SNOW DANCE

I CLICK TENTATIVELY on the mountain area forecast, peeking through my fingers as the page loads for the big reveal. Will there be snow?

Winter conditions in the Brecon Beacons are not so much part of a season, but often a random allocation of lucky days, mornings, nights or simply hours. The unpredictability of winter here is both frustrating and a large part of its charm. You have to treasure every snowy moment, ready to go at the drop of a warm woolly hat.

I’ve had a tendency to flee South Wales over the winter, preferring in the past to spend much of the off-season instructing in France or Slovenia: snowshoeing, mountaineering and cross-country skiing. If I happen to be in the UK I might plan last-minute trips to Scotland or North Wales, in search of more sustained winter conditions. However, this year Covid has encouraged me to reflect on the winter adventures I’ve been lucky to experience closer to home, and to start wishing wistfully for