Strong winds and deep new snow.

On Ledge Route today.

Lots of wind and fresh snow and one one person avalanched down Number Four Gully for 300 metres, even after abseiling in and testing the slope.

The week ahead looks pretty similar to at least a couple of weather patterns we have seen this winter. It depends where the high pressure decides to lay its head. Check out Ten days Weather and you can see we are never far away from some cold air. Watch out for falling cornices though if it gets a little milder. The ice high on Ben Nevis is ‘fat’ and will not go missing for a while yet. He said hopefully:)

Thanks to Tom Parkin for all of these pictures taken today.

Queues on Glovers Chimney and Tower Ridge.

A busy day on Number Three Gully Buttress and Two-Step Corner,

Neptune Gully, North Trident Buttress.

Winter keeps trundling on and the week ahead looks both mild and cold from time to time.

Not enough ice on The Curtain

Head north folks. BBC weather were showing high pressure, good weather into the week ahead. Conditions should be good.

Hi Alan. Climbed Glovers Chimney yesterday on excellent ice and with the top chimney in good condition. This said, I did however manage to drop a Petzl Aztar hammer from the first belay. Any chance you could post this on your website to see if any kind soul chanced upon it? Many thanks Alex Wheeldon.

alex_wheeldon@yahoo.co.uk
mobile: 07792 462551

Glovers Chimney area today

Number Three Gully Buttress area today

Thanks to David Haygarth for these photos taken from Coire na Ciste on Ben Nevis today. Pretty good effort getting that far David in the blizzard conditions today.

Tomorrows avalanche hazard is set to increase.

Hi there Alan.
My name is Dave Sharpe and I’m a young lakes based climber who has stayed at your bunkhouse a couple of times. I’m getting in touch to ask a small favour. I was up climbing Observatory Buttress yesterday (24th March) on the Ben and managed to drop a small rack of large wired nuts. We went back around down Tower gully to look but they weren’t there and i think someone may have picked them up in passing. I think your site is excellent for checking conditions and i use it a lot. I’ve noticed you sometimes spread the word about ‘lost’ kit dropped on routes etc, and wondered if you wouldn’t mind mentioning the nuts on your blog. I would be very grateful…
They are 5/6 wired nuts of around size 6 and up on a single crab, and are all marked with green / yellow and black electrical tape.
On the plus side the route was in good condition with fat ice most of the way after avoiding the fist pitch by going right. The only problem being the amount of spindrift coming down at times…!
I will be dotting around Fort William for a while and should anything turn up will be contactable on this email address or mob no:07706 043407.
Many thanks!
Dave Sharpe.