Western Rib, Aonach Mor & SW Ridge, Ben Nevis

Ken: I was back out with Dave and Jay today and we headed round to the Summit Ribs on the West Face of Aonach Mor, where we climbed the brilliant Western Rib, which must be one of the longest grade IIIs around. The freezing level had creeped up a bit yesterday afternoon and overnight, and as a result the snow on the approach and on the lower pitches was quite wet, whereas the snow on the upper half of the route, of which there is quite a bit, is still fairly dry and unconsolidated (and the scree still loose where exposed).

Meanwhile, Steve was out with Leanne and Jon on the SW Ridge of the Douglas Boulder, on Ben Nevis. Again, the theme of plenty of unhelpful snow was ever present. This made the climbing a bit tricky at times, as hooks and gear all needed to be excavated. That all said, the team enjoyed themselves and had fun abseiling down the East Ridge of the Douglas Boulder.

The drop in the freezing level tomorrow should help firm things up a bit, particularly lower down.