What you don’t know you don’t know.

The mountain usually sees its first snowfall in September and it can be in winter condition all the way through to May. So don't be fooled by a warm, sunny April day down in Fort William, the top of the mountains could still be experiencing serious winter weather! Further south in England, it's very easy to forget that there is any snow anywhere at all. But the summit of Ben Nevis holds on to its winter conditions for much longer than most mountains in the UK because it is a long way north, it is very high and it can collect 2.5m depth of snow on the summit over the course of the winter.

The summit is usually about 9℃ colder than the temperature at sea level. So, if it is 5℃ at sea level it will be about -4℃ on the summit. Add to this the extra chill of the wind blowing at 30mph to 40mph, and it will feel like -14℃. There is nearly always a wind blowing on the summit and it can be anything from 10mph to 130mph. 30mph to 40mph is common, making walking very hard work enough and enough to make you very cold; 50mph to 60mph happens quite a lot and is enough to blow you over or off the path; 70mph to 80mph will knock you flat.

Snow conditions underfoot vary hugely with what the weather is doing at the time. The bottom half of the track is often clear of snow, with the snow line usually sitting between about 600m and 900m. From this point you should expect to be on snow all the way to the summit and back down. After a fresh dump of snow it will be very soft, but if the snow has been through some freeze-thaw cycles (meaning the temperature rises allowing the snow to go soggy, then the temperature drops again, freezing the soft soggy snow into snow-ice) it will be very hard and icy, so the walking will likely be easier but crampons and an ice axe will be essential.

Essential Skills.

You’re going to get wet. Probably you’ll get some rain or snow fall, and even if you don’t you’ll get wet through sweat. You need to know what to wear and what to carry with you, but just as importantly, you need to know how to use your gear to stay warm and comfortable. If you get wet you will get cold, and if you are cold you will not eat or drink properly, you will not want to think about navigation and you will not make good decisions. Staying warm and comfortable is an essential, under-rated winter skill. 

Once on the snow you need to be comfortable using your boots to kick steps if it is just small areas of hard snow, or confident walking in crampons on relatively steep ground. Make sure your crampons are correctly fitted to your boots before you set off - the side of a mountain in 40+ mph winds and swirling snow is not the place to be adjusting them. Crampons have a habit of catching on everything - rocks, trousers, your other crampon, you name it - so make sure you practice walking in them on easier ground first.

You should also have your ice axe and know what to do with it. It can be used to provide support while you walk and also to stop a trip or slip from having dire consequences. It is common to walk off into the Red Burn in descent, either intentionally or by accident, where you might find very long stretches of steep snow. If the snow is hard and icy you will need an expert level of skills with crampons and an ice axe to descend by the Red Burn. It's best to stay on the Mountain Path and follow its zigzags. 

Navigation

A clear summit on Ben Nevis is a rare thing so expect to be in cloud and that means your navigation needs to be on point, especially when there is snow on the ground. In summer there is a path to follow but in winter this gets completely buried in snow, and there can be little to no visible difference between the ground and sky. You need to know how to take a bearing from your map, and then be able to follow it accurately on varying terrain. Once on the huge and featureless summit plateau there are cairns to aid navigation but it is common to not be able to see from one cairn to the next, and in heavy snow winters some of them get completely buried. 

​Here's more detailed advice about Navigation on Ben Nevis.

You will still need to follow a bearing on your compass and know exactly when to make the left turn toward the summit. When you reach the summit remember that you're only half way there and you will then need to do everything in reverse, so stay switched on all the way down. In a white out, the only thing that will keep you from falling through the cornice is following your compass bearing accurately. Sometimes, turning back before you get into a very serious situation is the best thing to do. Come back on another day when the weather is better.

In good visibility, navigating up and back down Ben Nevis in winter can seem quite straightforward. It is a busy mountain and there is often a well trodden path to the summit, as well as cairns above 1150m about every 50m along the way. When you can see as far as Skye to the west and Cairngorm to the east, it is not surprising that you should be able to find your way easily. Even then, the path above 900m or so is usually covered in snow between December and May and can be nearly impossible to find and follow. If there is no boot trail through the snow, it can be quite confusing, even in good visibility. And the summit is only clear about 20% of the time in winter.

