Ben Nevis in April

Laurence Koster said:

We are thinking of ascending Ben Nevis by the mountain path, in April on Easter weekend.

I have been up Ben Nevis but I don't know what kind of conditions to expect in April, and whether
it is advisable to plan a trip at that time of year.

All advice and information greatly appreciated.

Laurence

This was it third week in May last year, so look out for anything 🙂

ftscotland.co.ukpic 03.htmlOpen ↗

There could still be a lot of snow but you may get it dry and sunny.

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Don`t Worry, Be Happy

Sandy
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"Laurence Koster" <[email hidden]> wrote in message
"]news:[email hidden]...

Quoted message said:

We are thinking of ascending Ben Nevis by the mountain path, in April on Easter weekend.

I have been up Ben Nevis but I don't know what kind of conditions to expect in April, and whether
it is advisable to plan a trip at that time of year.

All advice and information greatly appreciated.

Laurence

Plan for the worst at that time of year I think. The weather cannot be guaranteed at any time of
year on the summit at the best of times.

A.

--------
Alastair Ross

email: alastair "at" hillwalking.org.uk web: hillwalking.org.ukhillwalking.org.ukOpen ↗ - for hillwalking and
books web: eat-the-chef.comeat-the-chef.comOpen ↗ - for restaurants and wine

In message <[email hidden]>, Alastair Ross
<[email hidden]> writes

Quoted message said:

"Laurence Koster" <[email hidden]> wrote in message
"]news:[email hidden]...

Quoted message said:

We are thinking of ascending Ben Nevis by the mountain path, in April on Easter weekend.

I have been up Ben Nevis but I don't know what kind of conditions to expect in April, and whether
it is advisable to plan a trip at that time of year.

All advice and information greatly appreciated.

Laurence

Plan for the worst at that time of year I think. The weather cannot be guaranteed at any time of
year on the summit at the best of times.

And in April you should go prepared with crampons, ice axes and the knowledge of how and when
to use them.

--
Five Cats Email to: cats_spam at uk2 dot net

"Laurence Koster" <[email hidden]> wrote

Quoted message said:

We are thinking of ascending Ben Nevis by the mountain path, in April on Easter weekend.

I have been up Ben Nevis but I don't know what kind of conditions to expect in April, and whether
it is advisable to plan a trip at that time of year.

Ofcourse no one can make any kind of guarantees with the weather or amount of snow left but I reckon
that must be about the best time to plan a trip for. If you're lucky the weather will be sunny and
there will be just enough snow left to make things look pretty but not enough to make walking
hazardous without winter gear. At least that's what it's been like the last couple of years and I'll
be keeping my fingers crossed for this year except I'm concentrating on Feb half term with the
weather gods first.

Alastair Ross said:

"Laurence Koster" <[email hidden]> wrote in message
"]news:[email hidden]...

Quoted message said:

We are thinking of ascending Ben Nevis by the mountain path, in April on Easter weekend.

You will have snow underfoot. Treat as a winter trip

Have fun, and dont follow Trail magazine's article :-)

R|ichard Webb

Quoted message said:

there will be just enough snow left to make things look pretty but not enough to make walking
hazardous without winter gear. At least that's what it's been like the last couple of years

Really have my doubts about that Andy. Of course it depends on all kinds of variables, but with the
Ben's notoriously fickle weather, and the dangers of slippery convex snow slopes, I'd be inclined to
take winter gear anyway in April, however benign things look from sea level.

Paul Leigh Lancs

"Paul Richardson" <[email hidden]> wrote

Quoted message said:

Really have my doubts about that Andy. Of course it depends on all kinds of variables, but with
the Ben's notoriously fickle weather, and the dangers of slippery convex snow slopes, I'd be
inclined to take winter gear anyway in April, however benign things look from sea level.

Am I underestimating the difference a couple of hundred metres in height makes? Last Easter in Glen
Nevis it was 30 degrees and wall to wall sunshine for several days in a row. There certainly wasn't
any snow worth mentioning in the Mamores. (Can't actually remember what Ben Nevis looked like across
the Glen). Again the year before I think there was just the odd patch of snow in the Mamores and I
can remember sunbathing on some pretty much whiteness free hills in Glen Shiel with just some snow
in the North facing corries of the Five Sisters to make things look nice. I think the sheltered NE
corrie up to Bidean Nam Bian from the lost valley was the only place we saw any significant looking
snow that year. Perhaps I ought to start taking photos to remind myself of these things.

Anyway, the upshot is that for the last two Easters (the only 2 I've been) I've not found any
serious snow conditions in Scotland all of which asks the question: what should we take as typical
conditions? Are the last few years just an anomaly or is global warming going to be making it the
norm? Is the average weather over the past twenty years relevant these days?

In message <[email hidden]>, AndyP <[email hidden]> writes

Quoted message said:

"Paul Richardson" <[email hidden]> wrote

Quoted message said:

Really have my doubts about that Andy. Of course it depends on all kinds of variables, but with
the Ben's notoriously fickle weather, and the dangers of slippery convex snow slopes, I'd be
inclined to take winter gear anyway in April, however benign things look from sea level.

