An arête ( / ə ˈ r ɛ t / ə- RET ; French: [aʁɛt] ) is a narrow ridge of rock that separates two valleys . It is typically formed when two glaciers erode parallel U-shaped valleys . Arêtes can also form when two glacial cirques erode headwards towards one another, although frequently this results in a saddle-shaped pass, called a col . The edge is then sharpened by freeze-thaw weathering , and the slope on either side of the arête steepened through mass wasting events and the erosion of exposed, unstable rock. The word arête is French for "edge" or "ridge"; similar features in the Alps are often described with the German equivalent term Grat .
7-785: Crib Goch is described as a "knife-edged" arête in the Snowdonia National Park in Gwynedd , Wales. The name means "red ridge" in Welsh . The highest point on the arête is 923 metres (3,028 ft) above sea level. All routes which tackle Crib Goch are considered mountaineering routes in winter or scrambles in summer—meaning that they must cross "graded territory" as defined in Steve Ashton's Scrambles in Snowdonia . The easiest of these lines (the ‘bad step’ part of
14-458: A year over the past 30 years. Ar%C3%AAte Where three or more cirques meet, a pyramidal peak is created. A cleaver is a type of arête that separates a unified flow of glacial ice from its uphill side into two glaciers flanking, and flowing parallel to, the ridge, analogous to an exposed mid-channel bar in a braided river . Cleaver gets its name from the way it resembles a meat cleaver slicing meat into two parts. A common situation has
21-496: The ridge is exposed with precipices below, having resulted in several fatalities, even of experienced mountaineers; the Snowdonia National Park Authority describes it as ‘not a mountain for the inexperienced’. It is also possible to ascend Crib Goch's North Ridge, which adjoins the main ridge. The route is far more difficult in high winds or frozen ground, and so it is recommended that walkers check
28-472: The route) is given a scrambling grade of Grade 1 (the most difficult being Grade 3—routes more difficult than Grade 3 are considered rock climbs ). The classic traverse of Crib Goch from East to West leads up from the Pyg track to a ‘bad step’, where hands and feet are both needed briefly. It is followed by ascent to the arête, before tackling three rock-pinnacles to a grassy col at Bwlch Coch. This first part of
35-635: The south of the arête lie the lakes of Glaslyn and Llyn Llydaw . To the north is the Llanberis Pass . Crib Goch is classed as a Welsh 3000er and is also often climbed as the first part of the Snowdon Horseshoe , which goes on over Garnedd Ugain, Snowdon and Y Lliwedd , before returning to Pen-y-Pass . Crib Goch is one of the wettest spots in the United Kingdom , with an average of 4,473 millimetres (176.1 in) rainfall
42-452: The two flanking glaciers melting to their respective ends before their courses can bring them back together; the exceedingly rare analogy to which is a situation of two branches of a braided river drying up before recombining. The location of a cleaver is often an important factor in the choice of climbing routes. For example, following a cleaver up or down a mountain may avoid travelling on or under an unstable glacial, snow, or rock area. This
49-547: The weather forecast beforehand. It is possible to ascend Crib Goch from Bwlch y Moch SH663552 or from Nant Peris , an ascent via Cwm Beudu Mawr. From the col the ridge rises again, joining the main Snowdon ridge via the sister peak Garnedd Ugain in the west. Here the path meets the Pyg Track (which descends to Pen-y-Pass ) at Bwlch Glas (marked by a large standing stone), before the final climb to Snowdon summit. To
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