Cneifion Arete, Snowdonia. An ace day at work on this brilliant Grade 3 scramble in the Idwal Valley

An ace day at work where these guys were so self sufficient I could get a quick bit of filming done near the end of the day!
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[@JBMountainSkills]

Want to buy me a coffee or the boy a dog treat?! www.buymeacoffee.com/jbmountain Or buy a Sling Mountain T Shirt?! teespring.com/en-GB/stores/jbmountainskills

[@sprecklesville]

More classic Snowdonia scrambling routes - great.

[@johnmarston9577]

Great video. We did the route ( again ) recently, using Sub Ceneifion Rib ( HVD ) as a starter, which leads to a high level traverse after the final pitch into Cwm Cneifion and directly to the start of the Arete. A superb day out

[@JBMountainSkills]

Glad you liked it! Sub Cneifion is a great start to getting into Cwm Cneifion :)

[@bobwilson4414]

Loved the feel of this vid. The smooth jazz really represents the feel off the ridge well. (Unless it's blowing a hoolie of course)! Thank you.

[@JBMountainSkills]

Glad you enjoyed it!

[@adbenturelife536]

Hi. I think this is what my dad suggested we do next. We have just done the Jakes Rake. It looks great.

[@phils6582]

I'm adding this to my summer to-do list :)

[@DeeKayBrewery]

Great footage!

[@JBMountainSkills]

Cheers!

[@marktombling8433]

Can’t wait for little bit better conditions to get up thier absolute classic . Did north buttress variant on Tryfan in the showers luuvley 😂. Perfect conditions great vid. Beautiful views

[@StevenSugref]

Beautiful scenery! That last piece of drone footage was stunning.

[@JBMountainSkills]

Glad you enjoyed it!

[@jeremyballard7461]

Great route with so many options. Cheers Jez

[@JBMountainSkills]

Brilliant isn't it!

[@mikecallaghan7943]

Great looking area looking forward even more now to October. 👍👍

[@JBMountainSkills]

Looking forward to it too :)

[@philipchristopherson6910]

Love the cneifion arete,beautiful drone footage gives true perspective ,envy your job man

[@JBMountainSkills]

Cheers! I do love my job :)

[@MrAlgy3289]

Did Idwal scramble into that a few weeks ago with very sunny weather. Absoloutely amazing scramble :)

[@JBMountainSkills]

Glad you enjoyed it!

[@Morganthomas112]

Class route! Manage to complete it today ! 👍

[@JBMountainSkills]

Nice one, ace isn't it?!

[@dannylonglegz3563]

Great video I recently vlogged about Conwy and the rain was horrendous 👊🏿

[@JBMountainSkills]

Glad you liked it! It does rain a lot here 😂😂😂

[@weshtrowy7230]

Fab video, hoping to start climbing this year (at 48 😂) after lockdown. Used to walking and minor scrambling in Snowdonia so thought why not

[@JBMountainSkills]

Glad you liked it!

[@weshtrowy7230]

@@JBMountainSkills wiuld be very interested in booking a 2 day scrambling course with you when we are able to get out

[@ZAPHODWAT]

I started climbing at age 49, 12 years ago, really glad I did! Go for it.

[@liam7342]

This was my first ever multipitch, that ended up being through a cloud in the dark. It was very fun.

[@JBMountainSkills]

Quality!

[@onsight2822]

Hey great video as always 👍 Could i ask , , , is there a knack to finding the gribin decent ridge after the knifeon arete ??? I always seem too miss it and end up by devils kitchen 🤷‍♂️😆

[@onsight2822]

,,,,,, that is ,,,, i always miss gribin ridge way down after an accent on tryfan or bristly ridge ect 🤦‍♂️

[@waynerenshaw-multi-outdoor4521]

Been looking for some scrambling routes, been a few years since I did any rock climbing and idwal Slabs was one of my favourites especially for teaching newbies 🙂🤟 just subscribed so I'll be checking some out in the next couple of weeks, what would this be graded as in winter with snow and ice like Crib Goch please... many thanks 😊👌

[@JBMountainSkills]

Good question, not sure actually, never done it in proper snow, depends what line you'd take I guess but it could be a II/III

[@razakiani8846]

@JB Mountain Skills I am going to attempt this scramble this year. Interested to know what shoes you used or recommend for this and similar scrambles. Thank you

[@tomtom4405]

What's with a wired nut and quickdraw in the awkward chimney. Surely you must have the odd large hex on cord lurking in your equipment cupboard for these types of routes. Watching made me want to find my moac on tape and drag one of my kids up there (I know it fits perfectly in that exact spot shown in your video).Cneifion arete is my favourite bit of Wales, especially in dramatic weather

