Climbing Ben Nevis in September

Q. Hi, 11 of us are climbing Ben Nevis in late September for charity but we are all novices. We are all reasonably fit but have all heard mixed reports on how hard and easy it is. I want to get some training in beforehand but am unsure of how much. Secondly where would I find a good training program for this? Thank you in advance. Glenn.

Glenn Clark, Nottingham

A. I climbed this with 4 friends in early September this year. We are more used to walking in gentler countryside but have some experience of the UK mountains (e.g. we did Scafell in Oct 2017) and our levels of fitness are a little above average. We set off at 7am and went up the 'tourist route'. We didn't race up and back and the whole walk took 7 hrs 30 mins. We had intermittent showers and some snow on the very top, but not enough to cover the ground, and the wind was moderate until we reached the summit when it fell eerily calm. There was a lot of fog in the final 300m or so. The walk (it was all walking, with no climbing or scrambling needed) was unrelenting and steep, and I had to keep stopping to catch my breath. But it was OK if you took your time and walked within your capabilities. The path was well marked and cairns at the top kept us to the route, but I was aware that gullies on either side on the final mile or so led to sheer drops and looked positively evil in the mist as you went carefully past them. Although it was mid-week, there were lots of people on the mountain and many of them reached the top. Most were properly clothed and shod, but a sizable minority were in very light clothing and inappropriate footwear and I think they would have been in trouble if the weather had closed in. I also saw a number of small dogs having trouble negotiating the large rocks and one very miserable looking 7-year old child who had clearly been dragged up there by his parents and didn't like the cold and wind one bit. Coming down was arguably harder on the legs than going up, with the rock 'steps' that formed many parts of the path proving difficult to negotiate at times. It was wet when we did it but the rocks weren't too slippery, although we all managed to fall over at least once on the descent In summary: A hard mountain (undoubtedly venomous sometimes) but do-able if you prepare well and are reasonably fit. You shouldn't do it alone or (IMHO) if you're likely to run out of daylight. Be prepared for an exhausting decent as well. Finally, if you're looking for a view from the top you might be lucky, but I'm told that the summit is rarely free of mist or cloud. A friend of mine has been up 9 times and has never once had a clear view from there.

Tom Bennett, Brentwood, Essex

A. It's not that hard! If you have a basic level of fitness, you can do it! We were up and down in 5 hours.

Jen Williams, London

A. I have just come back from climbing Ben Nevis, it is not a tourist path it is a mountain path, at times very hard, especially the steps on the way back down, my total time was 7 hours, 4 hours to get up, my companion stained a muscle coming down so we took it very easy on the decent. Take poles if you have them, and gloves, spare pair as well. The top of the Ben is cold about 4 degrees it is madness to go up ill prepaired, but the feeling of getting to the top is fantastic, you have reached the top of the highest mountain in the uk, enjoy

Ritchie, Swansea

A. We climbed Ben Nevis as part of a 3 peaks challenge last Sept. It is a good hard climb. Take time to get your pace right at the start and keep it steady. It is a hard climb but one of the best in my opinion.The weather changed constantly and make sure you carry food and water. Dont forget to enjoy it.

Mac Mccandless, Grimsby

A. I am also climbing Nevis at the end of September with a bunch of friends. Ben Nevis is new to me and after consulting with other walkers I am reliably informed that its hard work. My colleagues and I have plenty of experience when it comes to walking in mountains so fitness is not an issue but the route we hope to take is the CMD arete which will test my dodgy head for heights!My advice is to get up early and set off aound 7/8 am which will allow plenty of time for the slowest member of your party to set the pace.

Davy Mack., Belfast

A. Ignore anyone who says climbing Ben Nevis is easy - it is not, It is hard, very, very hard. Particularly so since you are all novices.

Even via the tourist path it over 5 miles of relentless steep uphill slog climbing more than 4/5ths of a vertical mile.

Furthermore, September is leaving it a bit late in the year because the days are getting shorter and a walk that is difficult in daylight is much, much harder in the dark. June would be a better month to go.

Hope this helps

Mike (Editor)

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