Am I underestimating the difference a couple of hundred metres in height makes? Last Easter in Glen
Nevis it was 30 degrees and wall to wall sunshine for several days in a row. There certainly wasn't
any snow worth mentioning in the Mamores. (Can't actually remember what Ben Nevis looked like
across the Glen). Again the year before I think there was just the odd patch of snow in the Mamores
and I can remember sunbathing on some pretty much whiteness free hills in Glen Shiel with just some
snow in the North facing corries of the Five Sisters to make things look nice. I think the
sheltered NE corrie up to Bidean Nam Bian from the lost valley was the only place we saw any
significant looking snow that year. Perhaps I ought to start taking photos to remind myself of
these things.

Anyway, the upshot is that for the last two Easters (the only 2 I've been) I've not found any
serious snow conditions in Scotland all of which asks the question: what should we take as typical
conditions? Are the last few years just an anomaly or is global warming going to be making it the
norm? Is the average weather over the past twenty years relevant these days?

I think you should put it down to luck - extreme luck. One cannot tell much in advance what it will
be like in April, especially early April, and full winter conditions are always possible.

--
Five Cats Email to: cats_spam at uk2 dot net

"Laurence Koster" <[email hidden]> schreef in bericht
"]news:[email hidden]...

Quoted message said:

We are thinking of ascending Ben Nevis by the mountain path, in April on Easter weekend.

I have been up Ben Nevis but I don't know what kind of conditions to expect in April, and whether
it is advisable to plan a trip at that time of year.

All advice and information greatly appreciated.

Laurence

I've done Ben Nevis in a serious snowstorm in May. Didn't come prepared but I followed the tourist
track.(Cotton trousers, very cold and wet feet). Descending in a whiteout was the biggest problem,
followed the 'Trailroute'(1996) until something inside me said: o, o....something is very wrong
here. I survived. I think you can expect any kind of weather and the most important thing is to know
the route you want to take by heart and not to be afraid of turning back and do it some other time.

groeten van Theo

On 28 Jan 2004 06:01:51 -0800, [email hidden] (Laurence Koster)

Quoted message said:

We are thinking of ascending Ben Nevis by the mountain path, in April on Easter weekend.

I have been up Ben Nevis but I don't know what kind of conditions to expect in April, and whether
it is advisable to plan a trip at that time of year.

All advice and information greatly appreciated.

Laurence

If Ben Nevis was a couple of hundred meters higher then it would have permafrost at the summit.

Plan for the worst and hope for the best. There will be snow and it could be slippery. If a storm
comes in then it will make your life real miserable real quick if you are not prepared.

Oh, and don't follow Trails advice on how to get down....:-)
--
79.84% of all statistics are made up on the spot. The other 42% are made up later on. In Warwick -
looking at flat fields and that includes the castle.

In message <[email hidden]>, Laurence Koster
<[email hidden]> writes

Quoted message said:

"theo" <[email hidden]> wrote in message news:<[email hidden]>...

Quoted message said:

"Laurence Koster" <[email hidden]> schreef in bericht
"]news:[email hidden]...

Quoted message said:

We are thinking of ascending Ben Nevis by the mountain path, in April on Easter weekend.

I have been up Ben Nevis but I don't know what kind of conditions to expect in April, and
whether it is advisable to plan a trip at that time of year.

All advice and information greatly appreciated.

Laurence

I've done Ben Nevis in a serious snowstorm in May. Didn't come prepared but I followed the
tourist track.(Cotton trousers, very cold and wet feet). Descending in a whiteout was the biggest
problem, followed the 'Trailroute'(1996) until something inside me said: o, o....something is
very wrong here. I survived. I think you can expect any kind of weather and the most important
thing is to know the route you want to take by heart and not to be afraid of turning back and do
it some other time.

groeten van Theo

Can anyone recommend a good place to hire ice axes and crampons, either in Fort William or Glasgow?
We will be be a group of 8, and an indication of the cost would also be helpful.

Nevis Sport, West Coast Leisure both do hire I believe. Sorry I have no idea of the cost.

However, do you all know how and when to use them? As I found the one time I needed to use my axe
for real, it was fortunate for me that I had taken the trouble in previous years to find out how.

--
Five Cats Email to: cats_spam at uk2 dot net

A couple of years ago I went up Tower Ridge in May, when it was under quite a lot of snow! We met a
party at Tower Gap with full winter-climbing equipment - we were admittedly slightly under-equipped,
but we got by.

April on the Ben could be winter or summer. Be prepared for anything!

Howard Jones

"Laurence Koster" <[email hidden]> wrote in message
"]news:[email hidden]...

Quoted message said:

We are thinking of ascending Ben Nevis by the mountain path, in April on Easter weekend.

