|
|
Karabiner Mountaineering Club
|
Ty Powdwr - The Karabiner Mountaineering Club Hut
Group Accommodation in North Wales
The KMC owns a superb Mountain Hut in Snowdonia. Accommodation is available for use by
mountaineering clubs, schools and other genuine educational establishments or similar
groups.
Ty Powdwr is better equipped than a typical bunk-house, offering hostel-style accommodation.
Weekend group bookings can be made for up to 17 people in two dormitories; mid-week bookings
can be for up to 23 people in three dormitories. A fourth dormitory is always reserved for
use by Karabiner Club members, who can use the Hut at any time. There is a very large kitchen,
with excellent gas cooking facilities, plus a very comfortable lounge. There are separate male
and female wash-rooms, both with hot showers, plenty of private parking and a very effective
drying room.
Located near the village of Dinorwic, next to the Padarn Country Park, there are views from round
the Hut towards Snowdon, over Llanberis and out to Anglesey. Ty Powdwr is within walking distance
of Llanberis, and is 20 minutes from Bangor or Caernarfon.
|
|
Booking
Accommodation at the hut is available for bookings by climbing clubs and other recognised
organisations. Note that bookings must be made at least two months in advance: short
notice bookings are not available.
Please contact the KMC hut booking secretary:
Current Hut Bookings (As of 20/08/2010)
| |
| Date | Notes |
|---|
| August 28th - 30th | External Club |
| August 31st - September 3rd | Outdoor Pursuits Group |
| September 4th - 5th | KMC meet (still awaiting confirmation) |
| September 9th - 12th | External Club |
| September 13th - 17th | Outdoor Pursuits Group |
| September 25th - 26th | External Club |
| October 2nd - 3rd | Outdoor Pursuits Group |
| October 9th - 10th | Working Party |
| October 16th - 17th | External Club |
| October 22nd - 24th | External Club |
| October 25th - 29th | Outdoor Pursuits Group |
| November | No bookings to date |
| December 13th - 16th | Outdoor Pursuits Group |
| December 25th - 28th | KMC meet |
| December 31st - January 3rd | KMC meet |
| December 21st - January 23rd | External Club |
|
|
Interior Pictures
|
The well equipped lounge, complete with a large gas stove to keep it warm
even in the coldest weather.
|
|
The large kitchen, with plenty of food preparation space, gas cooking facilities
and seating for large groups.
|
|
One of the dormitories, showing the alpine-bunk style sleeping accommodation.
|
Some History
Ty Powdwr was originally the black powder store for the Dinorwic Slate Quarries. The
KMC selected the name for the building to reflect its historic use. The quarrymen
blasted away a large fraction of the local mountain, Elidir Fawr, to obtain the slate
that was one of the most common roofing materials in the 19th Century. Many
men died in the process, but only about 1% of the slate extracted from the mountain
actually made it onto roofs. Mining stopped during the 1960's as cheaper, better
quality slate began to arrive from Spain and China.
When the KMC purchased the building in the early 1970's, Ty Powdwr was virtually
a solid blockhouse, surrounded by blast walls and with no windows. Over the first 10
years members laboured in horrible conditions to provide electricity, gas, water and
sewerage. Over the next 15 years or so, various bits were finished off and finally,
the hut was developed from end to end. In subsequent years though, the members responsible
for the building have continued to upgrade in the light of experience and new technology,
reducing energy bills while increasing comfort and improving facilities. Maintenance
of the Hut is an ongoing task!
|
|
A view over Ty Powdwr towards Snowdon.
|
|
|
djwwstag
|
