BEN NEVIS EVENTS AND CHALLENGES
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Taking on the challenge to walk up Ben Nevis is a great way to raise awareness and money for a charitable cause. If you are organising a Ben Nevis Event we can help you with everything from booking the Glen Nevis Visitor Centre and collecting registrations to guiding or marshalling the walkers on the day.
Many thousands of people walk up Ben Nevis every year with no support or guiding. Organising a fund raising walk is quite different though. You will be asking people with probably little or no experience of mountain walking to reach the highest summit in the UK with all the hazards of the weather, steep drops and navigation to deal with. Large groups also have a huge impact on the mountain in terms of affecting other walkers on the path, congestion in the car parks, erosion to the ground and litter dropped on the mountain. We want to help your event be a success, for all participants to reach the summit and return safely, and for your impact on the area to be minimised and carefully managed so these events are sustainable in future years. |
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We have experience of running charity events on Ben Nevis for up to 600 people, and we have even organised our own charity fundraising event, Light Up Ben Nevis. If you want advice on how to run your event, whether it's a Three Peaks Event, just Ben Nevis, or if you simply want to hire some group leaders, please contact us to find out more. Hopefully, you'll find some answers to your questions here as well.
FAQ's
what time of year is best?
Any time from June to September should be fine.
There is often snow on the trail in May and June which finally melts away in July. In May this snow can be frozen hard so you will need all participants to have winter boots, crampons and ice axes. These can be hired in Fort William but if your group is bigger than 20 people you will struggle to get everyone kitted out. If the snow is soft it is not as much of a problem but navigation is very difficult when the path is covered by snow, and there will be cornices overhanging the North Face that are a major hazard. We can advise you on the extent of the snow cover and manage your group accordingly.
The weather is often better in June and July than in August and September. Later in August and in September we can get strong winds that might cause a problem. Rain is quite likely at any time of year so it is essential that participants are well kitted out with the right clothing and waterproofs. We can make the decision to run the event or not if there is bad weather forecast. We can also offer appropriate alternatives if the weather is bad.
There is often snow on the trail in May and June which finally melts away in July. In May this snow can be frozen hard so you will need all participants to have winter boots, crampons and ice axes. These can be hired in Fort William but if your group is bigger than 20 people you will struggle to get everyone kitted out. If the snow is soft it is not as much of a problem but navigation is very difficult when the path is covered by snow, and there will be cornices overhanging the North Face that are a major hazard. We can advise you on the extent of the snow cover and manage your group accordingly.
The weather is often better in June and July than in August and September. Later in August and in September we can get strong winds that might cause a problem. Rain is quite likely at any time of year so it is essential that participants are well kitted out with the right clothing and waterproofs. We can make the decision to run the event or not if there is bad weather forecast. We can also offer appropriate alternatives if the weather is bad.
what if the weather is bad?
The weather is usually good enough between June and September for the event to go ahead. Occasionally we get a bad spell of weather with very strong wind which might make it too risky to get to the summit of Ben Nevis. In a strong wind there is more chance of people twisting ankles and knees as they get blown around. If there is an injury, casualties will get very cold very quickly in a strong wind. We will make the decision whether or not to start an event if the weather forecast is not good. If we decide that Ben Nevis is not a good option we will offer suitable alternatives.
what is the cost?
The cost of managing the safety and impact of your event depends on the size of your group.
If you have one to three people we will provide one guide for you. Please see the prices here under Private Guiding.
If you have from 4 to 8 people we will provide one guide to lead the group all the way up and back down for £360.
If you have from 8 to 50 people we will provide one guide per group of up to 8 people to lead the group all the way up and back down for £360 per guide. So if you have 14 people you will need two guides and the cost will be £720.
If you have more than 50 people we can provide guides for every group of up to 8 people or we can provide marshals at strategic checkpoints on the path to keep track of participants and to offer support and care if anything goes wrong. The cost of the marshals is £2,160 total.
Please note that these group sizes are dependent on reasonable weather and under foot conditions. If the weather forecast is very cold and/or windy we will insist on smaller groups with each guide or more marshals on the route. We will charge for the extra staff on the same scale as above, £325 per guide or marshal.
If you have one to three people we will provide one guide for you. Please see the prices here under Private Guiding.
If you have from 4 to 8 people we will provide one guide to lead the group all the way up and back down for £360.
If you have from 8 to 50 people we will provide one guide per group of up to 8 people to lead the group all the way up and back down for £360 per guide. So if you have 14 people you will need two guides and the cost will be £720.
If you have more than 50 people we can provide guides for every group of up to 8 people or we can provide marshals at strategic checkpoints on the path to keep track of participants and to offer support and care if anything goes wrong. The cost of the marshals is £2,160 total.
Please note that these group sizes are dependent on reasonable weather and under foot conditions. If the weather forecast is very cold and/or windy we will insist on smaller groups with each guide or more marshals on the route. We will charge for the extra staff on the same scale as above, £325 per guide or marshal.
what is the difference between guides and marshals?
Guided groups have a guide with them all the way up and back down. The guide is there to lead the way, set the pace, make sure participants are wearing the right clothes to stay comfortable and to talk about the heritage and environment of Ben Nevis. This gives participants the best level of care on the walk and is suitable for everyone. For most people and in reasonable weather groups of up to 12 people with each guide are fine. If the weather is more challenging and if we think your particular group needs more support we will suggest smaller group sizes.
