Ski Touring Pen Y Fan

Heading home for Christmas this year was a bit of an epic! First a visit to South Wales and then a trip to the Alps for some new year skiing. However the snow made travelling North to South in this country a little more interesting than normal! First stop was Brecon to visit the first lot of family! It was also a very strategic stop as we were planning on skinning up Pen Y Fan and skiing off the next day! Wales had seen unprecedented levels of snow!

We parked just below Storey Arms but first had to clear a parking space! We were to meet up with other friends and family on the lower slopes later in the day as Jim had taken up snowboarding!















The weather was not being too kind to us although the forecast was not going to cause any issues! It was soon time to kit up after a quick brew and start the slog to the top. We decided to take the tourist path up and pick a line back down! There was ample snow to ski on but with new skins we were going to be careful!

In the cloud at the bottom

Locating the river crossing

K negotiating the steep ground

H Striding on

The skin up was pleasant enough with the view ever changing because of the cloud. Although steep the skis were coping well with the terrain. We reached Bwlch Duwynt with ease and were becoming ever wowed by the stunning scenery of the Beacons in the snow even on a grey day!

Having had the attitude that we would see what it was like in the car we were even more excited that we were going to make it to the summit! There were a few wind blown rocks on the summit path but with careful negotiation we were soon standing on the top!

Summit Team Pic

It was time to crack open the hot chocolate and plot our way back down. The path was our first choice as it was holding powder within its rails! In most places you could widen it as the snow was deep enough. Again with new skis we would be careful! Helmets on and skins off it was time to descend!

Skiing off Pen Y Fan with a temperature inversion in front

Fan Fawr making an appearance

Down from Bwlch Duwynt

The weather started to clear from the top to reveal a very cool temperature inversion. The experience was awesome and very surreal! We were soon negotiating our way just above the cloud when we could hear the voices of the group we were meeting. Unfortunately it was back into the cloud!

Loving the Welsh Skiing

Great weather! 

Savouring the Moment

We soon met up with Jim, Em, Katie and Griff on the lower slopes and did a few runs on what had been turned into a piste by sledgers and skiers alike.

Griff

Jim

H

The whole experience was fantastic and before we had reached the camper for another well deserved brew we had already plotted to skin and ski Fan Fawr on Christmas Eve.