Vanishing Gully (V,5) & Faulty Towers (III), Ben Nevis

With good conditions prevalent on the lower heights of Ben Bevis Rob and me went to take a look at Vanishing Gully. It looked in good condition. I led the first pitch up steep soft snow with virtually no protection on offer other than some spaced in-situ tat. The steepness was moderate but the lack of protection meant that the climbing required concentration.

Vanishing Gully
Rob seconding the first pitch of Vanishing Gully (V,5), Ben Nevis
From my belay on the left-hand side of the gully Rob had a tricky step right in order to gain the steep ice flowing down the second pitch. He was soon mounted on the ice and then quickly out of sight. The intermittent ice steps of the second pitch were probably the crux. The third pitch returned to less technically demanding but run-out climbing. The easier grade climbing to Tower Ridge didn't look worthwhile so we abseiled back down the route. It was a good route but a little too short and lacking situation compared to some of the other three star ice routes I have climbed on the Ben.

Rob's feet disappearing up the second pitch
Me leading the third pitch
With time to spare we climbed Faulty Towers (III) further left. This proved no push-over for the grade as the ice was thin in places. The route was maybe a little more mixed than typical? After four worthwhile pitches completed, I arrived on the lower portion of Tower Ridge as the light was beginning to dip. I belayed Rob up to me whilst, higher up the ridge, a helicopter rescue appeared to be in full swing. Douglas Gap looked only a short distance away so we descended via Douglas Gap West Gully. A great first day on the Ben.

Rob leading the first pitch of Faulty Towers
Rob seconding the second pitch of Faulty Towers (III), Ben Nevis
Rob leading the third pitch
Mountain Rescue a short distance above us on Tower Ridge
Location: Ben Nevis, Fort William, Highland PH33, UK

Comments

Post a Comment

Popular posts from this blog

A Rough Guide to Climbing at Dover

Image
A Silly Game Esoteric... intimidating... worrying... exhausting... are some of the words that I would best describe climbing on the white cliffs at Dover. It's one of the most unique and memorable places that I have climbed at and somewhere that has filled me with equal measures of dread and ambition. The style of climbing is far from perfect but it is partly the imperfections combined with the unique experiences and high levels of adventure that kept me returning.What's more the journey time of under two hours from my former London home made the area positively 'local' by London standards. Mick Fowler's exploits were one of the main catalysts to me trying chalk climbing. I visited Saltdean a few times to climb the bolted chalk routes at Saltdean but was keen for bigger adventures away from in situ protection. An excellent article on Dover by Ian Parnell in Climb Magazine further raised my interest in the purely trad form, particularly in a route called The Tube
Read more

Midtlinja (WI5), Hydnefossen

Image
Hydnefossen is a waterfall that I was in awe of long before I ever felt capable of climbing it. Its prominent position over the main Hemsedal valley makes it impossible to miss. It has drawn my eye both summer and winter and it is undoubtedly Hemsedal's jewel in the crown when it comes to ice climbing. This awe has grown into an obsession of late. It's a waterfall that I've geared my winter season around. I even turned down an offer to visit the Canadian Rockies in case Midtlinja ('the middle line' in English) on Hydnefossen came into condition in my absence. Nobody successfully climbed Hydnefossen to my knowledge last season and the way the season was panning out, with some significant warm periods, I wasn't expecting much different this time around.  Then a report of an ascent of Midtlinja, with good conditions reported... That one took me by surprise!  My friend Murilo was visiting from the UK for four days. I popped the Hydnefossen question and he w
Read more

Hægar (n6+), Hægefjell

Image
At 7am I was slightly worried about our decision to wait until Sunday in order to climb Hægar, which was the planned main event for the weekend. I lay in my tent listening to the strong gusts of wind shake the trees regularly. Strong winds and slab climbing are far from being my favourite combination, particularly when the wind is across the face. However, a quick check of the wind direction raised my optimism that the ridge curving to the east of the main face would block it to some degree. Once we were off the initial slab pitches and into the corner system hopefully we would get further shelter. Hægar is a route that has been on my wish list for a number of years, but only in more recent times has it found its way towards the top. That's partly because I'm generally climbing better (when not injured), meaning the difficulties have become manageable, and also partly because I'm not getting any younger. Waiting until I become an even better climber, or more to point when
Read more