Wednesday 11 November 2009

FOUR PLAY ON BEN NEVIS





















It was another calm, quiet day here in the West Highlands with another cold night. I was getting the most of the snow on Ben Nevis and went up No. 4 Gully on the North face. This is a straightforward grade 1 winter climb and is usually well trodden but today I saw was no one in the Ciste Coire nor in the gully. It was a bit Bouldery lower in the corrie with patchy snow from 950m but half way up the gully there was excellent amounts of snow. There is ice forming on the buttresses but no ice in the gully as the freezing level was around 1100m today. A lot of snow now on the plateau and the pony track is, in places, banked with drifted snow. Poor visibility at 1000m but it was sunny below this altitude and a very pleasant descent. The path is icy in places after being well trodden. There was folk still ascending the pony track in all kinds of attire, the usual 'no rucksack brigade' being the most popular way up and someone sporting a nice pair of multi coloured wellies.


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