Just reading one of the mtn bike rags and they say that Snowdon can be ridden up (then down the Ranger's Path).

I've been up it on a bike (Oct 2009) from the train station and would be surprised by this, as the section before the train tracks is too steep. There's also a section that's steep, man-made large rock steps that would seem too severe.

Anyone ridden it?

Up the Llanberis path – admittedly a bit of pushing is required as you say, before and after the railway bridge halfway up.

Down the Rangers path – all rideable apart from a short section about halfway down (for us at least)

Don't think you'd be able to ride it either.

Been a while since I rode it (carried my Pro Flex up rhyd ddu and down the llanberis path in 96) but I've run it (Snowdon Race) a few times and there's gonna be some pushing for sure.

Ranger path is rideable all the way down to one last section that I've never seen anyone nail. Rough and technical though.

Llanberis path is rideable as far as the section before the second railway bridge. Some of the route after that is also a goer if you're a goat. 😉

MBNW fourm ride. a few of us heading up at the end of April.

We walked most of the Llanberis up and rode down the rangers. Video here:

Substantially more of the llanberis can be ridden up but that is really not our thing.

Substantially more of the rangers can be ridden down, just takes more balls.

Ti29er seems we're on the same wavelength. 💡
Read the same review as yourself and fingers crossed if the weather is peachy on Good Friday planning a summit attempt.

Saying that though, depending on the reviews you read the difficulty varies from a nice walk to 70% rideable.
I'm planning a slow but steady cruise up from Llanberis and then down the Ranger path and then a cheeky hoss back across for a bacon butty in Petes Eat's. Hoping it won't take the estimated 5-6 hours that you see mentioned in places.

If you do it before Good Friday let me know how you get on. 😆

Regards

WD13

Should take roughly 2hrs to the top then and hour back to Llanberis down the ranger followed by a push up then ride down telegraph valley (the best bit).

Telegraph valley is a super smooth/fast descent with lots of drainage breaks for you to bunnyhop on the way down. Good stuff.

llanberris up and down is about 2hrs up 10 mins on top and baring punctures you will be in petes in about 30 mins!!!!:)

It's sounding better by the minute. The phrase "Smoke me a kipper i'll be back for breakfast" springs to mind. If it all goes to plan with an early start i could be getting a cheeky afternoon windsurf or kitesurf in at this rate

Just under 2hrs up.
10 mins pics on top. Get cold. Ride down the Ranger's Path.
It's very rocky & steep in places.

Be aware it's easy to miss the R turn up onto the grass & up & over to the final decent back to Pete's

If you get to see the zig-zag nature of the trail on the final part down to the road & Ranger's Sation, back up 150m!

4hrs and enjoy the ride. Mine's a pint O'tea.

Ti29er, Oh yes i'm sure there'll be multiple pints of tea at the end of it.
Cheers for the heads up on the "R" turn, read a few articles where folk have done that so would like to keep the walking back uphill to a minumum

How wide is the decent on the Ranger? Are we talking motorway or skinny sheep trail? I'm assuiming with it being Snowdon the masses will have worn a fairly heafty track.

I'm getting quite psyched for this now. Might go and have a fettle with the old girl in the shed and get her battle ready 😆

when you going? room for one more? its on my list to do and looking to do it before the voluntary ban, its gotta be the Rangers on the way down.

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I'm hoping to do Good Friday, but if the weather is pants it'll get knocked on the head. Don't fancy the idea of spending 2 hours in a cloud with zero visibility 😕
If we do do it you're welcome to come along, but i must warn it will be a real slow mince uphill 😆 I think there's only 2 of us at the moment but the more the merrier

That video is awesome as well. I started to wonder if i could gaffer tape my canon 500D to my head to get some HD video. Perhaps not my finest thought 😯

we did the whole climb/push up llanberis and then a flat out blast back down the same way in one go.

I was a gibbering, adrenalin-fuelled wreck by the time I got to the bottom, scaring ramblers with my excited rantings!

When ever we go it's a massive epic usually resulting in us climbing some path we didn't plan to be on and then takes the whole day, we are then very glad of the open fire at Pete's and his unique humour, fresh cakes and nice coffee. It's always fun though, we have a plan this year to head up and down Llanberris and the next day Llanberris and down Ranger

Just need to choose a bike half of me fancies full on DH bike 😀

Up then down Llanberris.
Zzzzzzzzzzzzz!
Why?
It's far more interesting to do the Ranger's Path on the return leg.

How can you possibly take different paths? Are you sure you're on the correct mountain? 😉

Anyhow, are we in agreement it's not possible to actually ride the entire route up, as MBR this month suggests?

as others say up LLanberis path which is a push /carry /trek – I woluld beleive claims of riding this as much as I would believe claims of riding Jacobs ladder – it is not rideable UP in most parts IMHO so 2 hours ish.

