Continuing very Good

It has rained a little this afternoon, but light snow on the tops. Cold weather is set to dominate right into next week, and maybe Easter. Make sure your B&B offers early breakfasts! Watch out for some crowded routes unless you start very early.



Hi Alan,

Now that the crowds have disappeared Adam and I decided to take a day
off. We did Tower ridge in Alpine conditions and Comb gully afterwards.
Note the photo with the guy who was looking for quick descent routes to
the bottom of Indicator wall.

Cheers,

Henning

Thanks Henning. Just goes to show how solid everything is on Nevis just now:-)) Please don't try to emulate this brave (?) man.

AND

The photograph of that guy standing on the cornice has to be an all time
classic!

You know he should copyright it before it ends up on one those ads...you
know the ones - probably an insurance ad - Company XXXXX is here for
those moments that you least expect in life...

Ken




Hi Alan,

Just to keep you up to date with activities on the Ben and what an
incredibly contrasting last week it's been. Last Monday (the19th), I
battled up the complete line of an icy hard Observatory Buttress
alone in a raging blizzard with huge windchill temperatures and
practically zero visibility. Finding a way to the top from the Girdle
Traverse was pretty challenging especially on the avalanche prone
slopes.

On Friday (the 23rd), I was back on the mountain early for a solo of
Orion Direct, and a fantastic hour and a half of peaceful climbing,
breaking through a cloud inversion to top out on a deserted plateau.
After soaking up the sun for a while, I dropped down for a quick solo
of Sickle (I believe you were in Point Five?), a superb route with
sustained interest for it's full 300m length. Certainly a degree
harder than it's neighbour, Hadrian's Wall Direct.

Yesterday (the 27th), I returned to the Ben with thin ice on the
agenda for onsight ropeless ascents (as all my solos are) of three
hard Grade VI routes, Riders on the Storm, The Great Glen and
Satanic Verses. A definite non-alpine start (0930am departure from
the car park) had me walk up to the hut in blazing sunshine but by
mid-afternoon, I was finished and on my way back. The benefits of
climbing quickly! All three routes were super-thin but had enough ice
where it mattered. The first pitch of Riders was engaging and
technical, the main pitch of The Great Glen very delicate, and the
final vertical pitch of Satanic awkward and glassy, with all of them
in wonderfully exposed situations.

I used Tower Gully as my descent each time which has an interesting
drop through the cornice into an icy cave as the photo shows, but a
very useful and quick option in helping to link routes.

Let it all continue!

Patrick Roman






Hello Alan

More confirmation, if more were needed on just how good the conditions still are on the Ben Monday 26th Point Five, Tuesday 27th Orion FD

Regards
Tony Halliwell