More Ben Nevis Ice…..
It was to be a stunning day on Ben Nevis today. Hannah, Dave and I climbed Smiths Route (V,5) which was in superb condition with first time placements, sticky ice and plenty of options for ice protection. Dave led us up the first pitch which was a joy, I got the second which had steep, superb climbing in an impressive situation high on the mountain. Hannah led us onto the plateau over an icy cornice, which she took direct for about 2 meters. The only slight disappointment with the day was having to wait in line for about an hour and a half at the start of the route. The team in front were a little slow moving but we decided to stay seems it was just three pitches and we all had the route on our wish list. It certainly didn’t detract from the route or the day though – what a great climb.
Lots of other teams out enjoying the great conditions. Ken climbed Good Friday Climb, Paul and Tom climbed Indicator Wall. Other teams were on Caledonia, Tower Ridge and Tower Scoop. It was breezy with a little snow early on but gradually the skies cleared making it feel very spring like on the way down.
2 Responses to “More Ben Nevis Ice…..”
[…] freeze / thaw cycles encouraging a flurry of activity high up on the mountain. Aside from climbing Smiths Route a couple of weeks ago I haven’t done much ice up high on the Ben, so when Rich messaged to […]
[…] killers, stretching and resting. This year’s dose came around in March shortly after climbing Smiths Route with Dave and Hannah. Now I look back on it; the three of us stood waiting for nearly two hours to […]