Winter Climbs in the Lake District - A Winter Climber's Guideboo

Every known winter climb from every part of the Lake District is described in a fresh new format – nearly 1000 routes in all. From classic high-mountain gullies to frozen watercourses and icefalls. A joint production by the Fell and Rock Climbing Club and Cicerone Press.

The Lake District National Park is situated entirely within the county of Cumbria in the north-west of England, not far from the Scottish border. It is a land of dramatic contrasts, with rugged peaks, or fells as they are known locally, rising high over lush green valleys and the deep dark waters that give the area its name. Indeed it contains both the highest mountains and the most extensive lakes in England. However, unlike national parks in many other parts of the world, the Lake District is a populated area, full of working hill farms, villages and market towns. It bears both the ancient scars of mining and quarrying and the modern ones of tourism, and yet is still reckoned to be one of the most tranquil and beautiful areas in the British Isles.

It is unsurprising, therefore, that the Lake District is popular not only with climbers, but also with hill walkers, fell runners, mountain bikers, canoeists and a host of other mountain and countryside users. Furthermore, it has an interesting history (as evidenced by such ancient monuments as the splendidly named Mediobogdum – the Roman fort on Hardknott Pass – and the more recent Borrowdale wad mines), and is also especially renowned as a source of inspiration to many poets and artists, including Wordsworth, Coleridge, Ruskin, Beatrix Potter and three generations of the Heaton Cooper family.

The unceasing efforts of a great number of people over many years have contributed towards keeping the Lake District as a place of great beauty to be enjoyed not only by outdoor enthusiasts, but also by the myriad of other visitors and also the locals, though it has to be said that the interests of these diverse groups do not always coincide. Not least among these efforts were the long and hard campaigns for the area’s special status fought by those with the foresight to realise the dangers of unchecked development. Now there are several bodies, statutory and otherwise, like the National Park Authority, the National Trust and the Friends of the Lake District, and their army of wardens, rangers and others, both paid and voluntary, who fight a daily battle to maintain the fragile fabric of this much loved landscape.

The valleys of the Central Lake District are arranged like the spokes of a wheel with the hub in the area of Great End, the northernmost outlier of the Scafell massif. The major valleys of this central area are, in a clockwise direction, Langdale, the Duddon Valley, Eskdale, Wasdale, Ennerdale, Buttermere, Borrowdale and Thirlmere. East of Thirlmere lies the Helvellyn massif and the parallel valley of Patterdale with its subsidiary valleys of Grizedale, Deepdale and Dovedale. Eastwards again, the Far Eastern Fells have many small and relatively unfrequented valleys. In winter cold air currents from Siberia can bring conditions that in a matter of days can transform this pastoral yet mountainous scene into an arctic wilderness: sadly for winter climbers, it can be transformed back again just as quickly.

This guidebook contains every known winter climb worth recording in the English Lake District. The climbing areas in this guide are generally based on the valleys (as listed above), from where there is access to the various cliffs described. A brief description of the approach to a climbing area is given at the beginning of the valley chapter, with any specific crag approaches being included at the beginning of that crag section. Where not obvious, the descent from each crag is also given. The crag grid reference, altitude and aspect, and, where relevant, an indication of the weather conditions likely to bring the crag into climbing condition, have also been included. For completeness, a few other routes within Cumbria, but outside the Lake District, are also covered.

Conditions

The winter climbing season can lie anywhere between October and April, but good conditions are generally unlikely before the New Year, as until then there are unlikely to have been enough cold days to freeze the ground thoroughly and any snow which falls will have soon melted. While the presence of snow is a must for winter climbing, its presence alone is not enough, as a dump of snow on unfrozen ground merely insulates the soil below and slows down the freezing process. Several days of cold temperatures prior to snowfall are the best indicator that conditions may be suitable on the fells. If you have a particular cliff in mind, then keep an eye on the wind direction and see if it is blowing onto the cliff and thus aiding the freezing process. And while the hills may often be covered with a coating of snow, it takes a few days for fresh snow to consolidate through a freeze–thaw cycle and become better for climbing; and it takes a prolonged period of snowy wintery weather to fill gullies with the snow necessary to build up really good conditions.

However, water ice and turf can freeze and give good climbing after only few days of hard frosts or a longer period of sub-zero temperatures – the important thing here is that it should have regularly been freezing at night. In fact, often some limited thawing during the day is desirable, as long as it freezes again the next night, as this builds the ice thickness up more quickly. With the milder winters of the changing climatic conditions encountered over the last few decades, buttress and mixed routes which come into condition more readily than snow gullies generally provide more reliable climbing.

