Clogwyn Du'r Arddu (; ) is a north-facing

rhyolite Rhyolite ( ) is the most silica-rich of volcanic rocks. It is generally glassy or fine-grained (aphanitic) in texture (geology), texture, but may be porphyritic, containing larger mineral crystals (phenocrysts) in an otherwise fine-grained matri ...

set of cliffs located on the northern flank of

Snowdon Snowdon (), or (), is a mountain in Snowdonia in North Wales. It has an elevation of above sea level, which makes it both the highest mountain in Wales and the highest in the British Isles south of the Scottish Highlands. Snowdon i ...

mountain. Clogwyn Du'r Arddu is considered to be one of the best

traditional climbing Traditional climbing (or trad climbing) is a type of free climbing in rock climbing where the lead climber places removable protection while simultaneously ascending the route; when the lead climber has completed the route, the second climber ...

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 Llanberis () is a village, community (Wales), community and electoral ward in Gwynedd, northwest Wales, on the southern bank of the lake and at the foot of Snowdon, the highest mountain in Wales. It is a centre for outdoor activity, outdoor ac ...

. The cliff is broken into several large buttresses, most notably: ''East Buttress'', ''The Pinnacle'' (lies above the ''East Buttress''), ''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 William Bingley (January 1774 – 11 March 1823) was an English cleric, naturalist and writer. Life Bingley was born at Doncaster, and left an orphan at an early age. In 1795 he entered Peterhouse, Cambridge, and took the degree of B.A. in 1799, a ...

, 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 ( Fred Pigott with ''Pigott's Climb'', 4 pitches 83-metres at HVS 5a), and the ''West Buttress'' in 1928 ( Jack Longland, with ''Longland's Climb'', 5 pitches 126-metres at VS 4c). Since these early ascents, the cliff came to attract leading British rock climbers of every era including: Colin Kirkus (''Great Slab'' 1930, and ''Chimney Route'' 1931 with J. Edwards, ''Curving Crack'' 1932), Joe Brown (''The Boulder'' 1951, ''Llithrig'' 1952, ''The Corner'' 1952, ''Shrike'' 1952, ''November'' 1957), Don Whillans (''Vember'' 1951, with J. Brown), and John Menlove Edwards (''Chimney Route'' 1931 with C. Kirkus, and ''Bow Slab'' 1941). During the mid-1980s, it became the focus of the leading British rock climbers of the day, particularly Jerry Moffatt (who freed '' Master's Wall'' in 1983), John Redhead (who freed '' Margins of the Mind'' in 1984), who were striving to free up the main face of the Great Wall (or Master's 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:

Bibliography

*''North Wales Classics'' (Jack Geldard), 2010, Rockfax. . *''North Wales Climbs'' (Mark Reeves, Jack Geldard, Mark Glaister), 2013, Rockfax. . *''The Black Cliff: The history of rock climbing on Clogwyn du'r Arddu'' (Peter Crew, Jack Soper, Ken Wilson), 1971, Kaye & Ward .

References

External links

Clogwyn Du'r Arddu (Cloggy)
''UKClimbing'' Crag Guide (2022)

''PlanetMountain'' Crag Guide (2022) Betws Garmon Llanberis Cliffs of Gwynedd Cliffs of Snowdonia Rock formations of Gwynedd Rock formations of Snowdonia Climbing areas of Wales