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Planning on maybe heading to Snowdon to go up and down it on a bike in late April. Is this a good idea?
Brilliant idea.
Experience will pretty much depend on the weather. Last year weather was good during Easter and the last weekend before the voluntary ban so got up there twice in the space of a few weeks and both were great days.
Other years it's been poor weather.
Just pack appropriate with spare layers, food, spares etc and pay attention to the weather in the days prior.
After the voluntary ban, we usually do a "Snowdon-twice" day.
Up Rangers; Down Rhyd Ddu; Up Telegraph/Llanberis; Down Rangers.
Big day but makes the best use of the better descents.
Follow-up question - if you only had the chance to do one route there, which would you do?
Was thinking of that same route Ecky - how many miles does that clock up, wasn't really sure how far from the Rangers car park Rhydd Du is coming back along the road.
We went up snowdon on the last day before the ban comes into force for the summer, almost died due to the weather and getting lost. (nearly true story)
I would do Snowdon once by going up the llanberris path then down the Rangers path. After that cross the road and go round the lake, up the massive hill and ride down through the slate works. Its a brilliant fast fun. I have the gps for the slate side if you want it.
I have the gps for the slate side if you want it.
Yes please.
Is it mega technical or all fairly doable? I'll be on a hardtail because hardtails are better.
opusone - Member
Planning on maybe heading to Snowdon to go up and down it on a bike in late April. Is this a good idea?
it's a good idea, yes.
have a back-up plan for grotty* weather, and it'll be a great idea.
(*both my snowdon attempts have been abandoned due to 100mph+ winds at the summit - preventing us from getting anywhere near it)
Always found it better to do Snowdon in April, over the last few years I've had the warmest/clearest conditions at this time of year. Rhyd Dhu is good but I just love the ranger path. Thanks for reminding me it's time to sort another trip!
Its nothing technical and if you can get down the rangers you will be fine on the slate. When I did it I just fancied finding a ride in the slate quarries just to go to the top and see all the workings. I nicked someone's route from strava and when I set off I had no idea what it would be like. Halfway up the big hill I started wondering if I had picked up someone's road ride by mistake as I expected the way up to be off road. I carried on anyway and at the top it turned right into the top of the quarries. The next bit is one of the most fun descents I have ever done. Not hard or technical but fast in an amazing setting. Its not the sort of ride I would do more than a handful of times but I would rather do that than Snowdon twice in a day.
I probably have the Snowdon gps if you want that too.
As above though they are mountain routes and can get serious if the weather turns. I dropped lucky at the end of November / start of December and had 22deg clear blue skies and got sunburn.
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did it twice last year, the first before the ban was a stunning day, got sunburned but was fantastic. The next time we did it during the ban but after 5pm and the conditions were pretty grim, foggy at the top so couldnt see the cut off down the rangers but luckily as I've been a couple of times walking as well I knew the way. Gonna do it again this year but after 5pm so it can be done in the summer hols, depending who comes with me will depend on whether i do llanberis ranger or try the rhydu!
I did it just after the ban in October last year. Weather was fantastic. We were planning on going up Llanberis and down Rangers but pedaled up with a guy who gave us tales of woe and big crashes going down Rangers (and he seemed fairly competent).
As we had a couple of hardtails with us, and were in the middle of a 4-day tour, we decided on a simple up-down Llanberis. Was a good ride up, and great fun coming down, some nice steppy bits at the top and plenty of fast blasty stuff. Nothing too gnarly, just fun.
The hardtails had something like 7 punctures between 3 of them coming down 😯
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If you've got the chance, do it, it's a bloody ace ride.
We went up in July, set off from Llanberis at about 5.30pm, down the Rangers and back just in time for dinner in Pete's Eats. This was after doing Cadair Idris earlier in the day, which again, is ace!
[url= https://farm4.staticflickr.com/3789/20164994876_7cd915c99b_c.jp g" target="_blank">https://farm4.staticflickr.com/3789/20164994876_7cd915c99b_c.jp g"/> [/img][/url][url= https://flic.kr/p/wHUSrs ]Top of Snowdon[/url] by [url= https://www.flickr.com/photos/91843706@N08/ ]Sam Dexter[/url], on Flickr