Pen y Fan in the Snow: A Brecon Beacons Winter Walk
We'd climbed Pen y Fan in summer – loads of people, clear skies, easy peasy. It was like a nice big hill, not a proper mountain mountain. But winter Pen y Fan is a COMPLETELY different beast. It's like a different planet up there! Dad said it was time for a 'proper winter adventure', and Hugo and I were all in, imagining snow monsters and epic icy peaks!
We parked at the Storey Arms car park just as the sun was thinking about waking up – it was still dark and frosty at dawn. The temperature was -4°C, which felt like someone had opened a giant freezer door. Our breath instantly turned into massive clouds, and my nose felt like a tiny icicle. The hills were covered in a layer of crunchy, sparkling snow, like powdered sugar on a huge cake. It looked so beautiful, but also super serious. We wore crampons for the first time – they're like spiky metal teeth you put on your boots. Dad showed us how to fit them properly the night before, explaining how they bite into the ice. It felt pretty cool, like we were mountaineering pros. We even carried walking axes, smaller ones for us – Dad said 'just in case,' but secretly I hoped we'd get to use them to chop through some ice or something!
The path up the 'motorway' (it's called that because it's so wide and easy in summer, but not in winter!) was icy but manageable with our crampons. Each step made a satisfying crunch, and we felt really secure. The air was so still and cold, everything was silent except for the crunching of our boots and the puffing of our breaths. Mum kept reminding us to drink our hot Ribena from our thermoses to stay warm and hydrated. We saw tiny frozen waterfalls, like glass sculptures along the path. It was all so magical.
What totally blew our minds was the summit ridge. As we got higher, the snow had been sculpted by the wind into these incredible cornices – curling waves of frozen white hanging over the northern cwm. They looked like giant meringue peaks, but way more dangerous! Dad had to keep us well back from the edge, warning us about them collapsing. It felt like walking on the edge of the world, with these massive white cliffs next to us. The wind was starting to pick up too, making our faces tingle and sting.
The view from the top was insane. Absolutely insane! Everything was white as far as you could see, like a giant duvet had been thrown over the world, with just the dark shapes of Corn Du and Cribyn breaking through, looking like shark fins in a snowy ocean. We could see for miles and miles, and the sun was glinting off the snow, making everything sparkle. It felt like being in the Arctic, not South Wales! I felt so small, but also so incredibly happy and brave. We had made it to the top of a winter mountain!
We only stayed for about ten minutes because the wind was absolutely brutal up there, trying to snatch our hats and whips our hair. Our fingers started getting numb even with proper gloves, so Mum insisted on a quick photo and then it was time to get off the exposed summit. But it was enough. That short time was enough to feel the power and beauty of winter mountains. Winter walking is now our favourite thing in the whole wide world, and the Brecon Beacons in snow might just be the most beautiful place in Britain. We even saw a small herd of wild ponies, their coats thick with winter hair, looking quite at home in the snow. Drawing the contour lines for Pen y Fan in winter, we had to add little spiky bits to show the cornices – it made the design totally unique!