Had a conversation with a mate last weekend. He questioned why when in Wales a couple of weeks ago we didn’t go up snowdon. I suggested with two kids and a dog at this time of year it may be unwise. He suggested the main walking path is like a super highway and we’d have been fine. We go out properly kitted up clothing/boots wise etc
I fully appreciate it’s not quite k2 but I do believe it is still quite high up in parts 😉

he’s right about the superhighway bit.

It can get pretty windy up the top though, so depends on weather and age/ability of kids. I’d still be keen though. Some friends of the family do it most Xmases, and find it most agreeable 🙂

If you have the knowledge and skills and are prepared to turn back why not? You’re not likely to get lost are you? How old are the kids? I was hillwalking in winter from about 9, in a white out on Ben Nevis when 14.

Barring a full-on storm it’ll be heaving up there Boxing Day so as long as you go with decent kit and a mediocum of common sense (weather report, let someone know your return time etc) it should be fine. Just stick to the path and turn back if it gets dicey.

Having never done it I was unsure. I presume other “routes” can be tricky then. It looked plenty snowy up top too. Annoyed now as the kids no doubt would’ve enjoyed it. They are 14 and 11 and have done loads of Peak District walking etc from a young age.

It is a wide super highway yes.

BUT (and this is very important)

At this time of year it can get very icy, and that can cause big problems because it only takes a slip to have an accident, break something, and there are still places to fall a significant way.

It is also about 6 or 7 degrees colder up there than down here. That’s a lot. So you need proper clothes.

It is far far windier up there too, which makes it at best very unpleasant if you aren’t properly dressed, and at worst fatal.

There is also not much daylight, so any slowness or problem means you’re going to be facing darkness.

It can be pretty easy, for sure, but you MUST know what to expect, and be able to react appropriately. Mountain rescue are constantly collecting people who don’t know what they were doing and get into trouble.

I agree with doris^, if you’ve adequate clothing it would just depend how capable your children (and dog) are really, the main track up is very good and there’s no nav required but it’s still quite a haul up for a young ‘un. Probably not much fun if it’s really blowing a hoolie or lashing with rain unless you’re all keen on that kind of thing.

If you know what you’re doing, it’s ok.

Snow and ice are the biggest issues, they can make the last little bit of the miner’s path quite tricky, especially with small kids and there are lots of places where a slip could lead to a serious injury, even on the railway path.

Have seen some woefully underprepared people doing some very dangerous things up there this time of year.

Depends on conditions, weather and how well you are equipped. No real problems at any time until you get past the halfway station. The bit after that is quite exposed and you’d need ice axe and crampons if it was icy.

Apart from obvious temperature variations due to season you can have almost any condition at any time of year: I’ve been on the summit in t-shirt in February and battered by storms in July.

if you’ve adequate clothing

Assuming he knows what adequate clothing is?

A couple of us went up Pyg track in March this year. At the top it was windy as hell and white out conditions. Ended up taking the wrong route back down and had to get a taxi back to the car park from Llanberis 😳

I think freezing temperature is still above the summits at the moment, it’s been a very mild winter but it’s about 2-3 degrees with some pretty strong winds in the more exposed sections.

If you’re all kitted up to be climbing it then it won’t be an issue, certainly wouldn’t be as pleasant as strolling up in the summer sun.

If in doubt, just drive your car up there, surely??

Rachel

I spend my time being reckless on a bike and don’t drag my kids in to situations with that. In that scenario I sometimes know my limits.
We once got caught out on new years day in a forest in Wales. Set off on a circular route or so I thought, beautiful scenery, deep water gorges etc. Got to the next way point and oops yellow markers now gone with only red or blue to follow. All in decent kit but no torches as we should be back way before dark. I genuinely don’t know how I got us out of there but used a bit of sensible (struggling at the time due to panicked 7/10 year olds) pigeon sense of direction mapping. We got back to the car with literally minutes of any light left. At one point I genuinely thought it’s bear grylls bivvy making time 😆
Think I’ve just been a bit over cautious since then.

It is also about 6 or 7 degrees colder up there than down here. That’s a lot. So you need proper clothes.

It is far far windier up there too, which makes it at best very unpleasant if you aren’t properly dressed, and at worst fatal.

I suppose it’s safe to assume the worst but you could always get an actual forecast from MWIS or similar. Today’s Snowdonia forecast (issued yesterday afternoon). Nothing a properly dressed 11 and 14 year old couldn’t cope with IMO.

