The hiking gear and adventures thread...

[Snow and Rocks]

No shear drops or narrow ridges on the Ben Nevis tourist track although the track does skirt the edge of the North face near the summit. It's worth paying attention on the summit plateau as snow often lies well into the summer and the cliffs can have a pretty decent cornice. People often wander out to the edge for the the view completely unaware that there's nothing underneath them apart from some thawing snow and a few thousand feet of air.

The best walking route onto Ben Nevis is definitely by going up onto Carn Mor Dearg and following the arete round and up onto the summit of Nevis - great day out in good weather but a fair step up from the tourist track both in terms of terrain and exposure. Incredible views though.

[Bill]

Snow and Rocks said:

The best walking route onto Ben Nevis is definitely by going up onto Carn Mor Dearg and following the arete round and up onto the summit of Nevis - great day out in good weather but a fair step up from the tourist track both in terms of terrain and exposure. Incredible views though.

That's an understatement! A big day out...

[mikeiow]

TheThing said:

Thank you both for the replies. The Ranger path is the least used path out of all of them as far as I can tell. The scenery was stunning though. Summit conditions were pretty bad too be fair but it was my first mountain and I learned some valuable lessons.

Are there any shear drops from the path on Ben Nevis and does the path get very narrow at any point? I'm just trying to do as much research as I can before we go and would like to here from people that have actually been up there.

Various gully’s on the top. If snow is about, be very cautious.

Only done it once, part of a 2005 Three Peaks I organised for work.
FIL was RAF mountain rescue for much of his career. Casually told me about the time his team had to collect the various parts of 9 people who had plummeted through the snow overhanging a gully. They guessed they had all blindly followed a leader. Put the body parts in wheelbarrows to match up later
Filled me with confidence!
The path itself is pretty straightforward, if a bit of a drag.
We went in early July, & conditions were still murky with patches of snow about:

[TheThing]

Thank you all for the advice.

Seems like it's just the usual common sense stuff to bare in mind then. Basically stay away form the edge on the summit and stick to the path on the way up.

CMD route is not for me. I'm scared of heights!

[Phil.]

This is me near the summit of Ben Nevis at the end of June last year. Lovely and sunny in the car park, horizontal hail halfway up, and freezing cloud at the top. As usual there were many climbing in trainers and t-shirts who turned back, thankfully. The cloud cleared on the way down so we did have some views. The week before it was glorious weather apparently.

I found the man-made rocky path quite slippy and difficult in places on the way down but understand why they have to build these paths nowadays. It was more than 30 years since I last climbed Ben Nevis and the paths were organic in those days.

[Bill]

TheThing said:

Seems like it's just the usual common sense stuff to bare in mind then. Basically stay away form the edge on the summit and stick to the path on the way up.

In good visibility it is, in bad it's far from straightforward: https://ben-nevis.com/navigation/navigation.php

[TheThing]

Bill said:

TheThing said:

Seems like it's just the usual common sense stuff to bare in mind then. Basically stay away form the edge on the summit and stick to the path on the way up.

In good visibility it is, in bad it's far from straightforward: https://ben-nevis.com/navigation/navigation.php

Thanks for this. I will keep it in mind.

[sjabrown]

Re Ben Nevis to echo the advice of others here be prepared especially if you are not regularly in mountains. Key things:
A map, compass and ability to use both especially on the summit plateau in poor visibility.
Avoid the cornices overhanging the north face.
Temperature drops by about 1 celcius per 100m height therefore it’s roughly 13 celcius cooler up top than at the main carpark.
Weather: sun at the carpark does not mean sun at the top, and it can be very windy.
For weather and temperature have appropriate clothing and footwear. It’s easy to take layers off but difficult to put extra layers on if you don’t have them with you.
Food and water… carry sufficient as I wouldn’t drink from anywhere on the hill now given how many use it as a toilet.

That all said it is one of the busiest hills and in good weather is a continual stream of people up and down the main path.

Finally if you’re not liking the conditions just turn back. The hill will always be there for another day.

(and I don’t particularly want to be busier than I have to be… (mountain rescue team member of a neighbouring team))

[TheThing]

sjabrown said:

Re Ben Nevis to echo the advice of others here be prepared especially if you are not regularly in mountains. Key things:
A map, compass and ability to use both especially on the summit plateau in poor visibility.
Avoid the cornices overhanging the north face.
Temperature drops by about 1 celcius per 100m height therefore it’s roughly 13 celcius cooler up top than at the main carpark.
Weather: sun at the carpark does not mean sun at the top, and it can be very windy.
For weather and temperature have appropriate clothing and footwear. It’s easy to take layers off but difficult to put extra layers on if you don’t have them with you.
Food and water… carry sufficient as I wouldn’t drink from anywhere on the hill now given how many use it as a toilet.

