Jimmy and I have been getting organised with our planning for 2016. In addition to the trip to GI at the end of June, we have booked accommodation in Snowdonia in August. Despite one end of GW/NW being virtually “on the doorstep” (well, an hour’s drive), there’s still a significant chunk of the region for us yet to activate for SOTA, and included are some iconic mountains. One particularly annoying fellow here in Macclesfield teases us all the time about us being involved with SOTA for 14 years yet never having activated Tryfan, Carnedd Llewelyn, Glyder Fawr, Y Garn (either of them) etc. He has a point; we’ve even finished GW/SW first!
One of the days, we will attempt the four summit classic of GW/NW-006 - GW/NW-003 - GW/NW-004 - GW/NW-005. We would be hoping to qualify all four SOTAs with 2m HTs for speed, convenience and keeping the pack weight down. So we will be relying on local chasers to be listening out for us, and more distant chasers to be doing all the work for us!
As usual, if anyone wants to join us for joint activations / joint expeditions, they would be more than welcome.
Just had a very quick trawl through the SOTA Database, and could only find 6 records of this set of four summits (Tryfan - Glyder Fawr - Y Garn - Elidir Fawr) being activated in a single day before:
It will be one heck of a challenge - even if we will just use 2m HTs. (John YSS probably did 4 bands including topband and 80 on all of them…).
Would be nice to be listed in such illustrious SOTA company if we can achieve it though.
It will be a challenge the saddle between Glyder Fawr and Y Garn is huge and will take some time. As will the transition between Elidir Fawr and Y Garn. When I did the latter the walk back to car was very long traversing across the Ogwen Valley - its not safe in the dark either, there are a few gullies and streams to avoid. I would recommend your two car approach.
I might join you Tom. I wen’t with MW0WML to do Tryfan and we went up the north face. Gerald had back trouble ( I think?) and went down afterwards. I continued on to Glyder Fawr up sinister Gully with a full HF pack.
One of the best days out in SOTA for me - true adventure radio. Scrambling up there is amazing - its like your in another world. Then you get to play radio up top. Only few have experienced that.
2m FM was the best I could recall from Glyder Fawr as well.
Sprained my ankle actually… flippin painful for a few days. It was just below the summit of Tryfan, slipped on a greasy boulder. Couldn’t have been that bad - 7 days later I went round the Three Peaks of Yorkshire (40Km) in under 12 hours.
Easier with two cars by far. But it is doable. Return to summit of Foel Goch SH 628 611 (100m of extra climb) then take the ridge South and the East into Cwm Cywion before descending to Yr Hafod SH 643 603 on the “old road”. Short walk back to Ogwen cottage.
For speed I’d start from Ogwen Cottage and climb the south ridge of Tryfan from Bwlch Tryfan.
Will be avoiding the more exposed scrambles. Approaching Tryfan via Llyn Bochlwyd and Bwlch Tryfan, then the South Ridge. Traverse to Glyder Fawr via the Miners Track for a more graded approach. After Elidir Fawr, will get a taxi from Nant Peris back to Idwal Cottage if we don’t have another activator with us or a lift from a local (which we have been offered).
I recall that my much missed friend Shirley MW0YLS was toying with the idea of doing that. Wouldn’t float my boat with Crib Goch being on the agenda, and probably slightly beyond my physical capability - the expedition being planned is right at the edge of that I suspect!
I was thinking about a SOTA 3 peaks the other day, as well as the traditional 24 hour normal version we did a 48 hour flavour once, this was much more civilised.
I think the key thing about a group is being able to sleep and travel at the same time i.e. swapping drivers
BTW Dave just realised why M6RUG seemed a familiar call today seeing it on reflector.
As it took all my energy to get Worcester Beacon a couple of years ago, I I have great admiration for anyone who manages more than one summit in a day - let alone 5 or even one of the 3 peaks!.
I know people who have done the 3 peaks challenge and know how much planning and effort is required.
From what I understand, there is very little time from getting to the top of a peak before you have to come back down again so I doubt if was possible to spend time setting up and activating, taking everything down and off to the next. 48 hours, as you say, would be more civilized.
Yes nice to work you on NW-043 today Paul. I can normally be found on the other end of a QSO in GW/NW land
Proving to be quite difficult on HF this past few days though!
To encourage you, there has been successful activation’s by disabled operators in the past, some summits you can actually get very close to via car. The Great Orme GW/NW-070 is an example of such in my part of the world.
Chasers are never “just”. You are (and others) are just as important as to the program as the activators. It makes me smile when I hear a new voice on air, well done - keep it up !
To do the “SOTA 3000’s” in North Wales you don’t have to go over Crib Goch. There is another way from Nant Peris to Snowdon that goes up from by Ynys Etws to near Clogwyn Station. It’s steep but perfectly “walkable”. To be fair I usually do that in reverse, descending from Snowdon.
seeing it on reflector.
