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stuart douglas
wrote on February 18, 2014:
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Attempted this again on Feb 10th this year. Snow conditions were very difficult with snowfall extending down to before the halfway
lochan. The mountain path disappeared at Red Burn gully and the snow was unstable on the Western slopes. Got to 725m before we
decided to give this up as a bad job. By all accounts, the conditions further up were abysmal with zero visibility and high winds.
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Colin Dickson
wrote on April 14, 2013:
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A group of 8 started our ascent on 12 April 2013, we split at 1000m and 3 returned at this point, the other 5 myself, Billy, Iwona, George and brian pushed on to the summit in favourable conditions, light snow, little wind and approx 0 degrees, The snow as we approached the boulder field was a foot deep and when we reached the summit the clouds above us cleared to reveal blue skies but no views as the cloud base was sitting just below the summit itself. we had the summit to ourselves and only saw 12 other people the entire trip. Mountain path, tedious, maybe but gloriously empty. worth it !!!!
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robert muir
wrote on September 16, 2012:
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I climbed Ben Nevis via CMD Arete . I started at the tourist route and turned left at the halfway lochan and walked away
around the north face and then a very tiring steep climb up to the ridge of the cmd and it wasnt that easy due to the 50 -
60mph winds then up the shoulder climb up to the summit was prettu brutal but i did get some clear views which made it even
better. it really is an amazing walk but not for the faint hearted as there is quite a bit of exposure and some scrambling and
watch out for gardyloo gully near the summit as its tricky to navigate in cloudy windy conditions. it took me 7 hours all in.
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Libby Lyle
wrote on August 15, 2011:
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I summited Ben Nevis first in Aug 2010, the weather was awful and most of our group turned back but this time on 6th August 2011 we set off to raise funds for Make A Wish and the weather couldn't have been kinder, most of our group made it, 2 turned back just over half way with exhaustion but I have to say that sitting on the summit having lunch looking over all the mountain peaks that day is scenery I won't forget in a while. We watched some brave mountaineers tackle the north face and after the cold set in we moved onto our descent.....which was long to say the least! Beautiful and memorable!
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Fiona Thomson
wrote on August 14, 2011:
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Climbed again on 2.08.2010 with my friend Terry (who had only climbed 1 corbett before & wanted a challenge!). Started off on reasonably clear day again with some clouds & only got bad when we reached the top & had a wee shower of rain when at the summit. Cleared again on the way down & had spectacular views again. Love this hill, but forgot how boring and hard going it can get near the top but the wee glass of champagne again at the top (its tradition!) helped. Would definately do it again but hopefully next time not the tourist route.
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James Corrigan
wrote on October 11, 2010:
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Took the route North on to Carn Mor Dearg in clear weather for a magnificent walk.The Ben put on a magical show through the fast moving swirling clouds.Highlight was the long boulder scramble along Carn Mor Dearg Arete.The summit was mobbed out with folk as you would expect on a Sunday.We only met 8 other folk via the North route.
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Lindsay Hemmings
wrote on September 23, 2010:
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Started from the North face carpark at Torlundy and along Allt a' Mhuilinn then up the slope to CMD, along the arrete and onto Nevis. Can highly recommend this route - the only bad bit the tourist route back to the Lochan - after that away from the crowds again down grassy slopes to pick up the starting path. Time - just under 8 hours.
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Steven Budd
wrote on August 10, 2010:
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Excellent route climbed Ben Nevis via the CMD arete. was nice to stay away from the crowds although i did get lost when i arrived at the mountain hut at the foot of the north face of Ben Nevis, ended up having to climb about 900 ft up the face of the Carn Mor Dearg to get to the ridge. Would definitely recommend this route to anyone although you will need to be very fit. climbed in July 2010.
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Nick Bulbeck
wrote on August 7, 2010:
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Just back from taking my son up The Ben. I have never seen so many people on a mountain!
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James Barnet
wrote on July 16, 2010:
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In my opinion it is irresistible to climb Ben Nevis without combining it with Carn Mor Dearg, providing a fantastic traverse taking in 2 Munros and surely some of the best scenery in the British Isles. Have just come back from the area and climbed the Ben via Carn Mor Dearg and the CMD arete on 12.07.2010, having waited almost a week for suitable weather. Apart from occasional showers, the arete was largely cloud-free from around 12pm, with fine views across Glen Nevis to the Mamores. Arriving suddenly at the Ben Nevis summit in sunshine was certainly a memorable experience...
