Hiker climbs 3,100ft British mountain — going from ice at bottom to sunbathing in 21c heat on summit
A HIKER climbed a 3,100ft British mountain — going from ice at the bottom to sunbathing on the summit. Mark Handford, 54, set out to tackle Y Garn in Snowdonia in woolly hat, gloves and thermals. It was just above freezing until he walked through the cloud layer into warmth at 2,500ft — and by […]
A HIKER climbed a 3,100ft British mountain — going from ice at the bottom to sunbathing on the summit.
Mark Handford, 54, set out to tackle Y Garn in Snowdonia in woolly hat, gloves and thermals.
It was just above freezing until he walked through the cloud layer into warmth at 2,500ft — and by the time he got to the top it was 21C, some 6C hotter than Majorca.
Surprised Mark was by then down to his shorts and a T-shirt and in need of sun cream.
He had set out expecting a “temperature inversion” after checking the weather forecast but was taken aback by its magnitude.
The phenomenon occurs when air sinks, drying and warming as it does so.
As warm air is lighter, it tends to “float” above cooler air, acting like a lid to trap it.
Mark, director of Snowdonia Adventures in North Wales, said: “Going up it was cold — around 2C — and damp but as soon as we popped out at cloud level it was 17 degrees. We stopped on the north east slopes because it was baking.
Most read in The Sun
“We put on sun cream and had a little sunbathe. I checked my watch and it showed 21 degrees. Once back down it was 1C and getting icy.
“The inversion was massive — the biggest I’ve seen on a mountain in Wales in January and I’ve been doing this for 22 years.”
