Ben Nevis

[PeteS]

I know this post is old but snow still very low, it's been snowing on and off all week. Hard old compact snow to 3,000ft, summit still has a good 1.5-2.00 metres of snow on it...Expect it to last all year
...guiding wise its Winter ML territory.

Cheers for the update Ian.

I have been asked to guide a group of work mates who are tackling the Ben to raise money for Cure Leukaemia. I will be up there on the 12th and most of the party have done plenty of mountain walking but have very little in the way of full on winter experience.
From your description, its sounds like that unless we get a miraculous heatwave and decent weather we should be thinking of alternatives? Do you agree?
Does anyone know to any web sites that are updated regularly with Scottish mountain top conditions? Most of the weather sites I normally use don't provide much detail on ground conditions and the winter advisory ones are all shutdown as its supposedly summer - I wish!

[anthonykay]

This won't be much use to Pete S, but every year the Royal Meteorological Society's magazine "Weather" has an article detailing survival of Scottish snow patches through the previous Summer. Typically on Ben Nevis there may be snow patches that remain through the Summer in some of the sheltered gullies, but never on the summit (as far as I can remember) - so crampons not likely to be required for the Ben Race in September!

There seems to be an army of volunteer observers who send in reports of snow patches: if you want to join them, send details of snow patches (length, width, depth, exact location, date of observation) to Iain Cameron, [email protected], who compiles the data, any time from late June until the first snows of Autumn.

In the last few years "Weather" has also carried articles about snow patch survival in England and Wales. Send Iain Cameron observations of any snow patches observed in these countries in late Spring and early Summer (one patch lasted until 18 June in Brown Cove, Helvellyn in 2014). This refers to packed snow remaining from Winter, not here-today-gone-tomorrow snow from typical Lakeland Spring weather!

[IanDarkpeak]

Cheers for the update Ian.

I have been asked to guide a group of work mates who are tackling the Ben to raise money for Cure Leukaemia. I will be up there on the 12th and most of the party have done plenty of mountain walking but have very little in the way of full on winter experience.
From your description, its sounds like that unless we get a miraculous heatwave and decent weather we should be thinking of alternatives? Do you agree?
Does anyone know to any web sites that are updated regularly with Scottish mountain top conditions? Most of the weather sites I normally use don't provide much detail on ground conditions and the winter advisory ones are all shutdown as its supposedly summer - I wish!

Just did a very long post and then lost it all...

so briefly, sill lots of snow on the ben from 3200ft, still 2m on summit. for your info virtually all local guiding services are only using Winter ML qualified guides as the amount of snow puts it out side ML remit, If you are guiding are you responsible for the group? what happens if some one inexperienced slips and gets hurt.

grey corries and Anoachs also well covered in snow as is West side of Glen Coe

I would suggest you either pay for a Winter ML (about £140) or go do a better hill where you wont have to queue, there's no litter, no erosion, more wildlife.

will give you a further update after weekend. I've friends going up the Ben

[PeteS]

Cheers for the update Ian. We will be travelling up late next week and aim to make a final decision when we get there. However i'm already planning an alternative as it's been decided that even if we do not make it up the Ben we can compensate by doing an equivalent distance and total ascent elsewhere.

[martymayhem]

I was up the Ben last weekend. very poor weather and can only support what Ian Darkpeak says. I was leading a group of 7 well equipped but non-outdoor chaps up as part of our 3 peaks challenge. It was about -13c windchill and blowing bullet ice from about 1100m upwards. Snow from the 3rd turn on the zig zag path and we made the decision to turn back due to the deteriorating conditions and after speaking to several climbers on their decent in full winter kit with crampons and axes etc who never made the summit. The weather has not improved much since then and I expect unless we get some good weather for a sustained period it will be like that for a while. Crazy for this time of year!

[geronimo]

I better dust off my crampons for the Ben fell race in September then

[BillJ]

I was on the Ben on Monday for a Tranters Round.
There is a lot of snow from 1100m, though it was no problem without crampons or ice-axes.
Bit more interesting getting down to the CMD arete. The arete itself was icy but not under snow.

[Knightrunner]

At this time of year the weather is more important than ground conditions. I led a three peaks trip up there mid April and although there was masses of snow there was no wind, no precipitation and a wonderful sunset. Most of the group had no crampons and were fine, and we had fun tobogganing down to the zig zags in our waterproof trousers. However we were prepared to turn back if it got dicey and as others have said, if the weather turns it is a very different situation indeed

[Stagger]

Race card arrived ����

[Stagger]

Massive thanks to the Ben committee for another great event.
Well done Finley on another good win.
Cracking day too.