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Paul Craigie
wrote on July 5, 2010:
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What is to say? A long arduous trek. Got to the top, popped open the champers and began the weary calf busting ramble down.Two mins later....the coldest, fastest and depressing rain fall ever!!! Brrrr...soaked and freezing in seconds..15 mins later brilliant sunshine and a nice wind to dry the clothes...a fine day was had....
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Chris Mercer
wrote on May 22, 2010:
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Climbed the Ben via CMD on the hottest day of the year so far!! Glorious sunshine and cloud free arete and summits. The ascent (or slog) up the side of Carn Dearg Meadhonach from the Allt a' Mhuilinn was relentless the views of the North face of the Ben made up for it. The arete was easier than we thought it was going to be with minimal scrambling and exposure. Our border collie managed it without difficulty but probably would not recommend this route for the average dog.
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Keith Waugh
wrote on July 21, 2009:
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Prior to this trip in June 09, I last "did" Ben Nevis in May'89, going via Carn Mor Dearg and the amazing Arete. It was a hard slog up the final boulder slope to the top of Ben Nevis. Fantastic views of the North Face for those of us who are not mountaineers. This time, June'09, it was also a glorious day with no wind, just warm sunshine. Really calm on top and a fabulous place to be. Must go more often!! There is something strangely magical about the top of Ben Nevis.
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Pamela Davidson
wrote on June 1, 2009:
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We walked on a magnificent day on Sunday the 31st May - still knee deep in snow at the summit despite the unbelievably hot sun! I agree with previous comments with regards to the sheer amount of people that are unprepared for climbing, we passed by children with 3/4 length jeans and trainers, football fans with cans of lager teenagers wearing swiming shorts and plimsoles! i was totally amazed at their lack of respect for this kind of terrain. what also disgusted me is the amount of litter left along the trail of the mountain, If you carry it up, CARRY IT DOWN. An unbelievably beautiful climb.
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Felix Gruijters
wrote on April 22, 2009:
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We walked up in gorgeous weather on 17 April. We decided to take the tourist route up and than continue along the ridge to CMD. As the snow was soft I was pleased to descend to the ridge rather than to climb up from the ridge. The disadvantage of this approach to CMD is that you are with your back to Ben Nevis and have to turn round regularly to admire the view. The advantage is that the climb is easier. From CMD we went down the west ridge taking us into the valley between Ben Nevis and the two Aonach hills. We camped just under Aonach More and woke up with the inverted cloud cover below us.
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Lee Paterson
wrote on September 27, 2008:
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It never ceases to amaze me how unprepared some people dress for the scottish mountains. Jeans, t-shirts, trainers even dress shoes! the cloud base was 650 mtrs, it was raining, visibility was about 20 mtrs on the summit. So, lets dress for the high street!! These idiots spare no thought for the poor sods in mountain rescue, who might end up having to leave their warm homes, or even beds to come to their aid. The hills are for all, but come on, dress for the environment. For your own sake!
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Paul Barker
wrote on May 4, 2008:
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On April 27th 2008 myself (Paul) and Dave came, we saw and we conquered Ben Nevis. The day was clear, bright and sunny with hardly any cloud cover. The going was quite hard, even from the start, but we got to the ice and snow and that where the real difficulties started. The climb in snow and ice without crampons is relentless and very hard on the knees. I was very tempted to turn back on a number of occasions, but was spurred on by my friend and the teasing summit looming up at me. We also slid down the snow pack on the way down. brilliant, but challenging day.
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Alan Cantwell
wrote on May 3, 2008:
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My son Alan & I decided that we would make Ben Nevis our first Munro together. We had a brilliant day with summer conditions at the base and Arctic conditions at the summit! This mountain gets a lot of stick for being "touristy" and so on but I would recommend it to anyone. Everyone we met was friendly and approachable! We had intended to do CMD at the same time but weather conditions and a sensible decision half way up stopped us!
