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At 4,408ft (1344m) "The Ben" attracts far more snow than many, much higher, Alpine mountains, it is normal to find the massive summit triangulation post completely buried due to large deposits of snow each winter. In the pictures below the 17ft high Summit Triangulation Point is shown on the left during "normal" autumn conditions and on the right during winter conditions.  Note that only the top 3ft is protruding above the snow cap.		Note the large amount of ice the has formed around the summit emergency shelter Hover mouse on picture

As we will be starting the event on Friday morning, most people choose to arrive on Thursday evening, although if you live in Scotland or the North of England, you may decide to arrive on Friday just before the start.

If you decide to arrive on Thursday evening you will have the chance for a good night’s rest before we set off, just before Friday lunchtime, for a training session which it is vital that everyone attends. We will be heading into the upper reaches of Glen Nevis to the area around Britain's tallest waterfall, “The Steall”. During this time we hope to cover all the techniques necessary for the group to safely navigate around the Summit Plateau the following day. At the end of the afternoon we head down to the store to collect the more specialised items of equipment required for walking around the highlands of Scotland during winter conditions. Obviously if you already have your own Ice Pick, Plastic Boots, Crampons, etc. please feel free to bring them along.

On Saturday we rise bright and early for a hearty breakfast before setting off for “The Ben”. We will start from the Glen Nevis YHA and follow the Mountain Track as far as the 4th corner where we will hold another training session, which will cover walking in crampons (not as easy as it sounds) and the use of the Ice Pick. This is a vital Winter Mountaineering skill, as it is vital that each group member is able to arrest their descent in the event of a slip, by using their Pick.

We hope to reach the summit just after lunchtime. The experience is not over when we leave the summit, as we still need to navigate safely down between the many gullies. Normally we don’t take the standard route down. From the 4,000ft cairn we usually head slightly Northwards towards Carn-Dearg-Northwest. As this route is much steeper than the Mountain Track it is here that we are able to use our new Ice Pick skills to their fullest, with a rapid descent down towards the Waterfall near the halfway marker.
On arrival back at the hotel you will have the opportunity to enjoy the hotel’s leisure facilities - swimming pool, sauna, jacuzzi, etc before dinner. After a brief certificate presentation ceremony it’s into the bar until the wee small hours. We depart on Sunday morning after a continental breakfast.

It must be stressed that a winter ascent of this major peak can not be approached as simply "a summer walk with snow". It is vital that each participant is correctly equipped with all the paraphernalia of winter mountaineering. We will supply all equipment required i.e. Ice pick, Plastic Boots, Crampons, Rucksack, Waterproofs, Flask, etc. More importantly we will train you to use the specialised items. 

This is a walk, there is no climbing involved. Winter mountaineering requires a certain amount of fitness although any normally active person should have no problems. We CAN NOT guarantee that you (or even the whole group) will reach the summit. We will start off with the intention of reaching the top but if, in the (non negotiable) opinion of the instructors, the weather or snow conditions means that it would be dangerous to continue, will we turn back. During 2003 all Winter Ascent groups reached the summit.

There is only so much we can achieve over a weekend such as this. So on the Winter Ascents we have a theme to the weekend. The theme this year will once again be navigation, this is an essential aspect of winter mountaineering. During last years events, on each of the three ascents we were involved in, there were extremely serious incidents (with other groups on the mountain) that were directly attributable to the “casualty’s” lack of navigation skills. Therefore we feel that this will be the most beneficial training we can offer over such a short period.

We have split the event down into a series of sections with each section being reliant on the others.

What do we want to achieve during the weekend?
1     We want to walk safely during winter conditions on Ben Nevis with the option of going all the way to the summit if   conditions allow.
2     We want to achieve item 1 up the normal mountain track.
3     Even though the track will be under many feet of snow we still wish to follow it so as not to put ourselves in any danger from the surrounding cliffs.

To complete sections 1,2 and 3 we need to be able to navigate competently. This leads to the need for an aim; this being what we hope to achieve during the event, and an objective; this is what completing the aim will enable us to do.
Aim We want to learn to navigate
Objective To gain skills that will enable us to navigate competently on other hills and reach the summit of Ben Nevis.

George will teach you how to use an Ice Pick safely	The snow "will" get "everywhere (cold but great fun)

 

See you soon. Hopefully you will have great scenery all weekend.