[@JBMountainSkills]

They were using their own kit. These guys were trying to be as independent as possible (and did a first class job), so using their stuff made much more sense. Personal preference I guess 😊

[@brucerobertson6991]

Hi Jez. Hope you’re well. Still loving these videos and it’s nice to see you out and about again. I have a query and was wondering if you could assist? Is there a more efficient way of pitching when guiding 2 people on a scramble? I have found it can be awkward when bringing two people up together on the same rope, because when the 2nd reaches the belay stance, the 3rd can be 2 or so meters behind (the rope between the 2nd and 3rd). Once the 2nd has reached the belay, how would you usually manage the 3rd? Would you be happy just letting the 3rd climb up to the belay alongside the 2nd (likely creating slack between them as a result)? Or do you have a better system that you could suggest? With one 2nd it’s much simpler but can’t work out an efficient system for managing a 3rd. Hope my question makes sense :) Many thanks

[@JBMountainSkills]

Good question... In an ideal world, a belay well back from the edge can solve the issue. Sometimes, if terrain is suitable, I'll short rope the 3rd person. Another options is to belay the 3rd person via an Italian hitch off the 2nd's isolation loop. Hope that helps!

[@brucerobertson6991]

JB Mountain Skills - thanks very much for your reply. The idea of the Italian off the isolation loop of the second is really nice. Very much appreciated. Keep up the great work mate.

[@mattbaker1683]

Great video, thanks. For days like these what rope would you carry? 8mm or a bulkier 9.5 or so? I'm reluctant to carry a full 60m x 10mm for these kind of days out but I'd like to get something that's good for body belay and HMS/belay plate use, there seems to be very few options apart from a cheap 10mm wall rope or a skinny 8mm walking rope.

[@JBMountainSkills]

My ideal rope would be a 9.1 single, for this route a 30m is ideal. Something like a Beal Joker.

[@tomtom4405]

@@JBMountainSkills is a 30m a bit short on the very first pitch of this route?

[@JBMountainSkills]

@@tomtom4405 nope, bang on 👊 Actually it gives you a few metres spare.

[@tomtom4405]

@@JBMountainSkills Thanks again. If you get bright weather during this lockdown and wanted to make any solo scrambling videos, how about person/parsons nose or chasm face route? If you could clearly explain parking points, the approach and exit etc then that'd be something the million other scrambling videos don't do. Not as any substitute for Steve Ashton or Garry Smith books, but to compliment them.

[@JBMountainSkills]

@@tomtom4405 good idea that, I’ll give it some thought 😊

[@Keepmovingson]

I understand the desire to use a rope on a route like this however I personally don’t think it seems to warrant it. Did you really feel at a high risk of falling?

[@JBMountainSkills]

I’ve soloed it numerous times. These guys were on a course learning mountaineering skills. The consequence of a slip on this route is massive. A good friend of mine who was super experienced sadly passed away falling off this route un roped. Soloing or using a rope is dependent on many things, to some this route will “warrant” a rope, to others it won’t, and that may change even for the same person depending on conditions, risk appetite etc.

[@enigma1000]

A mountain instructor / guide called Tom Furey fell off it in June 2022 after he’d passed a couple of climbers on the way up and they discovered him at the bottom later in the day. Very sad. These ‘scrambles’ are clearly dangerous even for experienced climbers where a single slip or mistake can be fatal. Be careful out there.

[@Keepmovingson]

@@JBMountainSkills definitely a personal decision. However my point was more so what would make you personally decide to use rope on this route vs not. You’ve free solo’d it so you have an appetite for it yeah

[@krisjj100]

anyone know what brand the big nuts he uses are? they look oversized?

[@JBMountainSkills]

Kris Jasper the 12,13,14 version of these :) www.alpinetrek.co.uk/wild-country-rocks-on-wire-nut-bf-1/#Q0C16294

[@krisjj100]

@@JBMountainSkills Super, thanks!

[@johntokley1324]

DMM need to fill this gap too

[@GrantRS4]

@@JBMountainSkills I bought the 11-14 set recently. Really like them and more useful than similar sized Hexs in my opinion! 👍🏼

[@JBMountainSkills]

@@GrantRS4 are they still super noisy like hexes?!

[@lawcallum1]

Anyone else think he was one strapping his rucksack?

[@JBMountainSkills]

Must be a funny angle or something, he definitely wasn't!