In the cloud, when there is no definition between the snow on the ground and the snow and cloud in the air all around you it is a very serious place, and navigation skills need to be very accurate. The skills you need are to be able to follow a compass bearing accurately, and to measure the distance you walk along the ground by counting your paces. With these skills, you can then follow your progress on the map and plan the next section of walking, as long as you are very used to using maps and identifying features on the ground that are marked on the map. Of course, most features will be covered by the snow, just to make it even harder!

​The high summit plateau of Ben Nevis is surrounded on nearly all sides by steep and difficult ground. Many accidents have occurred in descent. Often this part of the day will call for more concentration and judgement than any other time, especially in considering human factors that will influence decision making. Even if you make it to the top, getting down again can be the hardest thing.

The best and quickest descent is by the Mountain Track. Careful use of map, compass, pacing, possibly GPS and the sketch plan of the cliffs given below will help to get you down, but local knowledge is invaluable. When visibility is good, make a close study of the general topography of the mountain; if possible visit the summit plateau with a view to memorising its details and recording important compass/GPS bearings. The ruined observatory, topped by a survival shelter, is an unmistakable landmark on the summit itself, even when the neighbouring triangulation point and numerous cairns are covered by snow.

Can I just follow the cairns?

The cairns that have been built above 1150m are there to help you. They will let you know that you are going in the right direction, but you will need to use your compass to keep you walking straight in the right direction. You can not rely on being able to walk in a straight line without a compass. It is common to have visibility of about 10m, so you will not be able to see the next cairn 50m away.

The cairns get covered in rime and snow that make them blend in to the snow on the ground, so they can be very hard to see. In winters with a lot of snow, the cairns can become buried. The picture above has 5 cairns, all over 1m tall, all buried in the snow. ​

How do you measure the distance?

From the summit you need to walk 150m on a bearing of 231° (grid). You can measure this distance by pacing, counting the number of paces you take. Having practiced a lot in a friendly place, I know that I take 60 paces (that is 120 individual steps) to cover 100m along the ground. If the snow is deep and soft I will take a few more paces, and if I am tired or carrying a heavy pack I will take more again. However, for me, 60 paces is a pretty good measurement of 100m. To measure 150m I will walk along following my compass bearing, counting until I get to 60 paces (100m). Then I will start counting again from zero the 30 paces to measure the 50m.

You need to know how many paces you take to cover 100m. It will probably be a different number to mine. You should do this somewhere with no hazards, well in advance of needing to do it for real. Measure the distance with a 50m climbing rope, or on a running track, or find a straight path on a map with distinct and easily recognisable features that are exactly 100m apart and practice there. Best still, do all three of these to get your pacing very accurate, then practice it in the snow wearing your winter boots and carrying your rucksack.

​After walking 150m you should see three cairns close together, as long as they are not covered by snow. This is the point that you turn right in descent, change to the second bearing of ​282° (grid) and walk off in this direction. These three cairns are positioned to point you in the right direction. The central one is the turning point; the first and central cairns line up with where you have come from; the central one and the third one line up with where you need to go next.

Have a look at the image below. The central cairn and the third cairn clearly line up with the cairns on the bearing of 282° (grid) which will lead you across the plateau to the 1200m mark and down onto the zig zags of the Mountain Track. It is nice to know this, and quite obvious when the weather is clear. In poor visibility, this is another little thing to tell you that you are going in the right direction. However, you will still need to use your compass to keep you going in the right direction between the cairns and if you can't see the cairns.

When you walk up a mountain like Ben Nevis, have you ever thought about who maintains the path that you walk on? In fact, who built it in the first place? How much does it cost and where does the money come from?

Ben Nevis receives around 150,000 ascents every year so a very big and well built path is essential. Nevis Landscape Partnership and John Muir Trust spent around £1million in the last few years on the mountain path and the ongoing maintenance costs run into tens of thousands of pounds every year. We can't just rely on the landowners to build and maintain trails, after all they can't earn anything back directly to cover the cost. It's not in the remit of the local authority (The Highland Council) and we can't, and don't want to, charge every walker on the path.

