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Hi all,

Me and a friend are looking to head back to Snowdonia in December to go hiking and climbing in a bit of snow! We've never done anything in winter and the most difficult thing I've done so far is the Rhyd Ddu path up Snowden in heavy rain and fog so we've never really climbed and never hiked in snow!

We were planning to go back and climb Cader Idris via the steeper path from Llyn Cau (the route name escapes me right now) and then go around the Nantlle Ridge the next day as we've been told there's a relatively easy bit of scrambling in it that we could start our snow climbing career on!

A quick search bombarded me with gear that we would need and I couldn't really makes sense of any definitive list as there was so much choice!

For those two climbs, can anyone recommend: boots, crampons, ice axe and any other necessities? I would like to get boots and crampons that would hold up in harder climbs as I plan to progress over this winter and don't wanna have to buy another pair after (cause I'm poor haha!)

So yeah, advice on gear is welcome as is general advice as I have no clue what I'm doing really!

Thanks,

Jordan!

You might try posting this in the Europe forum. My gear recommendations would vary depending on the nature of the route. I don't know the area so I can't tell what a "relatively easy bit of scrambling" would look like or whether that route makes any sense for someone who has no clue what he's doing.

The nature of most gear is that it does a particular job. Take umbrellas for instance. Some may be better than others in particular situations (width vs weight vs durability), but most will do fine in most situations. It's the same with boots, crampons, etc. If the boots are somewhat stiff (to help the crampons stay on), and the crampons fit the boots, the rest hardly matters unless you're intending an extremely technical climb. It's best to get boots that are relatively light, but it's most important to get boots that fit comfortably. I'd guess that your boots don't need much or any insulation for Snowdonia, but I'll leave that to the locals.

Now axes - that really depends on the route. If you have no clue what you're doing, get a lightweight, inexpensive, long-handled general-purpose mountaineering axe, and if that doesn't seem adequate, turn around and pick an easier route.