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M. Forbes
wrote on April 30, 2008:
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Me (Forbez) and my friends wallace, sizer and alan, finally conquered Ben Nevis on the 26th. The ascent was tiring to say the very least, several points i was tempted to turn back. The snow made the trek to the summit almost unbearable, and the deceptiveness of Ben Nevis took its toll, as every time we thought we were at the top we saw another couple of hundred feet climb appear from the haze. The peak was amazing, the snow must have been a minimum 10 feet deep, but the real fun in our trek was the way down, sliding down over 1000 feet of the mountain on the snow. Excellent day!
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M. Forbes
wrote on April 21, 2008:
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Myself and two friends (Sizer and Alan), climbed Ben Nevis on the 2nd of March 2008. It was a mild winters day with light rain and cloudy skies. Upon our ascent we encountered 2 experianced climbers coming down warning us not to proceed, but decided to pursue our goal anyway. The paths were relentless and as we got higher (2500 feet) snow started to fall, the snow became heavier and colder as we got higher, but we proceeded anyway. Unfortunately at around 4100 feet we could proceed no further as the snow had set to solid ice and we did not have the equipment. But we'll try again this weekend.
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John Wilkie
wrote on June 24, 2007:
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Heavy clag. Hiked this on the wrong day (Saturday after the longest day), Nevis was flooded with 2 way traffic. Much better when we left the Pony Track. The silence was startling after the escalator. Hard struggle up the steep grass slopes to Carn Mor Dearg. Took pics at summit, rain and hail at top. After a while realised we had taken pics at wrong top! Reached Carn Mor Dearg summit (again!). The ridge to Nevis was the best scramble I've done. Pity we couldn't see 2 feet in front. Really slippy. Rejoined the crowds atop Nevis, picked our way through the litter to a mind numbing decent down Pony Track. At 500m
cloud cleared! Climbed with Steve. Great ale at Nevis Inn at bottom. Will come back on a week day next time!
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David Caldwell
wrote on May 22, 2007:
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This was our 10th munro, and I chose Nevis as being somewhat momentous for my 40th birthday. We were surprised by the Visitor Center report of snow from 1000m, 6ft deep at the top, but it turned out manageable with care (and gloves/hats). The weather was mixed on the way up and glorious on the way down, a lot better than the day before. One girl donned flipflops, shorts & tshirts at the top to poke fun at the hillsnobs, but one guy did actually come down out the mists in light jeans, trainers and a Morrisons shopping bag! A lot more appealing a hillwalk than I'd expected, a great day.
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Ian Mather
wrote on September 20, 2006:
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My friend Eddie and i climbed The Ben via the CMD Arete on the 8th Sep06 in perfect weather conditions. Cloud free, great sunshine and practically no wind. We started and finished at the Youth Hostel and came back down the "tourist route" which was very busy. It is tough climbing via the Arete but far more interesting and much quieter. Perhaps the hardest part of the day was climbing up on to the ridge from the Allt a Mhuillin. A truly fantastic day.
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Craig Robinson
wrote on August 29, 2006:
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The CMD arete is fantastic. Not being a fan of exposed scrambling, l found this within my capabilities. The tricky sections can be avoided by a path on it's south east side. It still demands respect but nowhere near as tricky as the aonach eagach ridge for example. This should be the only way to climb Ben Nevis.
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Richard Lawton
wrote on July 14, 2005:
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Climbed my first Munro in July 2003 with two friends, climbed the 'tourist route' with two friends. Loved every minute of it, just one long uphill slog, but well worth it. It was a glorious day bar the summit, which was miserable. Even though the conditions were very good, decent provisions and equipment is required, I couldn't believe what some people were walking in!!!! Their feet must of been in shreds afterwards....
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Edward Mckechnie
wrote on December 31, 2004:
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I live in Fort Willam and have been all over the Ben, might I suggest after the Ben Path you take a walk up the path to the north face,not as high or strenuous as the summit path, but a delightful walk nonetheless.
Wherever you go, particularly on what is wrongly known as the "tourist path" there is a growing problem with litter, please don't. It has to be said that there is a distinct lack of facilities (it's a mountain for god's sake) but as far as i am aware this is being addressed.
