Crib Goch is described as a "knife-edged"

arête An arête ( ) is a narrow ridge of rock which separates two valleys. It is typically formed when two glaciers erode parallel U-shaped valleys. Arêtes can also form when two glacial cirques erode headwards towards one another, although freque ...

in the

Snowdonia Snowdonia or Eryri (), is a mountainous region in northwestern Wales and a national park of in area. It was the first to be designated of the three national parks in Wales, in 1951. Name and extent It was a commonly held belief that the na ...

National Park A national park is a natural park in use for conservation purposes, created and protected by national governments. Often it is a reserve of natural, semi-natural, or developed land that a sovereign state declares or owns. Although individua ...

Gwynedd Gwynedd (; ) is a Local government in Wales#Principal areas, county and preserved county (latter with differing boundaries; includes the Isle of Anglesey) in the North West Wales, north-west of Wales. It shares borders with Powys, Conwy County B ...

, Wales. The name means "red ridge" in the

Welsh language Welsh ( or ) is a Celtic language of the Brittonic subgroup that is native to the Welsh people. Welsh is spoken natively in Wales, by some in England, and in Y Wladfa (the Welsh colony in Chubut Province, Argentina). Historically, it has ...

. The highest point on the

is above sea level. All routes which tackle Crib Goch are considered mountaineering routes in winter or

scrambles ''Scrambles'' is the fifth studio album by Bomb the Music Industry!, released digitally and physically on February 15th, 2009. The album was released a year and a half after Get Warmer, making it the longest gap between the release of two chron ...

in summer—meaning that they must cross "graded territory" as defined in Steve Ashton's ''Scrambles in Snowdonia''.Steve Ashton, Scrambles in Snowdonia, (Cicerone Press, 1992) The easiest of these lines (the ‘bad step’ part of the route) is given a scrambling grade of Grade 1 (the most difficult being Grade 3—routes more difficult than Grade 3 are considered rock climbs).

Route

The classic traverse of Crib Goch from East to West leads up from the

Pyg track Snowdon () or (), is the highest mountain in Wales, at an elevation of above sea level, and the highest point in the British Isles outside the Scottish Highlands. It is located in Snowdonia National Park (') in Gwynedd (historic ...

to a ‘bad step’, where hands and feet are both needed briefly. It is followed by ascent to the arête, before tackling three rock-pinnacles to a grassy col at Bwlch Coch. This first part of the ridge is exposed with

precipice In geography and geology, a cliff is an area of rock which has a general angle defined by the vertical, or nearly vertical. Cliffs are formed by the processes of weathering and erosion, with the effect of gravity. Cliffs are common on co ...

s below, having resulted in several fatalities, even of experienced mountaineers; the

Snowdonia National Park Snowdonia or Eryri (), is a mountainous region in northwestern Wales and a national park of in area. It was the first to be designated of the three national parks in Wales, in 1951. Name and extent It was a commonly held belief that the nam ...

Authority describes it as ‘not a mountain for the inexperienced’. It is also possible to ascend Crib Goch's North Ridge, which adjoins the main ridge. The route is far more difficult in high winds or frozen ground, and so it's recommended that walkers check the weather forecast beforehand. It is possible to ascend Crib Goch from Bwlch y Moch SH663552 or from Nant Peris, an ascent via Cwm Beudu Mawr. From the col the ridge rises again, joining the main

Snowdon Snowdon () or (), is the highest mountain in Wales, at an elevation of above sea level, and the highest point in the British Isles outside the Scottish Highlands. It is located in Snowdonia National Park (') in Gwynedd (historic ...

ridge via the sister peak

Garnedd Ugain Garnedd Ugain, often referred to as "Crib-y-Ddysgl", is a pyramidal mountain in Wales that forms part of the Snowdon Massif. It is the second-highest peak in Wales, and lies just under one kilometre north of the summit of Snowdon itself. It ...

in the west. Here the path meets the Pyg Track (which descends to Pen-y-Pass) at Bwlch Glas (marked by a large standing stone), before the final climb to

summit. To the south of the arête lie the lakes of

Glaslyn Glaslyn ( cy, Blue lake) is a lake in the Snowdonia National Park in Gwynedd, north-west Wales. It is found at approximately above sea level in a cwm on the eastern flanks of Snowdon. It is a rough ellipse in shape, about east–west and abo ...

and Llyn Llydaw. To the north is the Llanberis Pass. Crib Goch is classed as a Welsh 3000er and is also often climbed as the first part of the

Snowdon Horseshoe Snowdon () or (), is the highest mountain in Wales, at an elevation of above sea level, and the highest point in the British Isles outside the Scottish Highlands. It is located in Snowdonia National Park (') in Gwynedd (historic ...

, which goes on over Garnedd Ugain, Snowdon and

Y Lliwedd Y Lliwedd is a mountain, connected to Snowdon in the Snowdonia National Park, North Wales. Its summit lies above sea level. The eastern flanks are steep cliffs rising above Glaslyn and Llyn Llydaw. Y Lliwedd is the most conspicuous of ...

, before returning to Pen-y-Pass. Crib Goch is one of the wettest spots in the United Kingdom, with an average of

rainfall Rain is water droplets that have condensed from atmospheric water vapor and then fall under gravity. Rain is a major component of the water cycle and is responsible for depositing most of the fresh water on the Earth. It provides water ...

a year over the past 30 years.

References

External links

Crib Goch Visit Wales Video
Climbing Crib Goch video
* * * ttps://www.geograph.org.uk/search.php?i=2797493 www.geograph.co.uk : photos of Crib Gochbr>www.walkupsnowdon.co.uk : Details of the Scrambling Route and map
{{Welsh3000 Hewitts of Wales Mountains and hills of Snowdonia Nuttalls Ridges of Wales Furths Beddgelert Llanberis Mountains and hills of Gwynedd