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Indian Face

Cliffs of SnowdoniaClimbing routes
Clogwyn Du'r Arddu 2
Clogwyn Du'r Arddu 2

Indian Face is a 45-metre (148 ft) rhyolite rock climbing route on the "Great Wall" of the East Buttress of Clogwyn Du'r Arddu, in Wales. When English climber Johnny Dawes completed the first free ascent of the route on 4 October 1986, it was graded E9 6c (5.13a X), the first-ever E9-graded route, and was considered one of the hardest traditional climbing routes in the world.Indian Face is still considered one of the world's most intimidating traditional climbs, and even decades after its first ascent, it is rarely repeated. The ascent was an historic moment in the transition from traditional climbing as the dominant form of extreme rock climbing (in Britain, and elsewhere), to the safer form of sport climbing, which became the main focus for the leading climbers.

Excerpt from the Wikipedia article Indian Face (License: CC BY-SA 3.0, Authors, Images).

Indian Face
Snowdon Ranger Path,

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Wikipedia: Indian FaceContinue reading on Wikipedia

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N 53.0792 ° E -4.0939 °
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Snowdon Ranger Path

Snowdon Ranger Path
LL55 4UL , Llanberis
Wales, United Kingdom
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Clogwyn Du'r Arddu 2
Clogwyn Du'r Arddu 2
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Snowdon
Snowdon

Snowdon () or Yr Wyddfa (pronounced [ər ˈʊɨ̞̯ðva] (listen)) is the highest mountain in Wales, at an elevation of 1,085 metres (3,560 ft) above sea level, and the highest point in the British Isles outside the Scottish Highlands. It is located in Snowdonia National Park (Parc Cenedlaethol Eryri) in Gwynedd (historic county of Caernarfonshire). It is the busiest mountain in the United Kingdom and the third most visited attraction in Wales; in 2019 it was visited by 590,984 walkers, with an additional 140,000 people taking the train. It is designated as a national nature reserve for its rare flora and fauna. The rocks that form Snowdon were produced by volcanoes in the Ordovician period, and the massif has been extensively sculpted by glaciation, forming the pyramidal peak of Snowdon and the arêtes of Crib Goch and Y Lliwedd. The cliff faces on Snowdon, including Clogwyn Du'r Arddu, are significant for rock climbing, and the mountain was used by Edmund Hillary in training for the 1953 ascent of Mount Everest. The summit can be reached by a number of paths (there are six main paths) and by the Snowdon Mountain Railway, a rack railway opened in 1896 which carries passengers the 4+3⁄4 miles (7.6 kilometres) from Llanberis to the Summit station. The summit building, called Hafod Eryri, houses a cafe and is open only when the railway is operating; it opened in 2009 to replace one built in the 1930s. The railway generally operates from March to the end of October, with trains running to the summit station from May. The daily running schedule depends on weather and customer demand. Snowdon is one of three mountains climbed as part of the National Three Peaks Challenge.

Paddy Buckley Round
Paddy Buckley Round

The Paddy Buckley Round, also known as the Welsh Classical Round, is a long distance fell running challenge in Snowdonia, Wales. The route is a circuit of just over 100 km long taking in some 47 summits. The Round has the reputation of being somewhat tougher to complete than its English Lake District equivalent, the Bob Graham Round. Although no official time limit is set, an arbitrary 24 hours is applied, although the first completer exceeded the original aim of 24 hours. Runners may start at any point on the circular route (finishing at the same place) and may run the course in either a clockwise or anticlockwise direction. The route takes in the well-known high mountain ranges of Snowdon, the Glyderau and the Carneddau as well as the slightly less visited ranges of Moel Siabod, the Moelwynion, Moel Hebog and the Nantlle Ridge. The route was devised by the eponymous Paddy Buckley and first completed in 1982 by Wendy Dodds. The selection of summits that must be visited is somewhat arbitrary and no rules appear to have been applied in selecting them. Generally, it takes in the major peaks of the ranges that are being crossed, then any minor tops that are passed along the way are also included. Some of these tops really are just bumps on the ridge and not really summits in their own right at all. The fastest known completion of the round was, for many years, by Mark Hartell in 18 hours 10 minutes. On 4 May 2008, this time was matched by Chris Near of Eryri Harriers. This old record was broken in July 2009 by Tim Higginbottom who completed the Round in a time of 17 hours and 42 minutes. This was further reduced in 2019 by Damian Hall with 17 hours 31 minutes, and again on 30 August 2020 by Matthew Roberts with a time of 16 hours 38 minutes. Kim Collison set a new best time of 16 hours 20 minutes in April 2021. A year later, in April 2022, a new record was set by Finlay Wild who completed the round solo and unsupported in a time of 15 hours 14 minutes.The women's record is held by Jasmin Paris with a time of 18 hours and 33 minutes, set in 2016.The book "The Welsh Three Thousand Foot Challenges: A Guide for Walkers and Hill Runners" describes a version of the route which avoids the slate quarries, which the fastest line utilises, and also suggests attempting it as a four-day backpacking (lightweight camping) excursion rather than a one-day run.