SUNBATHING ON THE NORTH FACE

The Comb and No.3 Gully

No.3 Gully

North Gully  and No.4 Gully

Comb Buttress and Creag Corrie na Ciste

Trident Buttress

Wow, what another amazing day. Clear blue skies first thing this morning so I was away smartly and in the Ciste Corrie on Ben Nevis by 9am. Beautiful clarity of light and not a soul around. I headed up toward No.3 Gully and it was beautiful just getting some photographs, watching the light, rimed crags and listening to the ice melting off Trident Buttress as the sun soon warmed the rock up. The snow that was in shade had a firm crust and it was really good cramponing in places, considering it's end of April. There were bits of ice/snow starting to roll down most of the easy gullies too, it always seems worse than it actually is with the sound being amplified in the corrie. I was happy just lazing in the sun today and taking it all in. On the way down there were a few folk heading up, a couple of guys up No. 5 Gully and Ledge Route and I did bump into a local landscape photographer who had been up toward the CIC Hut at 3am! Well it was like being in the Alps today and another fab day to come tomorrow too. There seemed to be more work getting done on the CIC Hut roof which was temporary repaired after the gales in December. Must be Spring, first Cuckoo heard by the Aluminium smelter pipelines on the way up.