Mike Pow 52 Posted October 23, 2012 Share Posted October 23, 2012 TUESDAY 23 OCTOBER 2012 The Met Office is calling for the freezing level to drop to 600 m in the Brecon Beacons National Park and 500 m in Snowdonia National Park this Friday with the possibility for the first snow of the winter falling on the highest peaks. BRECON BEACONS NATIONAL PARK Friday Perhaps cloudy with a little rain at first but once this clears southwards it should be a much brighter, clearer, colder day than of late with plenty of sunshine developing. One or two showers are possible and, with the freezing level around 600m, these would be wintry on the hills if they occur. Fresh easterly winds will make it feel cold. Saturday Another bright day with sunny spells and perhaps the odd wintry shower. Still cold, and feeling especially so in fresh to strong northeasterly winds. Freezing level falling to about 200m. http://www.metoffice...t_pressure.html SNOWDONIA NATIONAL PARK Friday A much brighter, clearer, colder day than of late with plenty of sunshine developing. One or two showers are possible and, with the freezing level around 600 m, these would be wintry on the hills if they occur. Fresh easterly winds will make it feel cold. Saturday Another bright day with sunny spells and perhaps the odd wintry shower. Still cold, and feeling especially so in fresh to strong northeasterly winds. Freezing level falling to about 200 m. http://www.metoffice...t_pressure.html Took a trip to Snowdonia in September and with snow there are some easily accessed lines straight from the summit and from the path running beside the train line. The previous three winters saw the first snow and turns on the peaks of the Brecon Beacons National Park in November (the 27th & 30th in 2009; the 8th and 27th in 2010) and December (5th and 16th in 2011). Fingers crossed that this winter the first snow falls this week with turns possible in late October / early November. TR: Wales 2009/10 - Between A Rock and a Hard Place http://www.snowjapan...__fromsearch__1 TR: Cymru 10/11 - Eto, os gwelwch yn dda! (Wales 10/11 - Again, if you please!) http://www.snowjapan...html#Post383386 SR : Wales 2011/12 http://www.snowjapan...-wales-2011-12/ Link to post Share on other sites
big-will 7 Posted October 24, 2012 Share Posted October 24, 2012 Nice one Mike, hope you can get out before getting over here to Japan. Link to post Share on other sites
hellyer 216 Posted October 24, 2012 Share Posted October 24, 2012 A beautiful place for a ramble until the snow comes Love the train - Is that the high speed Welsh Flyer? Link to post Share on other sites
Mike Pow 52 Posted October 24, 2012 Author Share Posted October 24, 2012 Nice one Mike, hope you can get out before getting over here to Japan. Thanks. Going to be a short one for me in Wales. I head to Hokkaido on 14 November, so this chance of early snow is great. Back in Wales mid-April so late season turns aren't out of the question Link to post Share on other sites
Mike Pow 52 Posted October 24, 2012 Author Share Posted October 24, 2012 A beautiful place for a ramble until the snow comes Love the train - Is that the high speed Welsh Flyer? Runs to time better than Arriva Trains that's for sure. Link to post Share on other sites
muikabochi 208 Posted October 25, 2012 Share Posted October 25, 2012 Love the train! choo-choo Link to post Share on other sites
ruggachugga 0 Posted October 28, 2012 Share Posted October 28, 2012 I love the look of the landscapes in Wales, looks very beautiful. Similar to Scotland would you say? Link to post Share on other sites
Mike Pow 52 Posted October 28, 2012 Author Share Posted October 28, 2012 Quite similar, just not as big. Link to post Share on other sites
xxx 2 Posted October 28, 2012 Share Posted October 28, 2012 Get your snow Mike? Link to post Share on other sites
Mike Pow 52 Posted October 28, 2012 Author Share Posted October 28, 2012 SUNDAY 28 OCTOBER 2012 Nixed this weekend. The below freezing temperatures and frost showed up but the precipitation was late to the party. Glorious sunshine and high pressure on Friday and Saturday but no snow. Wetter today but the thermometer has climbed to around 8 C Another cold front sweeping through towards the end of next week. Here's hoping. Link to post Share on other sites
yoroshiku onegai shimasu 2 Posted October 29, 2012 Share Posted October 29, 2012 Too bad. Fingers crossed for next weekend. Link to post Share on other sites
Mike Pow 52 Posted November 1, 2012 Author Share Posted November 1, 2012 THURSDAY 01 NOVEMBER 2012 Yr eira gyntaf - the first snow - fell on Cadair Idris in North Wales today. https://pbs.twimg.co...AO_wW.jpg:large The highest peaks of the Brecon Beacons were cloaked in cloud for most of the day and hard to tell from the live web cam images if any has fallen, but it looks a little white up top. Brecon Beacons National Park Webcam http://www.breconbea...ges/livewebcams Snow showers forecast overnight and heading up early tomorrow morning to have a look. Link to post Share on other sites
Mike Pow 52 Posted November 3, 2012 Author Share Posted November 3, 2012 FRIDAY 02 NOVEMBER 2012 Well the first snow of the winter - yr eira gyntaf (in Welsh) - did indeed fall on the highest peaks in the Brecon Beacons National Park yesterday. Derek Cummings pic https://twitter.com/derrylynne/status/264030813484617728/photo/1/large Headed over this morning to see if there was enough to make the first turns of the winter. Unfortunately not. Overnight rain had eaten into what had fallen and the snowline had crept back up to aound 700 m. So spent the morning driving around the park seeing where the snow had fallen. Cefn Crew Cribyn and the NE Face of Pen-y-Fan Corn Du and Pen-y-Fan from Upper Neuadd Reservoir I went back over in the afternoon for a walk to the top of Pen-y-Fan and some late afternoon pictures. Glad I did. Upper Neuadd Reservoir from Pen-y-Fan NE Face of Pen-y-Fan (going to need just a little more snow) The Pen-y-Fan slope down to Llyn Cwm Llwch with Corn Du in the background The Pen-y-Fan slope down to Llyn Cwm Llwch Corn Du from Pen-y-Fan There's snow forecast tonight and tommorow. Who knows? Link to post Share on other sites
