Ice Climbing in The Outdoor Capital

Modern ice climbing was invented in Lochaber! Pioneers of front pointing and technical ice-picks developed their techniques and tools on the ice of Ben Nevis and Glen Coe. Cutting edge climbers including John Cunningham, Hamish MacInnes, Bill March and Kenny Spence came together to meet Yvon Chouinard in the Clachaig in February 1970, a meeting that resulted in the step cutting era ending overnight for all those there!

Ice forms in many different ways resulting in ice of different types and with different climbing qualities. With a good freeze numerous watercourses form into icefalls of perfect, transparent water ice, often hard and brittle requiring super sharp picks. Springs dribbling out of cracks and caves in the crags provide water to freeze onto the rocks, helped out by snowfall building on the rocks. Snow patches melt in the thaws running water down crags below to form hard water-ice. Gullies hold snow that thaws and refreezes successively over the course of the winter and its many storms forming the celebrated plastic snow ice that Lochaber is famed for. The highest faces form rime and hoar that builds on the steepest rocks that is also transformed by thaw freeze cycles into a thin layer of ice, often only just thick enough to climb.

It can take many years to judge the formation of each different type of climb according to the prevailing weather. The best way is to make your best guess and see if you are right with the acceptance of turning back and the lesson learnt if you are wrong! Failing that, speaking with somebody in the know like a local mountain guide, will save a few wasted trips!

Suggested routes

Icefalls

• Steall Falls (III) – brilliant but only forms in exceptionally cold winters
• Great Gully, Buachaille Etive Mor (IV) – threatened by avalanche
• Witches Falls, Sgurr Finnisg-aig (IV,5) – interesting climbing, cable car descent
• Blue Ribband (V,5) – at 600m, a long and committing climb

Ice Smears

• Garadh Gully (IV) – with no snow this gully offers great climbing
• The Curtain (IV,5) – three stunning pitches, each steeper then the last
• Vanishing Gully (V,5) – a classic of Ben Nevis
• Gemini (VI,6) – brilliant and varied climbing

Snow Patch Icefalls

• Tower Scoop (III) – high and reliable climbing
• Smith’s Route (V,5) – although short, a classic and historical climb
• Mega Route X (V,6) – a long, steep and exciting pitch
• Royal Pardon (V,6) – much sought after and celebrated

Gullies

• SC Gully (III) – classic, atmospheric climbing
• Crowberry Gully (III) – long and brilliant with stunning views
• Left Twin (III,4) – a popular and reliable with good belays
• Comb Gully (IV,4) – a classic climb and often in condition
• Number 6 Gully, Aonach Dubh (IV,4) – excellent climbing in a stunning position
• Minus Two Gully (V,5) – a magnificent and classic climb
• Point Five Gully (V,5) – the most famous ice gully in the world!
• Minus One Gully (VI,6) – the hardest and best of the Nevis gullies

Thin Face Climbs

• Indicator Wall (IV,4) – the highest ice climb in the country
• Hadrian’s Wall Direct (V,5) – never too hard but serious, open face climbing
• Orion Direct (V,5) – the ultimate classic face climb
• Galactic Hitchhiker (VI,5) – a modern classic on ice glazed slabs
• Riders on the Storm (VI,5) – undercut slabs and corners with huge exposure
• Albatross (VI,5) – spooky climbing on thinly iced slabs
• Pointless (VII,6) – very serious climbing