Ben Nevis, Climbing Article 18/19/20 - 02 -13

The last 3 days I've been climbing on the Ben with Glen (www.glenburrows.com).  He's putting together an article about climbing on the Ben for a well known magazine.  We had a skills intro day, a day on Tower Ridge and finished up with the Curtain yesterday.  If you had ordered conditions and weather for photography and making the Ben look its best you couldn't have asked for more!  It was awesome...

Look forward to the article...

Needless to say that many of the Bens best ice routes and ridges and easy angled mixed is in prime condition.  Tower, Castle and Observatory Ridge all good and icy, North East good.   Point 5, Zero, Hadrians Wall, Orion Direct and many many more all looking brilliant!  Some of the best days I've been out on the Ben for sure.  Tower was in easy condition with hard snow and ice, The Curtain was great with a thin exciting 1st pitch but with enough gear not to be out of hand, and on Monday night I did a quick head-torch solo of Zero Gully which was in great condition and the moonlit Summit plateau top out is installed in the memory! 

 Glen off the train from London and time to organise kit....

 Next day on Tower Ridge

 Climbers on Indicator Wall

 The Rum Cuillin beyond

 Indicator Wall

 Tom and Matt

 The full camera crew

Hadrians Wall

The Skye Cuillin Ridge beyond...

Winter Skills Course 16/17-02-13

Had an awesome weekend running a Winter Skills Course for www.mountainguides.co.uk

We had a good day on Saturday doing a circuit of Stob Coire nan Lochan, then the high pressure arrived and gave one of the best days I can remember on Aonach Mor yesterday, great conditions for skis with the Dubh Coire looking great, great conditions for ice and mixed also, the Ben looking white high up, and all in perfect weather!

Lakes Conditions - Green Gable

Some great conditions in the Lakes today, turf well frozen up high and some crags looking good.  Could all change tomorrow though!

We climbed some routes on Green Gable which was in better looking condition than its larger neighbour Great Gable for steeper stuff.  Our first route climbed a 30m slab pitch with an overlap at about VI/7 and gave a great pitch that we believe is a new route...?

Great Gable

Green Gable

Mountaineering Course - Scotland

I just had a great 3 days out running a Mountaineering course for Highpoint at www.mountainguides.co.uk  

We had a day on Ledge Route during a slight thaw on Saturday but with good weather.  On Sunday we had a skills day in Coire na Tulaich avoiding the worst of the wind and fresh snow.  The day brought many of the steep routes of the area into great condition.  Day 3 had us in Lochan on Dorsal arete and we had a great day out with the crags in superb condition! 

Ledge Route

Coire na Tulaich

Stob Coire nan Lochan, Dorsal arete

SCNL and The Buachaille 07/08 - 02 - 13

Many routes are in great condition currently, the snow a few days ago has started to settle now and many routes have tracks in as well.  Lots of the lower ice on the Ben is good, The Curtain, CIC Cascades, Compressor Cracks etc etc...  I was in Lochan yesterday which was in great mixed condition on all but the steeper routes despite a snowy approach.  We climbed Central Buttress Ordinary Route IV/4 *** which was in brilliant mixed condition, old snow coming through with a little ice and bomber turf.  The Scabbard saw some ascents also.  Today we went to the Buachaille and did Curved Ridge III *** which was also in great condition with good old snow coming through and all the rock snowed up from word go, full winter for sure but with great weather all day.  Crowberry Gully saw a number of ascents today also but was said to be a little thin in places...

I have been out with Ben and Neil who were keen to get on some mixed yesterday and to do some leading today with some 'Alpine' rope work thrown in also.  We also looked over retreat options/set-up and ice threads.  Thanks for a great couple of days!

Central Buttress Ordinary IV/4 ***, Lochan. 07-02-13

Curved Ridge III ***, The Buachaille.  08-02-13

Good snow on the descent into Coire na Tualich