THE winter walker wishing to broaden his or her horizons by entering the mountaineering arena could surely do no better than attempting some of the easier gullies and ridges that are fairly well distributed throughout the mountains of North Wales. Central Snowdonia is particularly well endowed with this type of climbing and the accessibility of most of the routes, combined with the relative ease of escape from the summits and plateaus once you get there, makes them far more suitable for the winter climbing novice than many similar areas of Scotland. The unpredictable, and generally disappointing, nature of the average Welsh winter is another matter! The three classic easy Welsh gullies are, unquestionably, Central Trinity on Snowdon, Broad Gully in Cwm Lloer and Parsley Fern in Cwm Glas. Each of these excellent routes has its own distinct character and its own unique charm. All make a magnificent start to a winter mountain day, with each ending near a major summit. Broad Gully (I/II) is approached from the Tryfan car park on the A5. A fairly easy walk up to the base of the East Ridge of Pen yr Olau Wen leads to the jaws of the magnificent Cwm Lloer, undoubtedly one of the finest in Wales. You cannot mistake the route. It is the huge and uncannily straight cleft that begins to the left of the rock buttress made famous by Kirkus's 1951 summer classic. A steep section about 200ft up the gully is usually the only remotely difficult bit, but, in good snow conditions, the long and ever widening upper gully is a sheer joy to crampon up. Unleashed from the shackles of rope and ironmongery, the pleasures of this style of climbing will soon become apparent. It is possible for the diligent to find three inadequate shale belays on this route, incidentally, although even the most determined would find a rock anchor an unlikely proposition in the final 300ft. After topping out on the east ridge, just saunter casually up to the summit and enjoy the magnificent views into heart of Ogwen that will now be yours. | 
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