Llanberis Path and the Snowdon Ranger path

StubMandrel:

In October 1995 I rode the Llanberis path up and down with my brothers. It was the very day the first voluntary ban came in, unfortunately it hadn't been publicised very well as we made quite clear to the jobsworth ranger at the summit - you can't respect a ban you don't know about! Things seem a bit better organised these days. Ironically, out of the dozens (not hundreds) of walkers we met that day not one was anything other than cheerful and friendly - mind you we made sure we showed walkers respect too. Our gear was pretty bog-standard - hardtails with 50mm travel forks. I'd upgraded my rigid Diamondback Ascent with Halson Inversions, this was before I went to 24 speed XT and added v brakes, but I had purple bar end handles and a 6" long stem to put my weight directly over the front wheel for rapid descents (err... shome mishtake surely?) and SPD clipless pedals (best thing I ever did was swap them to my road bike!) Jer had a Kona with ballistics and Joe had something Orange that probably wasn't an Orange with ballistics again, or maybe rockshox judies?... The track up is/was essentially a landrover track so it was pretty much rideable all the way up, and as I recall all the way down. Some excellent weather all the way up, then clouded up near the summit and stayed grey until we got down. We were all fit, and the ride was a blast. I suspect it wasn't a black or even a red trail in those days... or perhaps we just went slower. Was it any good? - Well its still a great memory 23 years later!

What can be better than being a REAL mountain biker?

FullFloater:

This has to be one of the best descents I have ever done in the UK. If you have the skills you can ride it fast and get the most out of the trail and best of all enjoy it! Came up and down the Llanberis path. This trail is graded black. If you are not used to riding downhill tracks or technical trails with rocks and drops I would say you will have an experience for sure but it may be one that will also leave a stain on your pants that just won't wash out. The climb up is a bit gruelling but can be done in 2 - 3 hours depending on how easy you take it. It gives you an opportunity to check out some of the features you will be riding back down. The surface can be a bit shaley at times and pretty dam loose, but if you've got good brakes and a good bike it's so much fun. Full susser highly recommended if you prize you knee caps. Would recommend going up in the afternoon and plan to come down at around sun set. We did it in March and came down at 5:30 when there was no one on the trail. Would have been a totally different and probably soured experience if the trail was as packed as when we walked up.

Long. Fast. Loose. Gnarly. Can't stop smiling.

StupidMonkeyKev:

If you wont to do this remember the agreement that MTB's stay off at peak times in the summer. We did this in October, if awful weather, but it was still massive fun. We started up at 7am and were down by 10am, we had planned to go up the llaberis and down the ranger but the weather was too bad, you had to hang onto your bike at the top and be careful when jumping/manualling that you didnt get blown away. We therefore came back down the llanberis. Even in these conditions, and early in the day there was a lot of traffic on the way back down. If I was doing it again I'd be tempted to try and be at the top for 7/8am and have a clear and more fun run down. I like to slow down for walkers and show respect for other trail users. All in all its great, one of the longest descents I've done in the UK and much closer than the Alps! A must for every mountain biker*. *Know your limits, this is not for the faint hearted or unskilled!

Epic! Long, Rocky, Wide.

L8Rees:

Wow, be prepared as the weather can change and you deffo need to keep your wits about you, don't take chances and make sure you feel confident, the rewards are EPIC, we did a charity run and had FREE hire from what will be known from Feb 14 as Framed Cycles, above V12 on the High Street, (currently Cycle Tech) pop and see Alex Farmer and he will give you some hints tips advice and help with all your biking requirements, he is a top dude that has great experience :-)

The run up is fab, tough at the top, but the views and rewards are stunning, woooooooow amazing and over 1000 meter's up!! the whole experience is amazing, just remember there are walkers and families too, this is a must on your "to do" list something to aim for, plenty of drop offs, twists rocks sections and slopes, be careful and know your limits, make sure your bike has a new set of pads and is serviced and go and enjoy the ride of your life!!!