Crib Goch

A fantastic scramble to the summit of Snowdon.

Crib Goch - Grade 1 - Overview

The Crib Goch ridge on the flank of Snowdon is one of the best scrambles in the country and it offers a unique experience: an adrenaline fuelled route to the summit of Snowdon, the highest mountain in Wales. The scramble along the knife edge ridge is very exposed, with dramatic drops on both sides of the ridge.It certainly requires a steady head.

Starting the ridge is probably the hardest psychological section, but once committed, the 3 Pinnacles block the escape and give the hardest climbing on the scramble. Once over this a final hard section of scrambling on Crib y Ddysgl leads to the main Snowdon summit path.

Crib Goch means 'Red Ridge' in Welsh. It is in the Snowdon Massif and forms part of the Snowdon Horseshoe. Crib Goch, is a very exposed scramble that starts as a broad rib then higher up turns into a classic knife edge ridge with steep sides and a very narrow top. It is possible to carry on scrambling to Lliwedd after you have reached the Snowdon Summit to complete the Snowdon Horseshoe.

Crib Goch is a grade 1 scramble in good conditions, but in adverse conditions it becomes a lot more difficult and high winds especially can make the ridge seem very precarious. If you are used to mountain scrambling -and have a good head for heights- then it is a relatively straight forward but strenuous scramble. If you don't have the experience or confidence required, it is worth considering hiring a guide who knows the various route finding options and the escape routes. Hiring a guide means he or she can protect you along the most exposed and hardest parts with the assistance of a rope.

After the ridge, you have to tackle the Pinnacles - the first two of these can be avoided on the left, but the third is best climbed fairly directly to reach the exposed summit notch. The exposure and views on this section are amazing.

After descending from the third pinnacle to the pass of Bwlch Goch we continue up to the ridge of Crib y Ddysgl (Rake of the Dish) and the next knife edge section. We follow the crest of this ridge fairly directly with some great scrambling before easier ground leads to the triangulation point on the summit of Crib y Ddysgl, The summit is called Garnedd Ugain and is the 2nd highest mountain in Snowdonia. The summit of Snowdon now lies just a kilometre to the south.

We carry on heading south east off Garnedd Ugain and soon hit the main Llanberis path. This leads more easily, but still uphill, past a finger stone (marking the Pyg and Miners routes to the left) before finally reaching the summit of Snowdon at 1085m.

Rates per person

The course price depends on the ratio of clients to instructor.

Half Day

Ratio 1:1

£150 per 1/2 day

Ratio 2:1

£95 per 1/2 day

Ratio 3:1

£75 per 1/2 day

Ratio >6:1

£60 per 1/2 day

Full Day

Ratio 1:1

£220 per day

Ratio 2:1

£120 per day

Ratio 3:1

£95 per day

Ratio >6:1

£75 per day

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Booking

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