If you use marshals at strategic checkpoints on the path the participants walk in groups of four people and they are self-led. The participants need to find the way, set the pace and make sure they are wearing the right clothes to stay comfortable. The marshals are there to keep track of the participants on the mountain, to offer advice on their pace, what to eat and what to wear, and to be on hand in the event of something going wrong. For example if someone twists an ankle there will be a marshal near-by to provide first aid and help evacuate the injured person. The marshals will then follow the last participants off the mountain to make sure everyone gets back down safely.
Organising self-led groups with marshals is a less expensive solution for groups of more than 60 people that provides sufficient care to the participants but it needs to be made very clear to the participants what is required of them. They need to follow the trail, set the pace and look after themselves between the check points. If the weather forecast is bad it is more likely that we will decide not to start an event with marshals and self-led groups.
If you use marshals at strategic checkpoints on the path the participants walk in groups of four people and they are self-led. The participants need to find the way, set the pace and make sure they are wearing the right clothes to stay comfortable. The marshals are there to keep track of the participants on the mountain, to offer advice on their pace, what to eat and what to wear, and to be on hand in the event of something going wrong. For example if someone twists an ankle there will be a marshal near-by to provide first aid and help evacuate the injured person. The marshals will then follow the last participants off the mountain to make sure everyone gets back down safely.
Organising self-led groups with marshals is a less expensive solution for groups of more than 60 people that provides sufficient care to the participants but it needs to be made very clear to the participants what is required of them. They need to follow the trail, set the pace and look after themselves between the check points. If the weather forecast is bad it is more likely that we will decide not to start an event with marshals and self-led groups.
what else is required?
You need to collect personal information from every participant including medical details and an emergency contact in case of an emergency. We can help you do this by creating an online form that all participants complete. This information is stored securely with regard to data protection and we will keep you updated with entries.
You need to make sure everyone taking part has the clothing, footwear and equipmnt required to make it to the summit and back down safely. We will provide you with a kit list and check people have what is needed on the day. We are happy to make the decision about whether to let people start the walk or not if they do not have everything on the kit list.
You need to book the starting point. If you choose to use the Glen Nevis Visitor Centre you will need to book in your event and pay them the fee to use their facilities. These include car parking, toilets, bins and picnic areas. If you use coaches then you should start at the Visitor Centre as it has a large car park which is good for big coaches.
You can also start at the Ben Nevis Inn at Achintee. This has a slightly easier start to the walk but there is less parking and no toilets. The parking is free and is fine for cars and minibuses but not big coaches. The Ben Nevis Inn is an excellent place for a drink or a meal after the walk.
You need to make sure everyone taking part has the clothing, footwear and equipmnt required to make it to the summit and back down safely. We will provide you with a kit list and check people have what is needed on the day. We are happy to make the decision about whether to let people start the walk or not if they do not have everything on the kit list.
You need to book the starting point. If you choose to use the Glen Nevis Visitor Centre you will need to book in your event and pay them the fee to use their facilities. These include car parking, toilets, bins and picnic areas. If you use coaches then you should start at the Visitor Centre as it has a large car park which is good for big coaches.
You can also start at the Ben Nevis Inn at Achintee. This has a slightly easier start to the walk but there is less parking and no toilets. The parking is free and is fine for cars and minibuses but not big coaches. The Ben Nevis Inn is an excellent place for a drink or a meal after the walk.
how do we reduce our impact on the mountain?
Lots of people walking on the same trail on the same day will have a huge impact on the trail and the environment around it. The environment of Ben Nevis is delicate and gets more fragile the higher up the mountain you go. It is very important to try to reduce the impact of large events on Ben Nevis and aim to have a positive impact on the mountain. To do this we do the following:
- Each guide carries a rubbish bag which is filled on the descent by rubbish that is found on the trail, whether it is rubbish from our group or from someone else. We leave Ben Nevis with less litter on it than when we start.
- We make a donation to maintain the track. With 130,000 people using the track it requires constant maintenance and repair.
- We do not clog up parking areas with too many vehicles. We will always plan in advance and either book in to the Glen Nevis Visitor Centre where the facilities are paid for or we will park sensitively at Achintee. We use local coach firms to be able to drop off and collect groups at peak times.
- We use local mountain leaders and we are based in Fort William so your payment goes into the local economy.
why choose us?
There are many guiding companies and event organising companies that provide support for events. What makes Abacus Mountain Guides the best choice?
- In charge of mountain safety we have Mike Pescod who is an IFMGA British Mountain Guide. This is the highest mountaineering qualification in the world and he has been organising Ben Nevis events since 1995.
- All of our group leaders and marshals are qualified and insured Summer Mountain Leaders as a minimum and many have been trained and assessed by Mike.
- Mike is a director of the Nevis Landscape Partnership which manages and maintains the Nevis area for us all to enjoy.
- Mike is a member of the Lochaber Mountain Rescue Team which regularly assists people taking part in Ben Nevis Events. This experience is invaluable when it comes to managing our own events safely.