That all said it is one of the busiest hills and in good weather is a continual stream of people up and down the main path.

Finally if you’re not liking the conditions just turn back. The hill will always be there for another day.

(and I don’t particularly want to be busier than I have to be… (mountain rescue team member of a neighbouring team))

Thanks for the advice. I am a regular walker but not used to to being in mountains. Snowdon was the first one I walked earlier this week and to be honest it was horrendous. 70mph gusts with -15°c wind chill was certainly a shock. Shouldn't of done it in hindsight but it's not a mistake I will make again.

My biggest worry is exposure as I am not good with heights. Having said all of the above, I did find it weirdly addictive!

[ben5575]

TheThing said:

Thanks for the advice. I am a regular walker but not used to to being in mountains. Snowdon was the first one I walked earlier this week and to be honest it was horrendous. 70mph gusts with -15°c wind chill was certainly a shock. Shouldn't of done it in hindsight but it's not a mistake I will make again.

My biggest worry is exposure as I am not good with heights. Having said all of the above, I did find it weirdly addictive!

Type 2 is the best fun

[w1bbles]

TheThing said:

My biggest worry is exposure as I am not good with heights.

In which case, best to give the CMD arete a body swerve. It's not particularly dangerous but there are some bits when you need a bit of a head for heights and take the ridge rather than the (IMO) more dangerous bypass routes, where being lower is not being safer. One slip on those and you're falling a long way down a very steep slope. If you stick to the ridge you feel more exposed but it's much more secure underfoot.

[Faust66]

w1bbles said:

TheThing said:

My biggest worry is exposure as I am not good with heights.

In which case, best to give the CMD arete a body swerve. It's not particularly dangerous but there are some bits when you need a bit of a head for heights and take the ridge rather than the (IMO) more dangerous bypass routes, where being lower is not being safer. One slip on those and you're falling a long way down a very steep slope. If you stick to the ridge you feel more exposed but it's much more secure underfoot.

Glad it's not just me OP.

I'm not too bad with heights if the footing is firm and there is only a drop on one side (if that makes sense) but the thought of ridges makes me feel ill. I struggle to even watch videos of people walking along Striding Edge etc as I start feeling nervous and a bit nauseous.

I think that knowing your limits and not putting yourself or others in danger is probably a good idea.

[VTECMatt]

My trusty backpack of 10 years old needs retiring, it is literally falling to pieces! I usually go out for a day, never do overnight. Don’t take mega kit but space for poles and ice axes for winter helpful.

What brand is good these days?

Tia

Matt

[Bill]

I'm very happy with my 6-y-o Lowe Alpine Alpine Ascent, but it looks like they don't make it any more...

[w1bbles]

I have a Berghaus that has survived a good battering - first breakage after 10 years was today when I noticed that a clasp had broken. Their current 30L offering is what my daughter has and I like it:

https://www.berghaus.com/unisex-arrow-30-rucsac-bl...

[yellowbentines]

VTECMatt said:

My trusty backpack of 10 years old needs retiring, it is literally falling to pieces! I usually go out for a day, never do overnight. Don’t take mega kit but space for poles and ice axes for winter helpful.

What brand is good these days?

Tia

Matt

I've been using a Lowe Alpine Airzone Pro Trail 35:45 for a couple of years now and love it. (edited to note the correct one - unsure if they still make it)

Even when doing small afternoon walks of a few hours with nothing more than sandwiches and a flask ill take it over my other smaller backpacks as its comfy and accessible.

Loads of pockets of various sizes, where you'd want them. Split main compartment, stowage for poles and axe, built in rain cover etc etc.

Edited by yellowbentines on Saturday 27th April 20:56

[Faust66]

I use an Osprey Kestrel 38 litre pack for day walks.

Really comfortable, plenty of space, great options for stowing walking poles and water bottles... I'd recommend one.

https://www.osprey.com/eu/osprey-kestrel-38-s23#co...

You can get them a lot cheaper if you shop around (think I paid £140 for mine).

[Matt..]

I switched to fast packing packs for day hikes. They’re really comfortable and have good bottle and snack storage on the straps. I use a Salomon XA15 outside of winter. I’d quite like the 25L version of this pack for days where I carry more.

[troc]

I use an arc’teryx pack for urban trips and the. Had a mountain equipment pack for mountaineering and climbing. And an exped pack for hiking and camping.

Oh and a Scott avalanche backpack for ski mountaineering and touring.

I probably need to address my backpack addiction.

[LordHaveMurci]

I use an Osprey Hikelite 18ltr for most day walks, it is a little tight for space this time of year.

I have a 30ltr Berghaus which is a better size but I don’t really like it so looking for a 28-33ltr Osprey.
Loads of people I walk with use an Osprey Talon.

Had a 38ltr Osprey Kestrel but way too big for a day bag.