Ledge Route

The Curtain

Jagged Globe - Winter Mountaineering

We took the Winter Mountaineering team up Ledge Route today. I packed my sunglasses, and actually managed to use them today when the clouds lifted a little in the second half of the day - fantastic. It was a perfect route for the course today. Some teams took on some extra difficulties along the way, but everybody soaked up the atmosphere and scenery. It was the first time on Ben Nevis for many on the course.

Other routes being climbed today (numerous) were Curtain, Vanishing, Point5, Tower Ridge, Harrison's Direct, The Comb and others.

It's all change tomorrow for the snow conditions...

Michael, Neil and Adam

Green Gully / Number Three Gully Buttress area

Meall an t-Suidhe, and a well frozen Lochan

Number 2 Gully Buttress

Black buttresses - a high freezing level - it's on the melt again

The freezing level was supposed to be at about 800m today, so Foxy (Vicky) and I made a plan to go up the Ben and do something. I had a bunch of ideas for plan a, but as soon as the black buttresses came into view, the plans needed to be re-thought, and most of them thrown away. The freezing level was not 800m as I hoped, but more like summit level! Everything was melting.

The Cascade looking very thin and melting. Number 2 gully buttress on the RHS

The plan had to involve some sort of gully line, which still held some ice. Matt, Emma and Ben started their day by doing a quick ascent of The Comb, followed by a descent of Number 3, and then a quick ascent of Thompson's Route. We opted for the remaining ice on Number 2 Gully Buttress (III***).

The bottom of Glover's Chimney

Foxy on Number 2 Gully Buttress - at the peg belay, at the end of pitch 2

I placed 2 screws on the route (both at belays). The ice (what there was) was fairly good (if a little thin), but the snow was soft, or crusty.

The cornices on Number 3 Gully

Winter Chimney has no ice in it

Gargoyle Wall is almost completely black - with a hanging red snap gate from a recent attempt

Thompson's Route - lost a lot of ice from 2 days ago

We had a great time on our climb, and came down Number 3 Gully. Thank you to the person that made the snow bollard.

A Day On The Ben

Eastern Traverse on Tower Ridge

That was it - Eastern Traverse in May

Stunning scenery at the top

Looking down Glover's Chimney from Tower Gap - can you spot the climbing team low on the route?

Loch Linnhe and Loch Eil in the distance

The North face was very quiet. I had the route to myself and then summiting to find a croud at the top

The initial ice pitch on North Gully

Number 3 Gully

The weather looked like it was going to be amazing today, light winds, sunny, freezing levels below the summits, so I obviously had to go on the Ben to do as much as possibe. So somehow I had a late start and didn't get out of the car in the North Face Car Park until 10am ! But conditions were great. As I walked in I saw a team starting on the Comb, and Glovers Chimney. Alan Kimber and Spike were eyeing up Smiths Route, but settled for Point 5, which looked awesome.
I liked the look of Tower Ridge, so made a start. I had the whole ridge to myself, and it was in fine form. There was a layer of fresh snow from yesterday, but still the neve underneath was awesome. I enjoyed every minute, but bizarrely found myself thinking about paddling at one point! I got to the summit at 2pm, so I had time to do North Gully and Number 3 Gully, because, why not !! On my third time down Number 4 I wondered if I had the energy to do another. No ! Back to the car by 6pm. Awesome.