Clogwyn Du'r Arddu
Clogwyn Du'r Arddu is a north-facing rhyolite set of cliffs located on the northern flank of Snowdon mountain. Clogwyn Du'r Arddu is considered to be one of the best traditional climbing areas in Britain, and has been called "The shrine of British climbing", and a "crucible for the development of most of the finest climbers in Britain and the scene of many of their finest achievements".
Structure
Clogwyn Du'r Arddu is a north-facing mountain crag that requires a long walk-in from Llanberis. The cliff is broken into several large buttresses, most notably: East Buttress, The Pinnacle, West Buttress, and Far West Buttress. The cliff's circa in height and mountain elevation, combined with the steepness and quality of rock, gives it the feel of a face on an alpine mountain.Climbing history
The first recorded climb was the 1798 ascent of the Eastern Terrace by Peter Bailey Williams and William Bingley, both botanists looking for alpine plants. However, it was not until the 1920s, that British rock climbers began to scale the main buttresses, starting with the East Buttress in 1927, and the West Buttress in 1928.Since these early ascents, the cliff came to attract leading British rock climbers of every era including: Colin Kirkus, Joe Brown, Don Whillans, and John Menlove Edwards.
During the mid-1980s, it became the focus of the leading British rock climbers of the day, particularly Jerry Moffatt, John Redhead, who were striving to free up the main face of the Great Wall, in the middle of the East Buttress. In 1986, Johnny Dawes eventually freed the route and called it Indian Face, which at a grade of E9 6c, was considered one of the most dangerous and difficult traditional rock climbs in the world.
While the cliff contains routes of all difficulties, few other crags in Britain contain such a concentration of routes above the extreme E7-grade.
Filmography
- Documentary: