The North Face

One of the things my partner for this trip most wanted to do was to get to the North Face of the Ben. Most winters this is a climbers paradise - here in the UK are some of the most famous & challenging winter routes in the world. Any climber who's ever swung an axe knows these routes & wants to climb at least one of them.
Sadly so far this year conditions just haven't made climbing a realistic possibility. Today was no exception. The forecast was terrible and the snow loose, unconsolidated and with a 'considerable' avalanche risk.
But Matt really really wanted to see the North Face - and the hike in seemed a much better way to spend a day than any of the alternatives (which all seemed to involve getting very, very wet) we could muster. We parked at the Gondola and took the longer Witches Trail path to the plantation, then it was an increasingly difficult hike, in the increasing wind & decreasing visibility, up to the CIC hut. As we passed the 500m contour we hit the snow line, and as we pulled level with the flanks of Carn Deag we started to see the debris of what must surely be numerous avalanches. Startled ptarmigan in their winter coats made us turn just in time to see a cornice collapse from high on Castle Ridge - no one would be climbing today, in fact we saw only six other souls on the entire mountain.
By now it was becoming difficult to stand and the shelter afforded by the hut offered welcome respite and a chance to put on more layers, goggles & snatch a quick warm drink. It also seemed like the only opportunity to take todays picture - which captures the mood & views of the day perfectly - maybe Matt will get another chance later this year to actually see the North Face!