Anyone climbed Ben Nevis?
Discussion
Did the tourist route twice last year, 1st time in June was the worst weather i have ever had with a rain / wind / complete white out at the top, couldnt see from 1 marker to the next and had to use compass so not to stray, 1 month later and clear on summit and really see the danger of wandering off in low visibility so dont be complacent.
Did the CMD route this year, absolutely epic but the hardest route i have ever done. Good luck with whatever route you do, get some training in, even walking up and down your stairs for an hour will help, dosent matter how fit you are if you havent walked terrain like that before it WILL hurt !
Did the CMD route this year, absolutely epic but the hardest route i have ever done. Good luck with whatever route you do, get some training in, even walking up and down your stairs for an hour will help, dosent matter how fit you are if you havent walked terrain like that before it WILL hurt !
BoRED S2upid said:
And flares and a tent just incase. I jest. Seriously guys he's doing the tourist route as part of a guided fundraising walk it will be a case of following the hundreds of others up and down. Providing he's not wearing flip flops (and I have seen people in flip flops and trainers) he will be fine.
Flip flops AND trainers? How cumbersome 
simoid said:
BoRED S2upid said:
And flares and a tent just incase. I jest. Seriously guys he's doing the tourist route as part of a guided fundraising walk it will be a case of following the hundreds of others up and down. Providing he's not wearing flip flops (and I have seen people in flip flops and trainers) he will be fine.
Flip flops AND trainers? How cumbersome Going up any mountain in the UK one needn't have the equipment needed for an Everest summit but it makes sense not to take the piss in the opposite direction.
(Poor buggers on Everest this weekend...very sad...)
I did the tourist route with my wife a few years back in November, it was a beautiful clear sunny day. When we were about half way up clouds swept across and visibility was instantly reduced, the final part of the ascent was in fairly deep snow thick fog and very poor visibility. Always go well prepared as conditions can change massively in a matter of minutes, it's the unexpected that catches people out.
All depends. How fit are you?
The route I took was very easy however I was very fit at the time. Couldn't do it today.
However the usual route isn't very strenuous.
Oh you don't need a map. Lol. The normal trail is just a path. There will be hundreds of people in it you can't go wrong. More important as others have said is a decent layer of waterproofs and warmth.
We started it was a glorious sunny day by half way up freezing and miserable.
The route I took was very easy however I was very fit at the time. Couldn't do it today.
However the usual route isn't very strenuous.
Oh you don't need a map. Lol. The normal trail is just a path. There will be hundreds of people in it you can't go wrong. More important as others have said is a decent layer of waterproofs and warmth.
We started it was a glorious sunny day by half way up freezing and miserable.
Edited by Pesty on Sunday 26th April 09:20
climbed or walked.
I've walked the tourist path and its relatively easy, but I ached like a b
h for several days later despite doing a fair bit of 'training' before hand. Did it in around 6hrs from the youth hostel in Fort William. Good Fell runners can do it in about 1.5hrs from the centre of Fort William. They are like fecking mountain goats
Its tougher than the other peaks cos is higher and you start pretty much from sea level, but its easier terrain if you stick to the path. I did Snowdon from pen y pas, but via the infamous Crib Goch - that was a never again moment.
I've walked the tourist path and its relatively easy, but I ached like a b
h for several days later despite doing a fair bit of 'training' before hand. Did it in around 6hrs from the youth hostel in Fort William. Good Fell runners can do it in about 1.5hrs from the centre of Fort William. They are like fecking mountain goats Its tougher than the other peaks cos is higher and you start pretty much from sea level, but its easier terrain if you stick to the path. I did Snowdon from pen y pas, but via the infamous Crib Goch - that was a never again moment.
sparkyhx said:
Its tougher than the other peaks cos is higher and you start pretty much from sea level, but its easier terrain if you stick to the path. I did Snowdon from pen y pas, but via the infamous Crib Goch - that was a never again moment.
Last year we attempted the 3 Peaks. This was beginning of July and as others have said, there was snow and randomly some fairly thick fog up top, visibility at one point was down to about 20 feet. That said, whilst it's a long old schlep you can't go wrong if you're going via the tourist route and it isn't massively difficult.
When we got to Scafell in the morning, there was a bit of fog so we thought we'd have a quick kip while it cleared. Woke up under an hour later and couldn't even see the bloody mountain, only got thicker too
As we aren't massively experienced and none of us had done Scafell before so didn't know where we were going without the aid of the maps, we decided to cut our losses on it, not risk it and just go to Snowdon. Decided to go via Crib Goch. 70 mph winds and torrential rain put a stop to that one too
We're going back to redo it in the next month or so though sparkyhx said:
climbed or walked.
I've walked the tourist path and its relatively easy, but I ached like a bh for several days later despite doing a fair bit of 'training' before hand. Did it in around 6hrs from the youth hostel in Fort William. Good Fell runners can do it in about 1.5hrs from the centre of Fort William. They are like fecking mountain goats
Its tougher than the other peaks cos is higher and you start pretty much from sea level, but its easier terrain if you stick to the path. I did Snowdon from pen y pas, but via the infamous Crib Goch - that was a never again moment.
