BEN NEVIS, SUN AND SPINDRIFT

Enjoying the sun, just above the Red Burn crossing. Note the cornice in the background mountain path

Taking a steeper route up the hill

Nice views

Looking across to 'The zig-zags' of 'summer'

Mark & Brett enjoying the winter sun

The summit shelter and the crux climb

The top!

A different story on the descent

After yesterday's winter skills Brett & Mark were skilled up for Ben Nevis today. The guys were keen for the Carn Mor Dearg Arete route onto The Ben but with a deteriorating weather forecast we decided on a more direct route. We headed from the north face carpark up to the Red burn and took the western lip of The Red Burn direct to the plateau. Anyone contemplating getting up to the summit without axe or crampons would be in for a surprise at the moment. The section of the Mountain Track where it crosses The Red Burn is well banked up and sporting a nice cornice running all the way up the Red Burn. We took an adventurous line on the western edge of the Burn which as been scoured and so gave good hard, icy snow higher up. We enjoyed lovely sunshine for over an hour but then the cloud rolled in and it was into the white room from 1100m to the summit. Another mountain day of pacing across white out terrain for me! After Mark climbed the roof of the summit shelter we descended in windy and snowy conditions which was rather different from the way up! The guys certainly got to see a different side of Ben Nevis, they were up last summer in the 25 degree heat wave of a July day!