Elidir Fawr – 1937

Arthur Evans

On the first ascent of the ‘Corrugated Cracks’ climb, I found the final crack by far the hardest. Near the top a number of pieces of rock were jammed in the crack and were obviously very loose. They protruded and getting over them without dislodging them was quite tricky. I was wearing boots (tricounis). My second was not so lucky. He touched them and they all crashed down leaving him dangling on the rope. I had thought of calling it ‘Avalanche Crack’.

The climb was a consolation prize. I had wanted to find a route up Elidir Slabs which then had no climbs on them. I’d arrived at Idwal Cottage a day ahead of my friends, met Peter Smith who had done some climbing and he agreed to come with me to explore them. The route I chose is now called ‘Janus’ or close to it. The start is the same.    I brought Peter Smith up to a stance under an overhang (a globe flower was in full flower there) and then climbed easily over the lip of the overhang by a move to the right and then stepping up and to the left.

From there I ran out nearly all of the 150 ft. of alpine line we were using, moving straight up. The slabs gave interesting climbing on small holds (I had changed to plimsolls) but found no stance or belay where I could bring up my second. I finished when the slab steepened forming a wall, and had to climb back down.

My friends arrived that evening and one of them suggested that a piton should be used but I disagreed saying that it should be left to someone capable of climbing it clean.

The slab route (‘Janus’) was climbed thirty years later in 1967, using two pitons.