Last time I was at Ben Nevis we had the most beautiful summer weather. This reminds me more of the time I climbed Mt. Washington. Good times, both of them! Happy to have your videos to make me remember more vividly.
I'm used to watching photographers climb into locations, but nothing involving helmets, ropes, and ice axes. This was a great video! I hope you get back to posting more frequently.
Jay DeSimone there is different routes on ben Nevis easy ones and hard ones most people do the easy ones but these people did the hard on the ledge thats why they have that equipment the ledge is very challenging i do not recommend it for new climbers the ledge is the route i take because i have climbed ben Nevis 20 times so I’m very experienced
Great Video. last time i was up Nevis was in the summer when i done CMD and Nevis togther across the ridge. not as brave as you guys climbing in the winter hung my walking boots up in October after my 40th Munro this year ill start again in the spring. be watching most of your vids for a bit of advise for wild camping as ill be doing more of this next year thanks for all of the advice. hopfully you'll get more climbing in soon stay safe and have fun
Hi, we’re planning on doing the ledge route this December (we’ve done it in the summer before) did you park in the main car park and walk round to the north face?
I have to ask a stupid question, so I expect a stupid answer, but how safe is the tourist track at this time of year? Would you still need all the safety equipment?
Binxie about the turn of the millennium i was descending on the pony track (tourist route) when the wind pick me up like a rag doll a deposited me a few feet down the track. I had to self-arrest with my one walking ice axe and wait it out until Mother Nature decided to calm down. I wouldn't venture out on any British mountain without all my saftey equipment any time of the year, mate. Btw, that tourist path near the gullys in poor weather calls for careful navigation to avoid decening into treacherous ground. Hope i've not put you off trying The Ben in winter!
Fair enough mate, I've only been up in the summer and seeing as I live in totally pancake-flat Essex, I don't really know what to expect. I remember when I went up there for the first time I was wearing proper boots and had sleeping bags, first aid kits, phone chargers and all sorts in my pack - but many others were wearing shorts and sandals. Many idiots out there!
Binxie High Beach, Hang Man's Hill i know them well! It's all near my neck of the woods in North London lol. Back in the day i watched a documentary on the Lochaber mountain rescue team and that was the advice they gave me and anyone else watching it. They also showcased the not very well prepared people up there in high heels and trainers and stuff and the fatalities too. I never forgot that doc and followed their advice ever since!
Hello Binxie, for any Scottish mountain outing in Winter you should have the full winter hillwalking gear including an ice axe and crampons and the correct boots for them. Head torch also essential. You may not need the crampons all day, but get to an icy section without them and life gets tricky. The big danger specific to the Tourist path in Winter is a navigational error shortly after you begin the descent. It is easy in poor visibility to mistake the top of Five Finger Gully for the continuation of the path (which is very indistinct at this point). The gully gets steeper and is hard to escape. Sadly there have been a considerable number of fatalities over the years here. So, you must know how to accurately navigate with map and compass, even in the dark or a white-out, both of which are not uncommon when coming down off the Ben. There's a wonderful training book called 'Mountaincraft and Leadership' by Eric Langmuir which covers most aspects of hillwalking and winter mountaineering in the UK, including a very good section on navigation. Treat yourself. Best wishes.
