3. Ben Nevis, Scotland: 1,344 m
05:38 - 12:27 = 6 hrs 49mins
The start- 05:38 Sunday 3rd May We started in light rain.
We started in light rain.
Trail 1
The cloud gathering on the summit somewhere up to the left was disturbing.
Trail 2
We were shocked to find serious snow
Stream crossing
Trail 3
Jules
Andrew T
The cloud cleared for less than 1 minute during all the hours up high.
Roped party
The rest of the time it was a struggle to see from one cairn to the next. We were snowed on twice and hailed on once. It was well below freezing and the path was soon obliterated by snow. The approaching party was fully roped up.
Andrew K on the summit cliff
Sheer drops
await those who venture too far… or who wish to climb mixed rock, ice and snow from below. Conditions were awesomely alpine.
Summit cairn
The snow was so deep the ruined stone buildings nearby were more than half buried. We dared not take our hands out of our gloves to check our thermometer, for the next hour. With the wind chill it was at least -15C.
Descent
On the descent a strong wind delivered hail directly into our faces as we attempted to descend an icy slope higher up in the cloud.
Descent lake
The finish at 12:27! = 23:25 mins overall.
