The Grand old Duchess of Slough,
She had a shiny new mountain bike,
So we all rode up to the top of the hill,
And we all rode down again!

And when we were up, we were up,
And when we were down, we were knackered,
And when we were only half way up,
We were neither up nor down!

Like all good nonsense rhymes this "literary gem" contains gross factual inaccuracies, yet somehow still manages to contain the essential truth of our winter ascent, and descent, of Snowdon by mountain bike.

For instance, it is historical fact, that we did not "all" ride up to the top of the hill. There were four of us to start with, and only three made it to the top. It is even inaccurate to say we "rode" to the top.

The simplest of obstacles became unrideable, due to the unrelenting demands of the ascent. Quick touches with a foot over obstacles soon became short pushes over rocky steps, which soon became long sections of pushing. Then, as we passed the track to Cloggy, we had to carry up a loose and steep path. This was exhausting, and demoralising, but there was worse to come. The path for the final 300 vertical metres disappeared under a layer of snow, and the views of the Llanberis valley disappeared under a layer of cloud.

Denise descending Snowdon

Although perfectly comfortable with the idea of walking or climbing in the snow, it was with a real sense of trepidation that we continued up the simplest of the routes to Snowdon's summit. Crampons were unnecessary for the conditions, but an ice axe would certainly have given more comfort than two knobbly rubber tyres.

An inch or two of soft snow on a crusty base made riding impossible. Carrying was easier than pushing, but pushing felt more stable, and safer. Finally we made it on to the summit ridge, where a "gentle mountain breeze" had cleared the snow from the path. We put in a last, very satisfying, section of riding. With crisp firmpacked snow under our tyres, on the highest ridge in England and Wales, we certainly were putting the "mountain" into mountain bike.

After the obligatory carry to the icy summit cairn, we lowered our seats and turned for the longest descent of our lives. 1000 vertical metres from summit to lake, varying from free-falling to free-flowing. Once off the summit ridge, the snowy slopes required a technique more akin to off-piste skiing, than trail riding. It wasn't until we had passed the path to Llyn Du Ardu, that we could truly begin to enjoy the flow of the descent.

Weaving between lose rock and boulders, choosing a line down rock steps, controlling our speed down steeper sections, the greatest challenge we faced was clearing the slippery slate drainage "boards" set at a diagonal to the path. Getting a front wheel lift over these was essential, but true style required a two wheel bunnyhop, with a clean landing. The descent was never-ending, there was no chance to relax, no chance to analyse the last set of obstacles, before the next were behind us as well. We'd certainly worked hard for the excitement, but was this much adrenalin really healthy?

Nigel weaving his way down Snowdon

And then, all too soon, it was over. We were back on the tarmac, and back to the teashops and gear shops of Llanberis. And when we were down, we were knackered.

Thanks Densie, Si and Ady for a great day on the mountain.

Last Updated: 13 Oct 2005	© Slough Mountaineering Group	contact us