Snowdon MTB Weekend Tour

Our Snowdon MTB Weekend Tour riding will always be tailored to suit the group where possible however your base skill level should mean you are comfortable tackling trail centre Reds as a minimum having ridden many Blacks and happy to have go, or at least walk even more technical sections. The riding is in natural terrain, not bike park berms, there are no drops or gaps. 

Fitness

We’ll be looking at biggish days – at least 5-6 hours – with plenty of ups and downs. But we’re not racing and we won’t leave anybody behind – up or down.
 

This is only a sample itinerary and can change at any given date, we are always working to improve the trips and alterations are common to improve and adapt.

Day 1 - Coed Y Brenin

Friday's warm-up ride will start at 12:30 pm from the accommodation giving you plenty of time to travel before, a mix of the very best of Coed y Brenin’s waymarked trails, which are awesome, and a few sections of lesser-known singletrack. As an added bonus, we can ride here off-road from the accommodation giving us all a chance to warm up.

Day 2 - Dyfi Forest

Saturday - and we are off to the Dyfi Forest (Very different to the Dyfi Bike Park, no jumps here) where we can once again mix and match the best of the waymarked trails with some of the awesome off-piste singletracks that the Dyfi has become famous for.

Day 3 - Snowdon

And then Sunday, after an early breakfast, we’ll drive up to Llanberis to start the huge ascent of Snowdon. The usual plan is an ascent of the Llanberis Path and a descent of the Ranger Path before we double back down the awesome Telegraph Valley.

It won’t be a long day, even though it’s a tough one, so it’ll then be back to Old Skool for showers and lunch before starting the journey home. As always, the itinerary may change depending on weather and trail conditions.

• Accommodation – 2 nights full board in our luxury MTB lodge accommodation
• Meals – Home-cooked breakfasts, 2-course evening meals, packed lunches and post-ride cake and coffee, beer, wine and soft drinks
• All guiding – 3 day’s guided riding with Level 3 Guides – maximum client-to-guide ratio 8-1
• Transport – Travel to and from the trails in our own private minibus with a dedicated professional driver
• Safety Equipment – First aid kits and emergency shelters carried by our guides alongside your personal equipment packs
• Financial failure insurance – Ensuring your money is 100% protected from the second we receive it until we have delivered your trip of a lifetime.

Riding skills

Firstly, the riding isn’t as tough as it sounds. We’ve chosen routes that give a real Snowdonia flavour but still make for an enjoyable weekend without killing you.

There will, however, be some long days (possibly 6-8 hours or more) and some technical downs (some of which probably everybody will walk a few metres). As long as you can keep smiling when you’re tired and pushing your bike then you’ll be fine.

In terms of riding ability, this trip won’t suit anyone who isn’t happily riding red/black grade trails in typical UK trail centres 

Fitness

It’s much more about stamina than speed or strength. There are some long days and we won’t be racing anywhere. On the bigger days, we’ll ride at a relaxed pace that can be kept up all day. We’ll also take more care than we would at a trail centre as a bad fall in a remote place is not good news.

We’ll have secure storage for bikes overnight at the accommodation and a hose, brushes and a full cleaning kit, so you can clean your bike after riding. We’ll also have a bike stand and some tools for fettling and repairs. Please bring any tools that are specific to your bike.
 

There’s no getting around it, 10 mountain bikers will be pretty conspicuous and we’ll have some impact on the landscape and other trail users. As a company, we’re 100% committed to minimising our impact in every way we can.

We operate a strict ‘pack it out’ policy for all litter (including banana skins and orange peel), and we try to leave as little trace of our passing as possible. While we’ll enjoy some epic descents and trails, please ride in control and at a speed that reflects your line of sight and abilities.

On this Snowdon MTB Weekend Tour we could experience everything from hot sunny days, wet and windy days to full on blizzards. We’ve made many trips to the Lakes throughout the year and had a real mix. When packing, please bring winter and summer clothing so we can make more informed decisions about what to wear and carry on the day or the night before.

We don’t need medical insurance in the UK, but I strongly recommend travel insurance just to cover you should you get injured or fall ill before the trip or during it. Try YellowJersey and use the discount code – MTB75
 

The weather can be very varied in the Snowdonia so we need to be prepared. We’ll have a briefing every evening to give you an up to date weather forecast and plan the next day. We can share some of the kit to keep packs as light as possible.

Riding kit

Please let us know if there’s anything you haven’t got that you may need.

Essential, please make sure you have the following

• Hydration pack big enough to carry everything in the list below – suggested size 15L to 20L
• Mini pump for your valve type
• Inner tube (even if you use tubeless)
• Tubeless repair kit (if you use tubeless)
• Puncture patches (if you don’t use tubeless)
• Tyre levers
• Multi-tool
• 1 set of spare brake pads
• Rear gear hanger for your bike
• Power link for your chain type and speed
• Any medication you need
• Recommended
• Dry bag to keep everything dry inside your pack
• Cable ties
• Duct tape (we suggest wrapping 1m around your pump)
• Mobile phone – in a waterproof case or plastic bag
• Small personal first aid kit
• You’ll also need the following
• Water and snacks – gels, energy bars, jelly babies etc
• Lunch (this will be provided but you’ll need to carry it)
• Recommended clothing

Essential, please make sure you have the following..

• Helmet
• Waterproof jacket (a full-on waterproof is recommended)
• Insulated jacket or very warm emergency layer
• MTB shoes (you must be able to walk in them!

Recommended

• Knee and elbow pads
• Cycling shorts and/or waterproof shorts (or trousers)
• Wicking base layer or cycling jersey
• Mid layer (fleece or soft shell)
• Woolly hat or buff
• Riding glasses
• Gloves (worth having a spare pair if it’s wet)
• Waterproof socks

Bikes

Your bike needs to be ready for the rigours of the mountains – steep and rocky climbs and very rough descents. A 140-170mm full suspension bike is what we recommend. 

Tyres are important too. Lightweight racing tyres are easily torn. We recommend good trail or all-mountain tyres such as Maxxis High Rollers/Minion DHR/DHF in a Double Down casing and possibly with inserts.

Please make sure your bike is ready for 4 days of hard riding. Anything that looks slightly suspect will almost certainly break.

There are good bike shops in Wales along the route but nothing very convenient