muikabochi 208 Posted November 3, 2012 Share Posted November 3, 2012 Beautiful! Link to post Share on other sites
Slippery Jim 65 Posted November 3, 2012 Share Posted November 3, 2012 What, Mike? No rock skis? Link to post Share on other sites
Mike Pow 52 Posted November 5, 2012 Author Share Posted November 5, 2012 Not yet Link to post Share on other sites
Mike Pow 52 Posted November 5, 2012 Author Share Posted November 5, 2012 SATURDAY 03 NOVEMBER 2012 Cold, dry, and sunny in Aberdare mid-morning when I received a text from my friend Martha Makin. She was on her way to Brecon and took a quick snap on her phone from the back of the car as she sped by Cefn Crew in sunshine and the new snow that had fallen in the past 24 hrs I hadn't expected that much snow to have fallen overnight, so I wolfed down the remainder of my breakfast and I was off. OPENING DAY IN THE CENTRAL BEACONS MASSIF 2012/13 Very busy in the toilets car park, with crowds of people coming back off the mountain and many more just starting up. The snowline was halfway down Cefn Crew with between 5-10 cm of new snow falling since sunset the previous day. From whence I came - the view down to the car park and the flank of Fan Fawr Looking up the path to the snowladen slope below Corn Du Cefn Crew panorama By the time I got to the saddle between Corn Du and Pen-y-Fan the sunshine had disappeared and a storm was imminent. Cwm Llwch (Powder Valley) panorama with the slopes of Corn Du on the left and Pen-y-Fan on the right Corn Du panorama - what a difference a day makes Friday 02 November 2012 Saturday 03 November 2012 The 'snowpack' that had stuck around in Cwm Sere (the valley between Pen-y-Fan and Cribyn) had doubled from the new snowfall and significant wind transportation. With consolidation this evening and additional snowfall overnight it could be good to go. The NE Face of Pen-y-Fan and Cribyn from the summit of Pen-y-Fan Link to post Share on other sites
Mike Pow 52 Posted November 5, 2012 Author Share Posted November 5, 2012 I walked down the notch off Pen-y-Fan onto the slopes of Cwm Llwch and clicked in for the first turns of the season. Snow this early in the Beacons is not unprecedented and my Aunty Val, a retired schoolteacher in the area, often recites the tales of taking her class for a walk on the last day of school before the October half-term holidays and seeing snow on the peaks of Fan Fawr and Pen-y-Fan. But this was the earliest I've made turns in the Brecon Beacons National Park, by almost a month. Cwm Llwch panorama First turns of the 2012/13 season The snow / tufted grass hybrid was suprisingly accommodating and slick The hike back up to the summit plateau of Pen-y-Fan was brutal with driving snow and high winds. Homeward bound but not before a run below Corn Du (the slope on the left of this pic) and to finish off a great afternoon I hiked up to the cefn Crew ridgeline and dropped in for my third run (the slope on the right). Corn Du about to get engulfed by the latest storm rolling through Great to be making turns again. It was about a 20 minute walk out from where the snow finished and by the time I got back to the car park I was famished. Thankfully the Pit Stops mobile food wagon was still firing on all cylinders. A steak roll with fried mushrooms and onions and a cup of coffee went down without touching the sides. And all for under 5 quid. Highly recommended. Pit Stops mobile food wagon As I left the car park the sleet was turning to snow. Link to post Share on other sites
Metabo Oyaji 71 Posted November 5, 2012 Share Posted November 5, 2012 Well done! "Cwm Llwch (Powder Valley)" -- great name. Link to post Share on other sites
hellyer 216 Posted November 5, 2012 Share Posted November 5, 2012 Great pics Mike. I am intreaged - Just how do you phoneticaly pronounce "Cwm Llwch'...................apart from Powder valley Link to post Share on other sites
Tubby Beaver 209 Posted November 5, 2012 Share Posted November 5, 2012 Squeeze in as many marshmallows as you could into ur mouth, take a drink of water and try and talk.....you'll be pretty close Link to post Share on other sites
Slippery Jim 65 Posted November 5, 2012 Share Posted November 5, 2012 Great stuff, Mike, congrats on the season's first. Link to post Share on other sites
hellyer 216 Posted November 5, 2012 Share Posted November 5, 2012 TB Link to post Share on other sites
Mike Pow 52 Posted November 5, 2012 Author Share Posted November 5, 2012 Squeeze in as many marshmallows as you could into ur mouth, take a drink of water and try and talk.....you'll be pretty close Brilliant Link to post Share on other sites
Mike Pow 52 Posted November 5, 2012 Author Share Posted November 5, 2012 Great pics Mike. I am intreaged - Just how do you phoneticaly pronounce "Cwm Llwch'...................apart from Powder valley Thanks. Tough, no real matching sounds in English. Closest would be 'some' said in a Birmingham accent, and 'look' with a mouthful of saliva Link to post Share on other sites
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