Ben Nevis – Ledge Route

We had another amazing day of weather and conditions yesterday with Anne and Mark again for the 3rd day of a winter mountaineering course.  We headed for Ledge Route on Nevis which was a great place to be with wall to wall sunshine and views across the north face and Highlands, it doesn’t get better!  Lots of skills covered in preparation for an Alpine trip which Anne and Mark have planned….

Lots of people out on the ridges of the Ben yesterday.  With massive looming cornices and warm day time temperatures many faces and gullies are still a no go really, the Minus face gullies which are not threatened all have been climbed as well as Left-hand route though, also the Orions Face and other variations on there…  An early morning ascent of something on the buttress to the right of Point 5 was climbed also and there seemed to be a way off the top easily through the barrier of BIG cornices on that part of the face.  NE Buttress, Tower Ridge, Ledge Route and others all busy…

No.4 Gully has not been descended recently, a fall was taken from there when a cornice gave way 2 days ago resulting in a 300m slide, luckily the climber was OK but with a broken leg.  The cornices are especially big this year with all the persistent winter storms and often seem filled in under their lips at a glance, their sheer weight though seems to be causing collapses regardless with massive debris below every major gully on the Ben yesterday.