The Ben is at least 450 million years old and it's impressive I can see it from my back door and never tire of it.
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John Dickson
wrote on December 14, 2004:
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Climbed The Ben in May 2004 after completing the 94 miles of the West Highland Way. I had threatened myself with this climb a number of times but the weather was always poor but in May I was blessed with perfect conditions. To anyone contemplating this walk "do it" but please take care and suitable clothing, the weather in the mountains can change from warm and sunny to very cold, wet and windy in as little as 10 minutes. You will love the views and enjoy a real feeling of achievement.
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Andrew Greenan
wrote on December 11, 2004:
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Ben Nevis was my first Munro, I climbed it on June 18 2000 with a group of lads from work doing the three peaks challenge raising £6000 for charity, we finshed with 15 minutes to spare. Since the experience I have been hooked on the hills trying to get to Scotland as much as possible.
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Jeremy St. clare
wrote on November 22, 2004:
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This is a retrospective as I climbed the Ben with the CMD Arete in early May 2002. Under heavy snow, which is the best and most exciting way to do it. I advise crampons, which I forgot, and an ice axe, which I also forgot. The Arete can be pretty dangerous. Easily one of my favourite Munros, and a real taste of adventure, however one should always be prepared for a busy summit. Despite the conditions it was as busy as an airport on the top after seeing only about two people on CMD. That said it is a very fine outing.
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Graeme Swankie
wrote on October 14, 2004:
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I climbed Ben Nevis, using the tourist path, for the first time this year on the 5th of June. This was my first ever munro and was amazed at how many people were also climbing the Ben. Being an Arbroath fan I wasn’t used to being among all these people on a Saturday. The weather quickly deteriorated and was thankful that I had taken waterproofs. Near the top there was still a lot of snow, and being a very novice climber I was telling everybody back home that this must be like what Everest is! I decided to climb the Ben again on the 30th July, which was a much better day, but I still didn’t get a view from the top. Both days were great days out and I will be heading back up sometime next year, might even do it via Carn Mor Dearg and the Arete.
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Stephen Langston
wrote on September 19, 2004:
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I was told that you have to climb Ben Nevis three times until you get a clear view. We did it on the hottest day of the year (July sometime) and got the view. Wow. Worth the hard five hour slog just for that. It is a bit relentless and all the zig zagging bugged me (especially when I over heard some one say there was another two hours to go till the top). I thought she was joking. Definately worth a pint when you get down.
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Michelle Brand
wrote on September 9, 2004:
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Climbed Ben Nevis for the first time 8th Sept 2004 via the "Tourist Route". Possibly the best day of 2004 so far, totally clear bright blue skies {not a cloud in sight} and the temperature was really hot. The path up the tourist route is well defined and well maintained but a steep slog the entire way up with no respite until you reach the summit. Struggle up because the views from the summit are second to none. The good thing about The Ben is that you don't have to wait until you reach the top to get spectacular views....the scenery for the entire route is magnificent. 5hrs up and down
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Neil Mackenzie
wrote on September 6, 2004:
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Climbed Ben Nevis with Craig Mcnaughton on 1/8/2004.started at 7am and and got to the top at 10:30., it was the hardest I have climbed yet. My legs ached for days, but the views on the way up were spectacular and worth it.
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Nick Macdonald
wrote on August 29, 2004:
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Having lived abroad for 17 years now, decided it was time to return home & take in some fine Scottish camping, walking and scenery once more . Thought that this was the obvious choice as my son's (6) first Scottish mountain. Took the tourist route to be safe but it seemed harder work than I remember, especially on the way down. It took a good few days for my knee's to recover . Weather was perfect; cool & slightly cloudy, but still got a touch of sunburn. A great number of people on the mountain, mostly friendly, which made it an enjoyable day for us both. Just hope that is him hooked.
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Martin Beswick
wrote on June 14, 2004:
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Trudged up on 12 June 2004 on sponsored walk for Marie Curie. I have never seen so many people on a hill at any one time, I would guestimate that there were over 1000. Some individuals were starting after 5pm! The walk itself was OK, the views were tremendous, but the main path is now like crazy paving, which will certainly help prevent erosion, but it makes the legs sore for the next few days.
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