Rangers is superb down did it in the wet and fog so about 85% rideable down and yes easy to miss right hand path up and over.
One of my fave rides just superb shame you cannot take bike one way on train.

Hah, I remember speaking to a guy who claimed to have ridden UP the rangers in one go…

Up then down Llanberris.
Zzzzzzzzzzzzz!
Why?

Because if you take the descent in pretty much one, bwarrrrrrp-factor run (chasing DHers helps) then it's one hell of a buzz!

I imagine the decent on Llanberris will be quite exciting and over pretty quick as it always is, what maybe zzz to you I am quite looking forward to doing and as I am there a few days means I can do a mix and if I can do Llanberris quickly then there might be time for a

We have ended up pushing bikes up some walkers path once that resulted in alot of hiking and climbing.

I would agree that you'd need quite some stamina and ability to ride up Rangers or Llanberris, maybe they went up in the train while on a turbo trainer?

If you are there for a few day, can I suggest Cader Idris, which too has a bikeable trail.

Closer to Snowdon is the Red Route at Penmachno (both loops), it's like your favourite, pretty, winding walking narrow trail way out in the holls – but for bikes!
It might even be my new, personal "best" trail. Allow for 3hrs in these conditions.

I did not gel with the Marin trail, but am reassured it's a blast in the final 1/6th of the trail.

A walk up Tryfan (Wales's most striking mountain?) is something to be savoured too.

Gee Atherton's time for the Llanberis path down to the bottom station is something mental like 9 mins, the nutter!

Never done the ranger's path down, is it all down, or are there traversey bits in it too?

which bit of the rangers path do people struggle with? is it the bit where it narrows in to a gulley and the slabs are at awkward angles? thats the only hard bit i can think of and with a bit of sessioning its not bad at all.

Gee Atherton's time for the Llanberis path down to the bottom station is something mental like 9 mins, the nutter!

Bet that went down well with the red socks! 😆

i went to wales this week for 4 days…(Abersoch) just for a holiday… came back over the Llanberis pass – snowdon etc…. full of snow ! and very heavy mist…. be better in a few months i guess.

shouldnt think the snow will last long this late in the year, its pretty rocky up there too so doesnt really get muddy until you are pretty much all the way down.

at least thats what im hoping, got plans to go in 2 weeks!

Video of our Rangers descent last weekend courtesy of Goognoog.

Rangers pt 1 and Rangers pt 2.

The HD version is well worth the extra bandwidth and we even had a rider clean the lot except it wasn't caught on film 🙁

which bit of the rangers path do people struggle with? is it the bit where it narrows in to a gulley and the slabs are at awkward angles? thats the only hard bit i can think of and with a bit of sessioning its not bad at all.

It's the bit about a hundred yards from the end just before it levels out as you head over to the Telegraph path.

Thanks for sharing those Doug, really enjoyed. This is one ride I need/have/must do,soon!
Some quick questions,
Where do you park to ascend via Llanberis path?
Is Rangers marked to begin the descent from the summit?
How do I rejoin LLanberis to get back to the car?
Is doing this solo a huge no-no? (seems everyone uses fullface lids, which i don't have)
Thanks in advance.

Park in the lay-by/car park next to the lake in Llanberis Rangers starts opposite the obelisk at the top of the miners track. You get back to Llanberis by turning right after the second gate you come across on the Rangers path then heading up the grass hill to the obvious pass at Bwlch Maesgwm before heading down the Telegraph path to Llanberis. Full face not essential but gives that little extra protection to 'have a go' at the trickier sections.

I wouldnt ride the Rangers path alone especially late in the day as it's a lot quieter than the Llanberis path so getting help in the event of a bad stack may be difficult. The Llanberis path on the other hand has enough people on it to make riding alone OK as long as the weather is good, are fully prepared for bad weather and have quite a bit of experience of the UK's higher areas. The fact that you are asking suggests that maybe going alone would not be such a good idea as there are far too many cliffs to be falling off if the weather closes in unexpectedly and you loose your bearings.

Thanks mate, good advice, I would start about an hour or so before sunrise to ascend, then depending on conditions choose which path to come down. This has become an itch I've got to scratch.

as others say up LLanberis path which is a push /carry /trek – I woluld beleive claims of riding this as much as I would believe claims of riding Jacobs ladder – it is not rideable UP in most parts IMHO so 2 hours ish.

Not rideable for you maybe – doesn't mean nobody else can, however much you might like to disbelieve it. It's quite a while since I rode Snowdon, but I certainly rode most of the climb – as others have mentioned there is a steep bit which I didn't ride IIRC (though from what I remember it probably is totally rideable for the right person). Don't remember how long it took either, but given my normal climbing speed certainly less than 1.5 hours, probably closer to an hour.

Yup agreed. It's all rideable up apart from the super steep loose bit IME.