Has anyone taken their young kids onto Crib Goch? My lad will be eleven in the summer and has done cliff top walks with me and has been confident on low level scrambles. I would love to do Crib Goch with him when the weather improves. Do you think it would be irresponsible of me? I'm sure he will be a bit scared by the exposure (I always am!) but I'm confident he would be OK and would be a challenging but rewarding experience for him.
I’ve done Crib Goch several times on my own in reasonable weather and never had any problems. I’ve also taken my son who was 12 at the time over Striding Edge, albeit we didn’t walk along the top but scrambled holding onto the top. Again it was in good weather and my son had quite a lot of walking experience. If the weather is right. If your lad is confident and keen to do it, then I’d say yes.
I've been across around half a dozen times and it is a fine route on a windless dry day - wind and/or rain I'd give it a miss. Tbh I wouldn't take anyone on the route if you think they will be scared by the exposure - that's not what going into the mountains is about in my book. Suppose he was scared, had a wobble and fell off - would that be worth it? It's a heck of a drop on the rh.side doing the route in the usual direction (you didn't say if you had done it yourself before in your post). Similarly there is a moderate sized pinnacle near the far end that is a slightly stretchy clamber up again with a hefty drop out to the right - I've seen a few adults freeze up at this point. Why not do Tryfan North Ridge instead? Much wider, easy to pick a low grade rocky scramble all the way up and probably as safe as a mountain scramble can be as long as you don't go off-piste onto the left and right flanks of the mountain. Terrific day out for a youngster. I'd take a confident 11 year old up it. I'd also take a short rope just in case though.
I first done Crib Goch route when I was ten. Was one of the experiences that got me hooked on the outdoors. I've returned many times over the years and have always found the exposure thrilling. The reason I posted was because, as much as my lad wants to accompany me, I'm genuinely nervous of taking him! I've decided that he needs to gain more confidence and experience. I'm going to camp on Shell Island and take him up Snowden on Rhyd Ddu path. This will be a challenge for him and Bwlch Main will give me a chance to see how he handles exposure on the ridge.
That seems like a good compromise, with more measured and less challenging initial exposure than Crib Goch (which appears to be a hands-on scramble with no easy way back once you're committed?).
That's what I was worried about tbh. Im 90% certain that he would be OK in good weather conditions, but they could change rapidly and turn it into a nightmare. He's done some challenging scrambles up pretty vertiginous places with me, and I've been amazed by him! But the prolonged exposure on Crib Goch is another level and I would hate for him to freeze with terror. It makes sense to help him acclimatise to the mountains in easier steps. Not like when I was a kid with my cousins and my slightly mad uncle hanging onto the left side of the ridge, wearing trainers, and hoping not to die!
That's going to be another day out! My little fella is obsessed with doing the national three peaks this year and despite my hatred of the crowds normally on top of Snowdon, it's a good excuse for me to take the family camping for a weekend on Shell Island.
I'd suggest you have him on a short rope to you for the harder scramble section if you are competent with ropes. It's not difficult however there is a high degree of exposure which he may not like. Once you've done that bit it's all pretty straightforward and the ropes can go away. And it can be a bit polished in places so not so good when it's wet...
I've never done any real climbing, only sporadic scrambling, and have never used ropes. I'm going to err on the side of caution this year and see how he goes on less challenging terrain first.
That's probably a sensible choice! I don't think it' challenging in terms of difficulty... you hold on to the ridge with your hands and walk along the side... It's just the drop that makes it precarious.
