Minus 3 Gully
11th March
I suppose 07.15 at Dores is not quite early enough for a Ben Nevis route with the magnitude of something on the Minus face, but there again, we had planned to go to the Cairngorms. A good route for David would be worthwhile, although he did point out it was to be the least good weather day of the week.
Driving over to Annoch Mor we pondered on how the car park track would be, but we tried it anyway. Needless to say, the ice on the track proved too bad even for Dave’s new 4 X 4. We reached a high point just below the middle gate, turned the big car around with some difficulty and parked unabtrousively off the track, and set off with heavy sacks to the CIC Hut.
Passing Nick (Bullock) and partner some way below the hut, he told me it was a lightnIng visit for him from Chamonix but the previous two days’ weather had been great and conditions had allowed him and his pal to make ‘a couple of good Routes’ on the Ben. I dreaded to think what they were?
It must have been around 10am at the CIC Hut and at least an hour later at the foot of the gully. The ice looked steep but also good and I soon was on the move. No large icicle over the roof at 30 metres so, as I had done once before, I angled left and approached the break which had been pretty serious last time.This time it was all different, good ice, plenty of activity signs from previous ascents and soon I was traversing back into the overhung gully directly above the start of the route. Photos were too complicated to get done on the whole route, with the snow falling and spindrift problems, and Dave said he hardly ever saw me on each pitch after the first 10 metres, so I was grateful for at least one shot of Dave has he finished the first pitch.
The old pegs looked poor but backed up by a good Deadman I felt secure. David made short work of the pitch and we prepared for the second long pitch. This turned out to be fabulous climbing, a steep bulge to get over but with good placements and hooks, it went quite easily. A long stretch of easier gully followed until I was able to belay below the final (also long) runout.
1st pitch (top of) Minus 3 Gully (grade 4,5) Ben Nevis
By now we were motoring and although the snow had started, I guessed it was about 2.30pm when I reached the big in-situ rope belay, the signal that a leftwards traverse would bring us back onto the North East ridge and our way off. It was a little too late to even contemplate continuing up the ridge, with the dreaded Mantrap still to overcome, so we edged our bets and made the traverse on the ridge. Different conditions result in a different perspective. I located the big block anchor from where I’d abbed easily down onto snow and an easy zig-zagging access down to the Alt a’ Mhullin a few years before. Today was different. All over the flanks of the buttress were glistening ice bulges interspersed with snowy ramps.I could tell the descent wasn’t going to be as easy.
No real need to abseil from the block today, we pitched it down to the crest of the ridge on our left and spent the next (possibly) two and a half hours carefully front-pointing down ramps and traverses until, in worsening weather I concluded a way off onto easy ground was possible with one long abseil. Leaving one of my many (Chamonix purcashed) ice screws in place, we swooped down and then traversed across and even slightly back up, all on easy ground until, on cresting a ridge, we saw the way out. The light was only just fading.
It looked easy, but still a long way. David was however soon on safe and easy soloing ground well before the 60 metre rope ran out. We were soon reunited and taking coils we short-roped quickly down to the CIC Hut in the now distinctly gloom. It was just a quarter to six. A splendid outing.
You couldn’t say the remainder of the day was as good? Trailing down the Alt a’ Mhullin was hard going in our wet states and heavy sacks. Then we had to reverse our approach walk from the dam car park (we were reasurred that no-one had managed to get up there all day). Very dark now, it was clear just how far we had had to walk that morning. Pitch black by the time we reached the car, but that old saying came back to me. ‘One hasn’t had a good day on the Ben unless one gets back in the dark’.
I’ll settle for clear skies, dry ice and a ice-free car track any day.
It was 9.30pm by the time Dave unloaded the gear and our day out was over.