Supposed to be doing a riding weekend from Edale Youth Hostel this Saturday and Sunday. Had plans to ride Jacob's Ladder, Rushup Edge etc - essentially all the classic stuff in that region. Is it going to be rideable or is it going to be a bike dragging walk in calf deep snow?
Any local information would be appreciated!
I was out round blackamoor this morning and the snow was a couple of inches deep but very very soft. I'd guess by the end of tomorrow it'll be gone.
Any more info or snow?
i'm supposed to be heading up tomorrow, looks a bit sketchy according to this web cam:
http://www.peakdistrictonline.co.uk/content.php?categoryId=2491
Should be a laugh!
Oooh booo hooo hoooo I wanna go out on my bikey but is awl snowy and mummy says I’ll catch a cold.
MTFU.
But seriously I’ve been watching that web cam all week as have been looking forward to this weekend of riding for AGES, and it looks like the weathers been like that for a few days solid now... I'll be the one wearing the hilarious thermal tights so if I don't freeze to death the embarrassment might do it...
Yeah thanks GrunkaLunka for your totally useful input! I ask the question because if you can't actually ride any of the good stuff we'll stay in Leeds and ride there instead. Smoker!
Yeah thanks GrunkaLunka for your totally useful input!
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Happy to be of help!
Fingers crossed we get some more useful info like Steve's. We're holed up on Fri/Sat near Hope, but with hire car / hostel / having pursuaded a friend to buy a bike we are far too comitted not to go.
Just promise me that ITV won't use our inevitable frostbitten death as one of those UK snow chaos stories.
Haha, ok GL. We're keen too but having done a load of snow rides this past few months I'm getting a bit sick of them. If we stay in Leeds we can ride to Stainburn so its not all bad.
Retro, nice bag.
Oh and thanks Steve!!
If it's only a couple of inches at most on top of rock, then it'll probably be better riding than if you get it just after a big melt. Round us (just at the South end of the Peak District) it is a mix of a bit of snow, and really quite muddy other bits. Jacob's Ladder etc. are nice and rocky though, probably be good whatever the weather.
http://www.outside.co.uk/knowledge/webcam.html doesn't look too bad (apart from the weather being pretty minging), and that is in Grindleford, looking up at Stanage.
Joe
Rode rushup edge, jacobs circuit the weekend before last, and it still had loads of snow on it. Pretty much ruined all of the good downhills - i.e end of rushup edge, downhill bit on roych clough, jacobs ladder. We haven't had a huge melt since then, so I probably wouldn't bother with that route.
out northside of sheffield and 6deg and this am drizzzle has washed away what snow we had left my guess is that similar is going on albiet a bit slower - though drifts can hang around as can ice from well trodden sections
looks like you are committed so to avoid that laughter spot at the end of "look north" allow much much more time than normally would and take extra munchies (food that is not chemical)
Can't imagine all the snow that was on the Jacob's/Rushup loop will have gone anywhere in the last few weeks. 2 weeks ago there was still 4-5 foot drifts in places, and it's snowed more since they'll still be snow at Easter I recon!
Was still fun but the Jacobs descent was quite spolit by snow (particulary the bottom bit between the walls). You'd be better off over Ladybower way where it's a bit lower or just be prepared to have to walk sections.
Went up hope cross, edale, ladybower loop on Saturday and it was all rideable, still some snow about but nothing too bad - although it did drop a load on Sunday so it could be covered now
was up there on tues and round hope cross way it was all ridable but rushups and chapel gate were just not happening...knee deep snow in places, was a nice walk though 😀
it rained a lot today so loads of the snow has gone
how's it looking today guys?
HIJACK: I'm going to be staying in Rotherham this weekend and am planning on getting out riding on Saturday. Anyone fancy showing me some of the Peaks, please?
Please, please, please? 😀
Wharncliffe Side, out north of sheffield 2degs, stayed up at 5degs and rained all night usually washes snow away faster than a sunny day
but trending to sleet low down here so could be snowing again up on top!
its friday so i'm sure someone will actually be out riding?
What's the verdict on these descents for Sunday do we think:
Whinstone Lee Tor
Rushup Edge
Chapel Gate
The Beast
Potatoe Alley
Hagg Farm
The Screaming Mile
Cheers??
We're hopefully doing Whinstone / Beast / Suicide tomorrow, I shall post up and let you know what they were like. Couple of weeks ago it was mostly fine, although Derwent Edge and the top of the Whinstone Lee Tor descent was very boggy.
Though since the Snake Road is closed ( http://www.bbc.co.uk/derby/travel/travel_roads_latest_feature.shtml) perhaps we're not. Poop.
Sorry for the triple post... Looks like Ladybower should be accesible from the Sheffield side certainly, so we should be on tomorrow - Sponging Machine, email in profile if you fancy a steady mince round.
Well i'll be these on sunday, think it will just be nice and wet!
Right - can you put some names to descents for me.
I know the beast and potato alley, hagg farm and the screaming mile.
