Good Guidebook For North Wales?

We're thinking of nipping away to North Wales over August Bank Holiday, to get some climbing in around Llanberis. We've previously done a days climbing at Holyhead mountain and another day at Tryfan Fach, but we fancy exploring Idwal Slabs, or something similar. We'd like to get some multipitch climbs under our belt, and we're probably looking at a grade span of VDiff to S/VS at most.

So we need a guidebook. We really love the Rockfax series - especially the big colour photographs, which make a huge difference to the ease with which you can get your bearings on a crag - but they don't seem to have one for that area.

Any recommendations?

Freaky feet

Lisa has had to take a week or two off from climbing to let her toes recover - her rock shoes are so tight that her big toes are starting to bend inwards quite severely, and are becoming painful. Anyone else get this, and can anyone offer any suggestions on how to cope with it?

We're Jammin'.... hope you like jammin' too

Gritstone Hands!
Originally uploaded by Dr Snooks.

One of the big differences I've discovered between "inside" climbing and outside climbing on gritstone is that the nature of gritstone - lots of wide cracks, minimal jugs - requires a lot more jamming than I've been used to.

Jamming, for the uninitiated, involves putting your hand into a crack and then making a fist, so that your fist fills the crack and provides a wedge that you can use as a hold. You can also jam with just your fingers.

On our first visit to Stanage I wasn't really expecting this, and consequently I floundered on some routes (e.g. Twin Cracks, which frankly scared the wossnames out of me) that technically should be within my abilities.

This time round, however, I was forewarned and forearmed (wince), and used fist-jamming quite comfortably, just like any other technique. As a result, I led a "Severe 4a" route on my first climb of the weekend - Hiker's Crack - with a smile on my face the whole way. Jamming even felt like fun - but it sure takes it's toll on your hands...

Kinder Suprise

Freaky contortion
Originally uploaded by Dr Snooks.

Another great weekend in the Peak District - this time we went for Upper Tor at Kinder first, before popping in to Stanage Popular for a quick one or two on the way home.

I led "Hiker's Crack" (S 4a *) on Upper Tor, which was a really nice route - after every couple of tricky moves, there was a convenient ledge to stand on while you get protection in. One of those climbs that makes you sweat and grimace, but I never felt in serious danger and got to the top with a big satisfied grin.

Lise led Pedestal Wall which was not so nice - it was technically easier, but it was much less satisfying.

We nipped into Stanage for a quick attack of Leaning Buttress Crack in a howling gale. This got tricky, and I found myself getting inadvertently wedged in behing the gap in the buttress. Fun route though.

The photos are all on Flickr, and on YouTube there are a couple of videos of Lisa and Kelsey seconding Right-Hand Trinity at Stanage, the last climb of the weekend.