1st February 2014 - Ben Nevis in poor conditions

Stunning views this morning down the Glen towards Stob Ban

The low level of snow made everything very pretty. The wind made things a little different...

Things began to deteriorate from the Half way Lochan on-wards

Goggles on and a mix of spin drift and fresh snow met us on the upper half of the mountain

Avalanche debris and a wall of wind slab (complete with cornice) at the Red Burn

On the retreat: Our knee deep footprints were covered over in less than 20 minutes...

It has been a while since I updated this blog unfortunately, but I have been pretty busy working at Outward Bound and Kilbowie, as well as plenty of guiding in the months leading up to Christmas. Since then, it's been pretty quiet. Which is no bad thing considering the horrific weather and snow pack conditions we have been experiencing.

Today, however, I was out making an attempt on the Ben with a strong team from Leeds. They drove up yesterday having planned this trip well in advance, so were pretty keen to get up there and claim their prize. However, conditions were pretty horrendous, with High Risk avalanche warnings on the SAIS forecast from West to North East slopes above 750m - precisely on our path up the zig-zags. Add to this high winds (increasing through the day) and a rising temperature and it was definitely a day for gut feeling judgements and correct decisions.

We made excellent time up from Achintee, moving fast and enjoying the stunning views of the winter wonderland that had appeared over night. As we got round to Windy Corner, however, the winds started picking up and along by Halfway Lochan we decided to goggle up. Conditions were really starting to look grim, visibility was deteriorating and the wind was increasing rapidly but we decided to go and have a gander up to the Red Burn. We crossed some worryingly unstable patches of snow on the footpath, and had a wee look at the snow pack to see what was going on. As we approached the Red Burn visibility was almost zero, and I was alarmed to see what appeared to be some serious avalanche debris in the gully. Suddenly the cloud cleared and a wall of windslab topped with a rather large cornice loomed out of the cloud. I had a quick look at it but decided it was too unstable to risk climbing up or skirting round, and so we decided to head back down, defeated by the mountain. Our footprints (often knee deep and in places thigh deep) from twenty minutes previous were now completely covered over, an indication of how much snow was falling or being deposited in the area at that time.

On the way down we met some other teams heading up, some well equipped some not so well equipped but for the most part some good decisions were made by the people who were out in the area.

All in all it was a great day out regardless of how far we got, it was good craic and the lads seemed to enjoy their day - hopefully they can make it up again this winter for a more successful attempt! Thanks guys.

Today I was working for the Highland Mountain Company.

14th October 2012 - A few trips on the Ben

Today I had a super early start working for Alan Kimber leading a group up Ben Nevis. The group were originally aiming to set off between 5 and 6 yesterday evening, but travelling from London via mini bus takes far longer than you might think...

In the end the idea of starting as soon as they arrived (some time after 1am this morning) was binned in favour of a 6.30am start, and so I found myself at the Glen Nevis Youth Hostel just before half 6. I managed to gather most of the group before Al turned up to dish out some kit and a general safety brief, but it was still almost half 7 until they were all ready to depart. We took a long slow trip up Heart Attack hill, with the group very unevenly matched for pace: some were very quick and prepared, whilst others were less fit and took longer to cover the ground. The conversation was very interesting as it was a Muslim group and it was great to talk to them about their backgrounds and beliefs. They were very pleased to have someone open minded asking questions, and we all got along very well.

Sadly, however, one member of the group was seriously struggling, and a few zigs and zags above heart attack junction I decided that enough was enough - we had already spent much of our allocated time allowance getting to where we were and I was not going to risk someone in the group getting injured or worse. So we turned back and slowly made our way back down to their transport. Again, the conversation was varied and very interesting, and the group seemed to enjoy the day regardless of how far they got. They have a long journey back to London ahead of them, but they will hopefully return to conquer the Ben when they are in better shape and better prepared. They were raising money for orphans in Eastern Europe, so hopefully they get a good amount.

After getting home and having a relaxing afternoon, Anna and I enjoyed a take away (well earned) and were just settling down for the evening when their was a Mountain Rescue call out. An elderly gentleman required assistance getting down from the Ben Track with an injured foot. We got up in good time and stretchered him off safely. Heres hoping for a speedy recovery and a return to the hills soon!

I am shadowing/doing some induction work at Outward Bound tomorrow. The forecast looks decent but for now I am in serious need of my bed!

15th September 2012 - Guiding on Ben Nevis

About to head off

Above Heart Attack Hill

Sticking together

Linda preparing for the weather...

At the Red Burn - half way there!

Looking out over Glen Nevis

The team on the summit

Cheers, and well done everyone!

Today saw me leading a group from Moss Park Care Home in Fort William up the Ben in order to raise money for their comfort fund. There were 9 in the group, and we made good progress up to the Red Burn at half way. From here on in the wind increased steadily, and brought with it much colder temperatures for the team to deal with. Above Corner 6 visibility decreased dramatically, spoiling our view, but the team ploughed on nonetheless and made it to the summit shortly after 2pm. As always, the tourist track was like the A82 - overcrowded with very few places to pass!

After a few misty shots on the summit, we quickly ate our lunch and moved off on our way back down to Achintee. Progress was much quicker going down as the majority of the big teams had already started off before us. There was a good number of Lochaber Mountain Rescue Team members out guiding too, so it was nice to exchange a few words with them as we passed each other by.

We made it down in reasonably good time, getting to Achintee at around half 5 - just in time for a well earned pint and a steak dinner! Thanks guys for a cracking day out, and good luck raising money for the home :)