pretty desperate for a pint and some food. Driving past a load of busy pubs with people sat outside again and again while we searched for accommodation was a real bind. Eventually we struck gold at the Dragon Hotel which was pretty reasonable motel style digs. After that well needed pint and fodder we settled down early doors, agreeing to get up at 6am to begin our expedition. The walk-in to the Amphitheatre Buttress is 5K, and the guide book suggests a climb time of up to 6 hours, an early start is a good idea.

We got up at 6am as planned and made ourselves some porridge, using David’s camping stove. We chatted excitedly about the task ahead of us as we devoured our breakfast with the obligatory nice cup of tea. Once the bags were packed in the car, we set off to Tal-Y-Bont, where we were to start the 5K walk-in to the climb. Unfortunately we ran into 2 problems:

1. We had forgotten to pack any lunch, and couldn’t find anywhere open at 6:30am to buy some.
2. Once we got to Tal-Y-Bont we didn’t have a clue where to go to start walking (the guide book is pretty vague in this respect)

For the first problem we had no solution, we were going to have to eat cereal bars and some dates I had left in my pack from previous cycling trips. The second problem was sorted by asking a local (we were lucky there was one available). If you’re planning on doing the climb, and you drive from Betsw Y Coed to Tal-Y-Bont, you need to turn left just before the pub. The road is a steep single track which you have to follow for a couple miles and through two gates. eventually you come to a small car park with a locked gate, here’s where the walk-in starts.

The walk-in was absolutely fantastic. The Ogwen Valley’s dramatic rock formations loomed above either side of us, giving a tantalising glimpse of what was to come. Passing through the broken dam, we stopped for photographs and discussed how the owners of the nearby farm must experience incredible isolation, especially in the middle of winter.

I like big Buttress and I can not lie - view of the climb

After the dam we picked up a narrow, stony path which took us down the valley toward the buttress, which at this point was out of sight. We followed this for a couple of miles, and as we rounded the corner the amphitheater buttress came into view. It looked pretty huge and just a little bit menacing. “Are you frightened?” asked David, I considered the question and responded “No, I’m just excited” which was completely true. I have started to identify the feeling before I climb as a nervous energy with a hint of butterflies in my stomach. I’m always keen to get my hands on the rock and get started. I always lead the first pitch, and this time was no exception.

We walked past the remnants of an old slate quarry to the foot of a very steep approach to the foot of the crag. From here to the foot of the actual crag was extremely steep and left us both huffing and puffing as we finally reached the foot of the climb.
We agreed that I was to go first and proceeded to get our harnesses, rock shoes and gear on. We tied in to either end of the rope, David put me on belay and I started to climb.

The first pitch is an easy slab climb. I made short work of it, set up a belay and sat down on a grassy ledge while David followed, clearing the gear I had placed. So far, so good. By now the sun was out and it was shaping up to be a beautiful day, life doesn’t get much better.

David took the lead for the second pitch. Again pretty easy, but with a couple of interesting moves. We were moving pretty slowly as we had to keep checking the guide book to make sure we were on route. The second pitch ended beneath a large, leaning block which was to be the start of pitch 3.

Now I was lucky enough to be the one to lead this pitch, and I have to say it is one of the most enjoyable leads I have done to date. If buckets of exposure at a decent altitude on fairly easy climbing is your thing, then you will absolutely love it!  I stepped out right, onto a block then onto a steep slab with nice little holds and nothing but fresh air below – brilliant! From the top of this pitch I Belayed for David from a spike. We then moved a short distance to a steep wall for the start of pitch 4.

It was now David’s turn to take the lead again, and he was pretty nervous about this pitch as the climbing book described it as the crux of the climb, with a super-exposed move as you step around onto the Amphitheatre wall. As it happened, it was a lot of fuss about nothing. Yes the step around onto the Amphitheatre side sees you a long way above the ground, but it is really well protected. David used a huge sling over the spike on which you hold onto to move around, so there was absolutely no risk of serious injury!

Pitch 5 started with a reasonably challenging 10m wall, which I thoroughly enjoyed. This lead onto an easy path up to a belay point. Pitch 6 is more scrambling and walking than climbing, for 65 metres. We elected to move alpine style, roped together with the rope looped over our shoulders.

Next up was what I believe to be the most exposed (and fluttery) part of the climb. A sharp alpine crest with a drop of 50 – 60 metres either side. We continued, alpine style over this, wrapping the rope around the spikes for protection. Just before the ridge is a large gendarme which I was keen to climb onto for a good picture opportunity. I passed David my iphone, clambered up and posed for my picture. David took the shot from the other end of the ridge. Unfortunately I discovered, in the pub, much later that day, that David had actually taken a picture of his hand – grrrrrrr!

David crossing the alpine style ridge

After the ridge we reached a series of blocks (pitch 8). Full of confidence, I set out to solo this part, only to discover it was tougher than I had anticipated. I had to stand on a block while David passed gear and the end of the rope up so I could tie in and do it safely. Turns out I was trying to climb the wrong side of the block, I got really stressed out and frustrated trying to make a move that was clearly not vdiff. I was relieved when I finally figured out the correct route and moved up to belay David, who had found the episode highly amusing.

Pitch 9 looks a bit menacing as you approach, but turns out to be a really easy climb up a flake. Reaching the top of this pitch (and the climb) left me feeling elated, worn out and a little bit sad that it was over.

This climb is an absolute must for anyone seeking a big multi-pitch, mountaineering experience. I would recommend it to anyone, and I’m sure I’ll be heading back for a second at some point.

Snowdonia climbing – Amphitheatre Buttress 294m VD, Ogwen, North Wales is a post from: Rock Climbing UK, an online UK climbing magazine, written BY UK climbers FOR UK climbers.

If you liked this post, you might also lik:

1. Snowdonia climbing – Flying Buttress 87m VD, Dinas y Gromlech area, North Wales
2. Ilkley – A challenging Yorkshire crag and quarry
3. Peak District climbing – Birchen Edge