Where is Suicide?? Any more for any more?
FYI, Snake Pass and Cat and Fiddle both closed today...
Marsden Area:
Absolutely peeing down last night and today, plus warmer temperatures. Spectacularly fast snow melt.
Mud and sodden ground are the issues now, not snow. Overnight temps tonight aren't forecast to be too low so there shouldn't be ice issues. Sunday is forecast colder and possibly snow during the day - there may be overnight icing from sat into sun.
Suicide Brake is Gore Heights, goes down to the Ladybower visitor centre from the top of Hagg Side. Really fast and gets rocky towards the bottom. Whinston is the one that comes out by the Ladybower Inn from Derwent Edge.
According to Ladybower VC the Snake Pass is open from from Sheffield to the Ladybower Inn but closed from the A6013 on, so parking up at the pub and having a giant chip butty sounds like a plan!
Suicide Brake is Gore Heights, goes down to the Ladybower visitor centre from the top of Hagg Side
and is cheeky? me thinks - not that the hordes will be out 8)
is it just me or is the so called screaming [i]mile[/i] only a fraction over 1/2mile or have got the location wrong?
its snowing over woodhead and its still soaking wet up there
Disregard my last post.... quite a bit of snow was up on the top on my way home, but it is wet and slushy, will melt easily.
Pretty difficult conditions around mam tor! More hiking than biking 😉
Good fun tho
flyingmonkeycorps, YGM.
Any updates from today?
Mud fest round ladybower!
top of cave dale - judge for your self!!
http://www.flickr.com/photos/cressbrook/sets/72157623394726611/
Super muddy and super fun. I like The Peaks a lot. Might have to start visiting my in-laws more often. 😀
ace fun but hard work today, Hollins Cross, Mam Tor etc... lots of snow coming down high up but nice and soft.
[pedant alert] Peak please, no 'peaks' round here [/pedant alert]
Mmm, nice riding today. Rushup and Roych was the plan, with Jacobs, but there was too much snow (checked on the drive over), so did a loop around Hope on the lower stuff.
Snowing pretty heavily when we finished around 2pm.
Nob off with your Peak rubbish. It sounds stupid and wrong.
Rivelin today was the muddiest and slipperiest I've ever seen it. Proper slither fest but still good fun.
Beast and Suicide were muddy and snowy in places, but great rideable fun. Derwent Edge / Whinstone Lee Tor was a bit TOO muddy and too much of a slog to be over fun.
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was a bit slippy!
Thats weird - a gate in the middle of a snow drift with nothing obvious to keep in or out 😉
a picture is worth a thousand words
[edit] good for getting out!
Picture to follow, but we tried the jacobs ladder route and basically carried our bikes all the way to chapel gate and decided to head back down that way. the descent was clear so we ran that and that was great. 6 miles in 2 and a half hours. dam snow. It wasn't a complete loss because we went to revolution 28 and watched chris hoy and jason kenny have the most epic battle ever
Well we went and it was clunge deep in snow on most of our route which was Jacob's Ladder->Roych Clough->Rushup Edge->Edale. A bit of fun, but also frustrating as most of the decent stuff was unrideable. Roych Clough is farm gate deep in places so I wouldn't bother riding that for a bit. Quite a bit of snow on Friday night as we were up Jacob's Ladder at 10ish on Saturday and had fresh un-footprint-ed snow at the top.
We had a big loop from Fairholmes including Rushup Edge, we decided not to bother across to Mam Tor as we could see it was too snowy. Good call really as everywhere was covered in very sticky mud, felt like I rode with my brakes dragging a lot the whole way round!
Whinstone Lee Tor was a waste of time really, the descent was harder than the climb for pedalling! Everywhere else was muddy and I'm still picking bits of grit out of my eyes!
Walked Kinder Scout from Edale yesterday - the snow on Jacobs is mostly hard packed and slidey, so it might be fun if you're braver than me!
Any recent info on the Hayfield end of things?
(specfically Chinley and Middle Moor)
Was out riding last night locally (near Macc) and there was quite a bit of snow still about - some was hardpacked and surprisingly rideable and fun but there was plenty of clumpy stuff about with a consistency of porridge mixed with concrete. That stuff was unpleasant.
Walked Kinder Scout from Edale yesterday - the snow on Jacobs is mostly hard packed and slidey, so it might be fun if you're braver than me!
Oh FFS. I was going to take the time off and ride round there tomorrow.
Do it Hora. And include Chinley and Middle Moor. Then report back.
There's a good boy.
Not current but this was quite slippery a few years ago - wet sheet ice at Edale Cross...
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If it's any help Ladybower isn't too bad if you avoid Whinstone Lee Tor and stick to the rocky bits. The snow on Jacobs is pretty thick too, I reckon it'll be there for a while.
[warning]flatwidetrack,waterbottle,billynomates[/warning]
Monday morning approaching slippery stones, "nice" 8)
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Anyone out last night? How was it?