Two Superb Days on the Ben
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| Castle Ridge |
Over the last 4 years I've been winter climbing in Scotland 5 times and each time the weather has been "Full Scottish" I've been out in whiteouts, blizzards, hail, rain, sleet and snow.......but this time the weather gods took pity on me and we were rewarded with perfect conditions, I think I deserved this one!
Day 1: saw us on
Castle Ridge, no need for crampons on this one, a superb route, not too technical but with the odd airy belay to add to the excitement, we saw that there was still plenty of ice high up and made plans climb higher the next day.
Day 2: an early start from the North Face car park to try and avoid any of the falling ice that would inevitably be coming down from high on the mountain as the sun did its work paid off. Only as we passed under Tower Ridge did a few bits of ice come whizzing past our ears...we didn't hang around long!! After a long plod up the steep frozen snow we reach the base of the first pitch of
Good Friday Climb (III). The pitch is straight forward and takes you up a wide gully to the belay at base of the main pitch. Pitch 2 is superb, 50m of near vertical water ice which could be done in 2 pitches if need be, but Ken lead all the way in great style and made short work of it. We finished the climb by traversing across onto the final pitch of Indicator Wall which means you top out right onto the summit trig point, which is a great anchor for the belay!! and a grandstand finish..
Thanks to
Ken Applegate (mountain guide) for being great company on this trip
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| Ken on Castle Ridge |
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| Early sun on the lower slopes of Observatory Gully |
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| the final approach to Good Friday Climb |
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| Belay below the superb 2nd pitch |
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| Belay below the superb 2nd pitch |
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| Ken leading the the superb 2nd pitch |
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| Tower Ridge from Indicator Wall |
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| Ken on the final pitch of Indicator Wall |
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