Scottish Weekender - Saturday

Following my very disappointing day at Tremadog on Thursday, Saturday has made me feel good about myself once again! Phew!

Happy faces after a long day

Jon and I had plans to go to Scotland for the weekend, it never happened last weekend as the weather became rubbish last minute. This week though, it was good. So off we went on Friday evening at about 5. Jon drove the whole way fair play, and we got to the North Face car park of Ben Nevis at just before midnight. Nice clear roads! Jon's van is amazing, and we slept like logs on the comfy bed.

Jon on the 'Chute' pitch of Zero Gully

We woke up, switched the heater on, and after 5 minutes got out of bed to a nice warm van. Stuffed some food in us and left the car park for the epic walk in at about 7. The walk in was nice in some ways, the views, and being somewhere new for me, but horrible in other ways, like how it goes on forever. By 8:20 we were at the CIC hut, and we kitted up just beyond this where the snow slopes started. We decided to head over to 'Zero Gully' (V 4), hoping we might be the first there (as we were the first from the car park to this point). We got to the base of the route at 9:50, just before 2 others, to find there were people on the route above us. Apparently moving very slowly too. As the ice was not cracky, dinner plating water ice though, there was little in the way of badness coming down, so we proceeded. Soloing the first pitch to the base of the Chute, where Jon lead up, with little good gear, bar one well frozen in stuck cam by the hard move, very handy. The Chute pitch was probably the crux of the route, with one difficult move stepping right on the steepening. Jon's belay wasn't much cop, axes and bulldog, with a screw in snow ice. We had no choice though.

Climbing the summit shelter

My next pitch was also pretty good, with a little cheeky step, to a good solid belay. We were just under the party ahead by now, who were a little higher as their 60m ropes gave them a 10m advantage over us. Jon lead past them though, on easy ground, and then we moved together, full on Ueli Steck style to the top. With our lungs hanging out our backsides we summited in the fog, under 2 hours after starting. Which we were quite pleased with.

A short stroll lead us to the very summit, and the shelter there was so fatly hoared up I climbed up it for a photo. It was only mid day now, and we had loads of time for another route, so we wanted to head back down. We knew number 4 gully was the best place, but wondered if there was anywhere nearer. In the clearing fog, we knew which way to go but didn't know how far, and it was at this point we realised that we had left the map somewhere (under the Croissants it turned out in the van!). Lessons learnt about not trying to weight save too much by taking only 1 small laminated map piece!!! Visibility wasn't too bad though, so we followed the right sort of general direction, until we found the post conveniently marking number 4 gully, and we descended that. All the way down to the CIC hut.

Jon walking down from 'Number 4 Gully'

On this descent we decided to do 'Point Five' (V 5) as our second route of the day, as by now anyone on it should be near the top, the weather was improving, and of course its such a classic we didn't want to miss an opportunity. Slogging up to the base of it was one of the hardest things ever though. And we both wanted to die. It took ages too.

The horror slog up to Point Five

We started climbing at just gone half 2. I did the first pitch, which surprisingly was the crux of it, the step being a lot steeper then it looked, to a peg belay. Jon then lead the second 'Narrows' pitch. He was unusually exhausted by this point, like I have never seen him, a result of a weeks teaching, a massive drive, 6 hours sleep and a long walk in at a good pace I think. He got cramp half way up, about 7m from the belay with no gear which was scary I must admit. Even for me. But he got rid of it and finished easily. The next pitch, the 'Rogue pitch' was my lead, and wasn't half as steep as it looked from the base of the route! After that again we moved together to the top, topping out two and half hours after starting at 5.

Jon on 'The Narrows'

Me on the 'Rogue Pitch'

The top out was stunning. Absolutely amazing. All south of the Ben there was a cloud inversion, as far as you could see, and over the top of this a perfect orange sunset. I have never seen anything like it. I wanted to film Jon's expression as he topped out behind me, but my camera died. It was priceless though! A quick pack up, walk back to number 4 gully to descend, and then an epic trudge out got us back to the van for 8. 

Sunset on the top of Ben Nevis

What a day, I have never climbed in Scotland before, and to have done those 2 classic routes, in perfect conditions, and catching that sunset all in my first day was just something else. Really special. We were totally knackered though, an Indian meal down in Fort William, a quick celebratory pint and bed is all we managed that evening.