Glen Nevis

SW Buttress - with SW Diagonal (HVS 5b*) across the middle

The weather turned out better than the forecast suggested, so we snatched a couple of hours of climbing in Glen Nevis at SW Buttress and Styx Buttress. I had a go at SW Diagonal, before the OB team turned up for an abseil. As the guide book suggested, there is a hard move at the beginning, but is well protected.

Styx Buttress with Damnation (VS 4c***)

Lena climbed Damnation which is excellent, clean climbing on good holds in an intimidating setting, through a roof - brilliant.


Hopefully the rain and midges will keep away...

Centurion

Carn Dearg Buttress with Centurion just right of centre in the photo, starting in the shadowed corner

Last night I took Ken (applemountaineering.co.uk) up on his idea to climb Centurion (HVS****) on the Ben today. Only yesterday I was wearing waterproof trousers, rigid boots, gloves, using axes and crampons - and now today, a chalk bag, rock shoes and walking up the Ben in trainers! Centurion from a distance looked perfectly dry and even in the hot morning sunshine!

Ken coming up pitch 1

Pitch 1 was steep, exciting, with perfect, rough, easy to protect rock.

Ken on pitch 2

Pitch 2 was even more exciting with good holds all the way - moving through ground that looked like it should be harder than 5a.

Pitch 2

Pitch 3

Pitch 4

Pitch 6

Pitch 6

Pitch 7

Pitch 7

Ben Nevis today with Fort William below

An awesome climb. Almost every piece of the climb was ****. So now I've got a taste of summer trad climbing for 2012, it's time to put axes and crampons away!