Ledge Route - A Quiet Ben Nevis

Looking up at Number 5 Gully and where The Curtain should be.

Jagged Globe - Winter Mountaineering

Today Nick and Robert wanted a bigger day on Ben Nevis. Tony and Andy led the Intro Winter Mountaineering team up number 4 gully. We headed for Ledge Route. It seemed to be the busiest route on the hill today, there were 2 teams ahead of us. I saw a team of 2 on NE Buttress and a team of 3 over towards No 2 Gully Buttress area. The snow into number 5 was slabby in pockets, and avoidable. Also any trail breaking that was needed was kindly done by the 2 teams ahead of me. The first main ledge was relatively easy and secure with good firm snow and neve making the rock slabs easy. I was a bit dissapointed by the clouds - my sunglasses stayed in my bag again, and the cloud even descended over the top of the Ben, and we even had to nav off from the top, where's the sun? The cornices around the rim of number 5 gully looked fresh and a little heavy with the new snow.

Wading up through snow on the initial ledges

I saw 2 people on the main first ledge on NE Buttress - they seemed to stand there for nearly half an hour then disappeared (went down?)

Nick tackling a few awkward rocky steps

Nick and Robert enjoying Ledge Route

Nick, you can look at the exposure now

This was Nick's first time up Ben Nevis, and his first winter route. Robert has done many winter routes in the past when he was an active member of his club, but he had never done Ledge Route before. He had also never been down the Red Burn. I searched out any possible bum slide available, and in total I think we must have slid about 200-300m - brilliant. My slide ended when I found a hole!