As well as the regular television and radio weather forecasts, there are a host of other forecasts available by phone and on the internet. A useful forecast for the Lake District National Park, which gives information about snow conditions on the fells, is available on the internet at http://www.lake-district.gov.uk/weatherline/home/index.php, or by telephone 017687-75757.

While arguments will continue to rage over the true definition of a winter climb, in this guide a climb is considered to be ‘in condition’ if its ascent is largely easier with axes and crampons than without. So when you’re climbing, think about the conditions and be honest with yourself (and others). Would progress be easier without your tools? If it would be, then you are doing a cold ascent of a rock route and not a true winter ascent. As far as can be ascertained, all of the climbs described have been done in true winter condition in a single outing. Speculative or incomplete ascents have been omitted, or mentioned as awaiting a true complete ascent. Whilst in Cicerone’s previous winter climbing guide only a few of the then new mixed routes had been repeated, now many more have had repeat ascents and new, even harder, climbs have been created. Where possible, descriptions and grades are from a consensus of opinion.

While climatic conditions have not been kind to the winter climber in the decade since the last winter guide, there has been a rise in the standard of climbing, and many new routes – and indeed several new cliffs – are included in this guide. While some claim that winter climbing in the Lakes is dead, and indeed others would say it was never alive, neither statement is correct, and true winter climbing conditions can be found most years, though often they may last only for a few days. All this means that, more than ever, being in the right place at the right time with the right attitude is crucial for success.

Growing environmental awareness and concern over conservation of rare species, both flora and fauna, mean that several ecologically sensitive areas are protected by law, and therefore climbing in these locations is vulnerable to regulation if these areas are abused. It is up to the individual to safeguard access to these sensitive areas by climbing only when they are fully frozen and in true winter condition. Repeated hacking of unfrozen turf can cause serious damage (both to climbs and to flora) and should be considered completely unacceptable. This is particuarly true on the crags of the Helvellyn escarpment which are home to especially rare alpine plants, but can applied to the entire district – please read the chapter on ‘Winter Climbing and Nature Conservation’. However a neatly placed pick in well-frozen turf causes little damage.

Choice of Venue

As would be expected, the higher the cliff the greater your chance of finding it in condition. Most of the best crags face north or east and so receive limited sunshine, which allows snow to build up. The aspect and altitude at the base of each crag is noted at the start of each crag section to aid you in choosing a venue.

Facing north-east, and being far from the coast, Great End is one of the most reliable crags for collecting snow and tends to retain it for longer than most other areas in the Lakes. The Helvellyn coves, while slightly less reliable, can be better if the wind has recently been from the east. Both come with easy access, and the price tag for that can be crowds. In fact in winter a prevailing easterly wind is likely to bring cold air and will help freeze turf and form water ice, but it often does not offer much chance of snowfall, so areas such as Blea Tarn, which readily form water ice, can be a good choice if it has been cold and dry. Such conditions used to occur regularly whenever a large high pressure system formed over the North Sea, a common occurrence around February time during the 1980s, and something that has re-established itself in late February during the last couple of winters. Blea Tarn is generally somewhat quieter in terms of numbers: however it is also more limited in choice of routes. In general, if the wind has been from the east then it is often better to choose a cliff on the east side of the district with an easterly aspect to it.

If the winds are from the west or south-west they are more likely to bring snow, and so, providing there has been some cold weather prior to the snowfall to freeze turf and form ice, anywhere can be good. Scafell is high enough that it can often rime up on a more westerly wind even if snow has not fallen, and Gable Crag is another reliable venue in these sort of conditions. However, areas close to the sea are greatly affected by milder coastal winds, and are seldom worth considering except in exceptional circumstances.

There are many icefalls and gills that freeze given a sufficient period of cold conditions. Some high falls like Newland’s Hause and Low Water Beck come into nick reasonably quickly, but even these take about a week of sub-zero night-time temperatures to form. Strangely enough, for the more seepy sort of climbs periods of intense cold aren’t necessarily ideal as the water may freeze in the ground: better to have a slight thaw during the day and a refreeze at night allowing a build-up and thickening of the ice.

So keep an eye on what the weather has been doing for a week or so before you venture out, and that should help you choose somewhere in condition and allow you to make the most of those short winter days.