I have been up Ben Nevis but I don't know what kind of conditions to expect in April, and whether
it is advisable to plan a trip at that time of year.

All advice and information greatly appreciated.

Laurence

"theo" <[email hidden]> wrote in message news:<[email hidden]>...

Quoted message said:

"Laurence Koster" <[email hidden]> schreef in bericht
"]news:[email hidden]...

Quoted message said:

We are thinking of ascending Ben Nevis by the mountain path, in April on Easter weekend.

I have been up Ben Nevis but I don't know what kind of conditions to expect in April, and
whether it is advisable to plan a trip at that time of year.

All advice and information greatly appreciated.

Laurence

I've done Ben Nevis in a serious snowstorm in May. Didn't come prepared but I followed the
tourist track.(Cotton trousers, very cold and wet feet). Descending in a whiteout was the biggest
problem, followed the 'Trailroute'(1996) until something inside me said: o, o....something is
very wrong here. I survived. I think you can expect any kind of weather and the most important
thing is to know the route you want to take by heart and not to be afraid of turning back and do
it some other time.

groeten van Theo

Can anyone recommend a good place to hire ice axes and crampons, either in Fort William or Glasgow?
We will be be a group of 8, and an indication of the cost would also be helpful.

Thanks.

Laurence

"Laurence Koster" <[email hidden]> wrote in message

Quoted message said:

Can anyone recommend a good place to hire ice axes and crampons, either in Fort William or
Glasgow? We will be be a group of 8, and an indication of the cost would also be helpful.

Thanks.

Laurence

Tisos in Glasgow tiso.comshop details.aspOpen ↗ (the bigger shop just off the motorway)
hires out axes, crampons and four-season boots. I hired crampons and boots last January and I'm sure
the cost was something along the lines of £15 for Friday to Sunday. Probably £20 for all 3 items for
the weekend. Book them early though, with a group of 8 you don't want to find they've run out of
sizes. Having said that if you don't require boots it won't be a problem but you will need stiffer
four-season boots (as a general rule) for attaching crampons to. They also do a one day winter
walking "course" which is valuable (£25??) as you will receive instruction on ice-axe arrest,
avalanche awareness and crampon technique. Plus it's quite enjoyable.

KRO

In addition to above post, prices here .........

tiso.comequipment hire.aspOpen ↗

KRO

Thanks to everyone for all the help and advice.

I would also be good to have some ideas for good alternative hikes from Glen Nevis/Fort William, in
case we get there and decide that the conditions are not right for going up.

Laurence

"Howard Jones" <[email hidden]> wrote in message
news:<[email hidden]>...

Quoted message said:

A couple of years ago I went up Tower Ridge in May, when it was under quite a lot of snow! We met
a party at Tower Gap with full winter-climbing equipment - we were admittedly slightly under-
equipped, but we got by.

April on the Ben could be winter or summer. Be prepared for anything!

Howard Jones

"Laurence Koster" <[email hidden]> wrote in message
"]news:[email hidden]...

Quoted message said:

We are thinking of ascending Ben Nevis by the mountain path, in April on Easter weekend.

I have been up Ben Nevis but I don't know what kind of conditions to expect in April, and
whether it is advisable to plan a trip at that time of year.

All advice and information greatly appreciated.

Laurence

On 28 Jan 2004 06:01:51 -0800, [email hidden] (Laurence Koster)

Quoted message said:

I have been up Ben Nevis but I don't know what kind of conditions to expect in April, and whether
it is advisable to plan a trip at that time of year.

By all means plan a trip. But if you don't have winter experience, seek advice locally prior to your
ascent, as it is quite likely to require axe/crampons.

These pictures from the start of May 2001
yorkalpineclub.org.ukindex.htmOpen ↗

Crampons weren't necessary as the snow was thawing, but a week earlier it had apparently been very
icy. I've also been up in a blizzard in April, and once in June after a hard winter when axe and
crampons were still highly desirable (we didn't have any which made it quite interesting). And at
the end of May sometime in the 90s we did Ledge Route in winter conditions, and people were ice
climbing on the north face!

On the other hand, with the winter we're having at the moment, the entire hill could be snow free by
the end of February :-(

S.

Simon Caldwell wrote

Quoted message said:

Laurence Koster said:

I have been up Ben Nevis but I don't know what kind of conditions to expect in April, and whether
it is advisable to plan a trip at that time of year.

By all means plan a trip. But if you don't have winter experience, seek advice locally prior to
your ascent, as it is quite likely to require axe/crampons.

These pictures from the start of May 2001
yorkalpineclub.org.ukindex.htmOpen ↗

Picture 10 gives an excellent view of where you would go if you followed the directions in Trail!

I've encountered snow on the descent of the Pony Track in late June although it was only a few large
patches. Simon's photos can be taken as typical, even in a poor (snowless) winter. Early in April
will almost certainly be still full winter conditions but by late April you might get away with just
an axe, although if the weather has been cold before your trip crampons would be advisable as well.

HTH Graham