The Ben felt like a walk in the park compared to Scarfell Pike.I've walked the tourist path and its relatively easy, but I ached like a b
h for several days later despite doing a fair bit of 'training' before hand. Did it in around 6hrs from the youth hostel in Fort William. Good Fell runners can do it in about 1.5hrs from the centre of Fort William. They are like fecking mountain goats Its tougher than the other peaks cos is higher and you start pretty much from sea level, but its easier terrain if you stick to the path. I did Snowdon from pen y pas, but via the infamous Crib Goch - that was a never again moment.
Apart from the top third it's a very steady and gentle climb, just long.
Near the top it would be easy to fall a long way if visibility is bad though.
Don said:
simoid said:
BoRED S2upid said:
And flares and a tent just incase. I jest. Seriously guys he's doing the tourist route as part of a guided fundraising walk it will be a case of following the hundreds of others up and down. Providing he's not wearing flip flops (and I have seen people in flip flops and trainers) he will be fine.
Flip flops AND trainers? How cumbersome Going up any mountain in the UK one needn't have the equipment needed for an Everest summit but it makes sense not to take the piss in the opposite direction.
(Poor buggers on Everest this weekend...very sad...)
As far as kit goes for anything except the mildest hillwalk I take as a minimum:
A decent backpack
Water (2-3 litres)
Snacks (nuts and sweets, more if out for a long time)
Map (in a map case or sandwich bag) & compass
Waterproof layer
Warm layer inside canoe bag (only to be worn when stationary and kept as dry as possible)
Decent boots
Mobile phone
Additional stuff to think about taking:
first aid kit
camera
insect replellent
Sunglasses
Gloves
walking pole/s
GPS
More canoe type bags
A decent backpack
Water (2-3 litres)
Snacks (nuts and sweets, more if out for a long time)
Map (in a map case or sandwich bag) & compass
Waterproof layer
Warm layer inside canoe bag (only to be worn when stationary and kept as dry as possible)
Decent boots
Mobile phone
Additional stuff to think about taking:
first aid kit
camera
insect replellent
Sunglasses
Gloves
walking pole/s
GPS
More canoe type bags
As many have said, its a very clearly defined path with visible cairns marking the route for all bar the last kilometre or so but be careful and you will be fine, especially in big groups. Last time I went up it was behind a huge group walking up it for charity, the group was huge and you could see a string of bright jackets all the way up the hill (so we turned left at the tarn and sought an alternative route up via the CIC hut) but if I was climbing it for the first time, that would have been a good confidence boost. The tourist path is fun though it will be cold at the summit so dont hang around there too long.
There is a navigation technique that you could do with knowing which gets you off the summit in bad weather by following a straight path, its on the link below.
Only take a map and compass if you are comfortable using it in bad weather, if you have one, others will be expecting you to know how to use it.
Dont take poles either, you dont need them, they are a pain in the arse and they will slow you down on the descent, speaking of which, its lots of fun to descend quickly, not running but just at a canter, let gravity take you a bit but also just keep an eye on your footing and stay nimble almost jumping from the big rocks. We went from the summit to the youth hostel in well under an hour. If you are tired or suffering from fatigue, just bimble down as you see fit.
Two good links
http://www.livefortheoutdoors.com/upload/545899/at...
http://ben-nevis.com/navigation/navigation.php
There is a navigation technique that you could do with knowing which gets you off the summit in bad weather by following a straight path, its on the link below.
Only take a map and compass if you are comfortable using it in bad weather, if you have one, others will be expecting you to know how to use it.
Dont take poles either, you dont need them, they are a pain in the arse and they will slow you down on the descent, speaking of which, its lots of fun to descend quickly, not running but just at a canter, let gravity take you a bit but also just keep an eye on your footing and stay nimble almost jumping from the big rocks. We went from the summit to the youth hostel in well under an hour. If you are tired or suffering from fatigue, just bimble down as you see fit.
Two good links
http://www.livefortheoutdoors.com/upload/545899/at...
http://ben-nevis.com/navigation/navigation.php
Edited by anonymous-user on Monday 27th April 12:32
Gratuitous mountain shot;
- and that's Alfie, my 11yo son on the way back down in April 2014. He had to keep waiting for his unfit lardy Dad, and would have improved our 6.5hour round trip time without this old laggard. His first and only mountain ascent.
Brilliant day out, sore as hell for days after (something in the thighs...) amazed to see others referring to the tourist map - the one they dish out for free at the visitor centre - to guide them up. We had the OS map and GPS - the latter being very handy in the white out on top when retracing our footsteps.
You can gauge from the image how busy it is - this is mid-week, possibly several hundred peeps stretched out over the entire course? Maybe more? The weather was mostly fab, too.
- and that's Alfie, my 11yo son on the way back down in April 2014. He had to keep waiting for his unfit lardy Dad, and would have improved our 6.5hour round trip time without this old laggard. His first and only mountain ascent.
Brilliant day out, sore as hell for days after (something in the thighs...) amazed to see others referring to the tourist map - the one they dish out for free at the visitor centre - to guide them up. We had the OS map and GPS - the latter being very handy in the white out on top when retracing our footsteps.
You can gauge from the image how busy it is - this is mid-week, possibly several hundred peeps stretched out over the entire course? Maybe more? The weather was mostly fab, too.
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