HOW WINDY? (ON THE SUMMITS)

Southerly; progressively strengthening from 10-15 to 25mph through daylight, risk 30mph Snowdon range.

EFFECT OF WIND ON YOU?

Mostly small, but will increasingly impede walking on higher areas.

HOW COLD? (AT 900M)

2 or 3C; little change of temperature with height on higher terrain.

FREEZING LEVEL

Above the summits but slight frost some valleys morning.

Assuming he knows what adequate clothing is?

Yes, I am. And a look at a forecast will help too.

I always check this. Personally, I wouldn’t bother unless there’s a high chance of cloud free summits

http://www.mwis.org.uk/english-welsh-forecast/SD/

I’ve been up there with a dusting of snow on the ground. It looked easy and pleasant, until we got high enough to get into the wind. The blown snow was so bad we coudln’t have any exposed skin at all because it was so painful. I had a (borrowed) scarf completely over my face, he had a balaclava on backwards. Stood there for a minute considering our options, then we decided he could cut eye slits in his balaclava eskimo style, and I’d put my hand on his shoulder so he could lead me like a blind climber until we descended enough.

Was a pretty normal day down low, only a dusting of snow visible on the hills. Can be surprising what you find up there.

And for clarity yes we all wear proper boots/coats for anything worth wearing them for. Also carry head torch and spare hats/ gloves in a rucksack with shit loads of chocolate etc.

Took my daughter up Miners one february 1/2 term when she was 5. Good weather at Pen-y-pass. By the time we got to the climb up to join Pyg it was pretty full snowy winter conditions, Glaslyn was frozen over. Our plan hadn’t been to summit but just join Pyg and head back that way. Given the conditions and the fact the Pyg retains altitude for longer, and therefore staying up in the cold for longer we I decided to turn back. Daughter was really disappointed. We went back that summer and had a nice fair weather walk most of the way up (and down) but summited in howling winds and driving rain.

TL:DR Be prepared for anything, including turning back.

There was a fair amount of snow up there a few weeks ago, so maybe you did the right thing. It’s mostly gone now.

Sounds to me that you’re aware of the risks and how to mitigate them. As long as you can navigate properly and are prepared to turn back then there’s no reason not to attempt it.

My second ever mountain at the age of 8 was Snowdon when my Dad took me and my older sister to Wales in our Comma Dormobile. We set off up to Crib Goch in nylon cagoules, cords and floppy suede Spanish fellwalking boots. Luckily when we reached the top and found everything encrusted with ice my Dad had the humility to turn back. Humility is key to staying alive in the mountains.

It’s mostly gone now.

Yes, but if the forecast is 2-3 degrees max on the summit, what’s left of the snow will be icy as hell by now.

I always carry ski goggles in winter for the reason Molgrips describes, can be impossible to see in driving snow, sleet or spindrift. Also a snood type thing, which keeps you neck warm and can be pulled up cowboy style.

Up the main path, you will be fine unless you walk into a white out with the path obliterated by snow, then you may not find the right path back down again or you may walk over a cliff. If you’re a sensible person who makes sensible decisions (even when it’s not popular with others) then you won’t come to grief.

Yup there was plenty of snow showing to more than just summit levels. We went and found some great hills above Blaenau which had good sized snow patches on so the kids were happy launching icy lumps at us. 😆

I went up there about 10 years ago, it was foul. Howling wind and sideways rain, didn’t stop at the top as it was too miserable

I’d take kids up happily, if kitted up enough, as long as you are sensible and prepared to turn around if it gets unsafe

Luckily when we reached the top and found everything encrusted with ice my Dad had the humility to turn back.

A ‘proper’ mountaineer then.

We took our girls up there at the ages of 4 and 5. They are used to long walks along the Downs, so we went for it. I carried ski jackets up there and all the other stuff we needed which was a total ball ache as it was sunny and warm (in October).

Then the weather closed in…

We got 20 minutes from the top and people were coming down saying the snow was going sideways at the top. We were already in our winter kit at this point, with plenty of water and supplies to spare. We all really wanted to get to the top, but we did the sensible thing and turned around. My youngest was then fed a handful of Skittles and proceeded to skip the whole way down. When she stopped skipping we fed her a few more to keep her topped up. WE chatted with another family on the way down and their dog kept my girls distracted too.
We all had a well earned ice cream and look forward to doing it again. A great day out.

