I’m just back from four days climbing on Ben Nevis. On Sunday Andy and I climbed Fawlty Towers up on to Tower Ridge, descended the lower section of the ridge and abseiled the East Gully of the Douglas Boulder.
On Monday I met John and a Falkirk Community Trust team of Neil, Pete, Tam and Tom for two nights in the CIC Hut. We walked up to the hut and needing a quick route for the afternoon Tam, Tom and I did the first two pitches of Fawlty Towers and abseiled off whilst John, Neil and Pete did the first two pitches of Italian Right-Hand.
On Tuesday Tam, Tom and I climbed The Curtain then headed initially up Ledge Route and then a good ice pitch and an ice groove to the right at about III to pop out back on to Ledge Route just above the large pinnacle block. We then descended over the top of Moonlight Gully Buttress. John, Neil and Pete climbed Green Gully in excellent condition, descended Number Four Gully and climbed the first couple of pitches of Central Gully Right-Hand before abbing off.
Today before walking out John, Neil and Pete climbed The Curtain and descended Ledge Route whilst Tam, Tom and I climbed the first two pitches of Italian Right-Hand to cap off an excellent few days.
On Sunday the lower level routes were thawing slowly and Fawlty Towers was dripping as we climbed. The thaw continued slowly on Monday and we met Buzz and Jess who’d decided against Nordwand, which had been reported as very good a few days before. Over Monday and Tuesday nights there was a frost, which has helped consolidate the snow and slowed the thawing of the lower level ice routes. The higher crags are still rimed, but the lower crags are now pretty black apart from gullies and ice lines. Hadrian’s Wall Direct and Point Five have both been climbed in the last few days and were reported as being very good.