The burden of building and maintaining mountain trails often comes down to charities, and it's the Nevis Landscape Partnership that coordinates work to maintain the trails in the Nevis area with huge support from the landowners - Jahama Highland Estates, John Muir Trust, Glen Nevis Estate and Forest and Land Scotland.

At Abacus Mountain Guides, there's no doubt that we go up Ben Nevis a lot! Mike has been on Ben Nevis well over 1000 times and we really enjoy guiding hundreds of people up and around Ben Nevis every year. Our business is based around Ben Nevis as well as our leisure time. All of these boots on the ground and cars in the parking places have an impact on the landscape and on the people that live in the communities here. 

So, we want to give something back to the area that we love and rely on so much.

We do this in several ways. Mike is a director of Nevis Landscape Partnership, feely giving his time to the running of the organisation. We are members of Nevis Landscape Partnership, Friends of Nevis and John Muir Trust, supporting these organisations that do such good work on the ground. We also pick up litter, plant trees and help on volunteer days. But what they really need is funding.

So, we run an annual event called Nevis at Night.

Nevis at Night is an experience of Glen Nevis and Ben Nevis for everyone, and a charity event like no other. Reach for the stars and immerse yourself in the multi-sensory experience during Light up Ben Nevis - our night ascent of the UK's tallest mountain. And it's all in support of The Nevis Fund to carry out essential environmental work in the Nevis area.

​You can climb Ben Nevis. And you can climb it at night. But this is your opportunity to help light up the entire mountain with a team of like-minded people, while also raising money to protect the very area that we love, as well as a charity of your choice.

We head off in the late afternoon on 23rd September 2023 with the aim of reaching the summit shortly after dark. Being on the summit in full darkness is quite an experience which adds another dimension to to the challenge.

As well as professional guiding and support, complementary snacks and reflectors, all participants will be able to download a free GPS tracker app which will allow you to check in with your friends as you go. Following the event you can celebrate your achievement with your fellow walkers with a delicious midnight feast back at the event base.

Anyone who is capable of walking up Ben Nevis can take part. Individuals, families, groups of friends or colleagues at work, everyone is welcome.

• If you have a charity or cause close to your heart that you want to raise money for, take part in this event knowing that you are also having a significant, positive impact on the Nevis area.
• You and your friends can take on the challenge together to keep you all on that fitness drive.
• If you are thinking of doing a fundraising event at your place of work with your colleagues, this is a fantastic and unique event that also gives something back to the local area.

For Light Up Ben Nevis you have a fundraising target of £250. The cost of participation and in the event is £50 and the other £200 will go to The Nevis Fund to help with essential maintenance and conservation work in the area. If you raise any more than £250 you can choose whether the extra goes to The Nevis Fund or to a charity of your choice.

You will have plenty of time to reach your fundraising target as we will ask you to reach certain goals throughout the year:
​
Register - £25
Balance of participation cost - £25 - due by 26th August 2023.
Second fundraising target on the 4th November 2023 (six weeks after the event) - £200 + any extra raised that you would like to donate to The Nevis Fund.

​With so many fundraising events taking place on Ben Nevis every year it can be tough to know where your money will be put to best use. This is why we think you should choose to fund raise with Nevis at Night:

• We make a substantial contribution to the Nevis area for vital environmental management work. Ben Nevis is not a free event space and it takes a lot of looking after.
• We use Abacus Mountain Guides, with the highest qualifications and 23 years experience of mountain safety management.
• We use local mountain leaders so there is a direct positive financial impact on the local area.
• We do an impact analysis and restore any impact on the trails we use.
• We have full support from John Muir Trust, Friends of Nevis, Forestry Commission, Mountaineering Scotland, Jahama Estates and Nevis Landscape Partnership.
• ​We use GPS trackers to display participants' locations online and the one big screen at event base so friends and family can support and encourage them along the way.

We run the event as a not-for-profit, so you know that all the money you pay to take part goes into running the event.

You can sign up now - ​www.nevisatnight.com/