My advice – go for it, but be sensible and take the kit for any eventuality. GPS, torch, phone, foil blanket, first aid kit, etc etc. Cold wet and lost and hearing “are we nearly home yet?” will ruin your day/marriage etc

This thread reminds me of two things
1) The last time I went up Snowdon was about 15 years ago with a bunch from alt.mountain-bike (AMB), it was an average day that turned freezing cold past the tunnel. Our good friend Shaun from Whalley was wearing nowt on top bar a string vest in which fashion he remained until we reached the summit much to the confusion of the walkers we met going past
2) Back in the day (early nineties) a group of us used to decide where we were riding at the 6am meetup, and for some reason one Janaury morning it was decided to tackle Helvellyn. We rocked up in Glenridding car park with out skinny tyres MTB’s, ron hill tracksters, Nike Poobahs and buffalo cycling tops and surveyed the other people getting kitted out with Gore-tex boots, crampons and ice-axes. We made it about 2/3 of the way up before sheltering in a sheep pen from blinding snow and made the decision not to press on for the summit, which was probably for the best given that one of our group was still inhaling vast amounts of an illegal substance in order not to come crashing down mid ride. Hurtled back to the car park navigating the ice sections by not braking at all (not a problem really with canti brakes) and trying not to turn the bars a mm. Still one of the most memorable rides I’ve ever done.

He suggested the main walking path is like a super highway and we’d have been fine

Smacks of incompetence to me.

You could run tarmac road to the summit and it could still be a place you wouldn’t want to be at this time of year.

looking at the weather up there at the moment it is showing snow for the rest of the week, zero degrees at the summit, and windchill below freezing.

Get good conditions and could be a really nice walk, get it wrong and you could be stuck up on the hill in a blizzard, or in sunshine and complete black ice under foot.

I remember a few years back going up Swirral Edge. No snow, really nice clear day. Didn’t notice it at first, but soon became apparent that everything was covered in black ice. It was very scary turning round and coming back down.

I can’t imagine going up anything with my 4 and 5 year old. The minute it gets a bit hard and they’re getting carried or on shoulders! They can manage a couple of miles before they’re knackered, and that’s a flat walk!

You could run tarmac road to the summit and it could still be a place you wouldn’t want to be at this time of year.

This x100

BenP1
They’re tough little blighters!
The more silly things I want to do the more I think of them as an excuse to do it! A couple of weeks ago, we went 4 miles along the seafront (me on a skateboard, my eldest on a scooter) with two sticks and a tarpaulin. Stopped at the chip shop and waited for Mother to pick us up. The sort of daft things that I never did as a kid (or at least not with my parents)!

They can manage a couple of miles before they’re knackered, and that’s a flat walk!

They aren’t knackered. They are bored, so they think they’re knackered. Kids have lots of energy, it’s mobilising it that’s the issue. You can drag them round miles of somewhere and they’ll flag and flag, then when you get near the end they’ll start running about and fighting when it’s least appropriate.

As long as you’re prepared and can spend a good 24-48 hours up there safely if the services need to came and rescue you. No problem.
Chances are it’ll be a bit nippy though.

My kids have done Munro’s in winter conditions – and sledged back down.
But.
I am a mountain leader, summer and winter trained.
I’ve spent a decade leading other people’s kids in the mountains.
I would never say ‘no’ – the weather, motivation and time gods may align and make it possible to meander up Snowdon.
But the same alignment may fall apart within a few minutes and leave you on a big hill, in the wet and cold, struggling to keep on path, moving and warm.
It’s more about knowledge, opportunity and luck than gear and blind go for it.

As long as you’re prepared and can spend a good 24-48 hours up there safely if the services need to came and rescue you. No problem.

Eh? You’d have to be massively unlucky not to get rescued in a couple of hours off any of the regular routes up Snowdon. Not that one should be relying on the rescue services of course.

Edit- also, what would 48 hrs worth of kit for dad and 2 kids look like? Much better just to wait for a good day and turn round if it craps out!

Tell your mate to mind his own business, next time he gobs off get him in a headlock and rub your knuckles on the top of his head

spend a good 24-48 hours up there safely

Lock-in in the cafe 🙂

You’re not likely to get lost are you?

my memory from living in Bangor in the eighties and being out and about in Snowdonia in all weathers was that one of the usual causes of winter deaths on Snowdon was people descending in icey/poor visibility conditions missing the kinks in the rail line and hurtling down the steepening/rocky slopes towards Llyn Du Arddu

not that I wouldn’t take my kids up there in winter just don’t assume conditions will allow a safe day out because it is a popular route