A group of seven Youarseys (readers of the uk.rec.climbing Internet newsgroup) met for a fine Sunday's rock climbing around the Idwal Slabs, Cneifion Arête, and Gribin Facet in the Ogwen Valley, North Wales

John does a little shirt-off bouldering as Marek looks on

The first pitch or so of Tennis Shoe, a brilliant classic (Noel Odell, 1919) 141-metre Severe route which Marek and Steve were to climb, alternating the lead. Marek took the first (3c) + second, and fourth + fifth pitches; Steve the easy third, and the scary sixth (4a).

The start of Tennis Shoe, with another party belaying

Looking down from the boulder which crowns the final (6th) pitch of Tennis Shoe. It was Steve's turn to lead this pitch, which was rather more exposed than he'd have liked

Looking across the Idwal Slabs ...

... and down, from the top of Tennis Shoe

Steve and Marek at the top

Marek, with Llyn Idwal and Nant Ffrancon behind

Steve, perched on the boulder like some sort of pixie

Leaving the Idwal Slabs: Tennis Shoe follows the obvious sunlit ramp at lower left

The Slab on the Gribin Facet : you can see this area in the centre of the foreground crag at the top of the page. Slab Direct Route (VDiff) goes straight up a thin crack, just visible in the upper section, parallel with the right hand wall. Steve led this, Marek seconded