Route: Carn Mor Dearg Arete
Cause: Raising Funds for the charity REACT
People: Mr Piers Renshaw, Orthopaedic Registrar, Aberdeen University Hospitals Trust
Gerry McGirr, Assistant ODP Training Manager, Lothian University Hospitals Trust

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Our challenge was to raise funds for REACT, a charity that requires financial aid to provide care for children who have a life-limiting illness. The money raised would pay for a family to take their child on holiday, buy toys, or help with special medical equipment. Or it could pay the salary of a nurse to care for the child at home, allowing the family to have a weekend break. Like all charities REACT suffers from a lack of funds and any donation is truly appreciated. After listening to stories about the children in need and the work of react, we decided to pick Ben Nevis as our challenge and started planning back in February.

We decided to ascend the Ben via the classic route of Carn Mor Dearg followed by a traverse of the Aréte, a high, level, exposed ridge which connects the summit with the northeast buttress of the Ben. In summer the CMD Arete, as it is otherwise known, is long and testing. In winter, it is particularly serious, but in all seasons it requires great care.

Ben Nevis is always referred to by climbers simply as 'The Ben' (Ben meaning mountain). Ben Nevis is Britain's highest mountain at 1344m/4409ft, falling short of the permanent snowline only by a few hundred feet. The mountain is mainly made up of black lava which forms the great cliffs with granite forming the 'gentler' slopes. The first detailed map of the Scottish highlands drawn by Timothy Point in 1595, shows the mountain as 'Ben Novesh.' The name, Ben Nevis, comes from a Gaelic word 'neimheas,' meaning venomous or evil one. In the 1600s it was known as Bin Nevis, and a century later it was called Ben Nevis.

Our base was Fort William on the west coast of Scotland. The provisional date for the climb was Saturday, 17 July. The Ben was there, but Fort William was covered by a cloud base of 600 feet with winds reaching 40mph and heavy rain. That was the situation for the rest of the day. The weather forecast for Sunday did not sound encouraging: the cloud base at 3000 feet with rain spreading from the west followed by fog.

"One or two glasses of the water of life, Freedom and Whisky gang thegither as Burns would say..."

The forecast on Sunday was almost correct: cloud base 3000 feet. Encouragingly, the wind was light, around 20mph, and as yet no signs of fog.

On reaching Achintee Farm, we both made the decision to ascend the Ben. If we reached the Arete and conditions became too dangerous or visibility so bad, we would call it off. You have to expect bad weather on the Ben. On Saturday, word reached Fort William that a climber had been killed in the northern highlands—this being one of the main reason why we sat out the storm in Fort William on Saturday.

As proper equipment, clothing, a compass, and map are essential on all of the mountains around Fort William, the Ben is no exception. The ascent we were embarking on not only requires a head for heights but requires low winds, good visibility, and in poor visibility competent navigational skills. Ben Nevis has many bad accident blackspots, none more so than Five Finger Gully and Gardyloo Gully. They claim numerous casualties every year from walkers to climbers, and as it happens, both gullyies would be on our approach.

"We set out from Achintee Farm and minutes into the walk became aware of the flight of the midge..."

We left the path as it turned right into Coire Leis and descended down heathery slopes. Looking at my altimeter, we had lost 1000 feet. This was the first mental low point of the day. All this height would have to be regained.

We crossed the Allt a' Mhuillin stream, which at this time of the year was flowing fast due to the amount of rainfall this part of the country was receiving. Some suggest it's the El Niño effect, I call it good old Scottish summer weather. This was our first stop of the day, mainly for nourishment and rehydration. We filled our bottles from the burn; it would be 4 hours or more before we could replenish our flasks. The importance of hydration during exercise such as this can not be emphasized enough. Heat exhaustion must be avoided at all cost.

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We began to clamber up the steep slopes of Carn Dearg Meadhonach as it climbs to 1179m. On reaching its summit we could see up ahead through the thick clouds the challenge that awaited us—the infamous Arete. Suddenly and unexpectedly, clouds thickened, and for a few minutes both of us lost sight of each other. All of a sudden the weather cleared just as quick as it had come down. The Ben never allows you to relax. Should you forget that the weather can change in seconds, you are in real trouble. One minute we were walking in cloud with poor visibility, then the clouds lifted to leave a piercing hot sun and blue sky. It remained like this for the rest of the day. The forecasters got it wrong. We had luck on our side.

The ascent of Carn Dearg Meadhonach was remorseless but the views of Coire Leis, the forbidding massif of the Ben's northeast face, and the calm feng-shui of serenity across Loch Eil in the west more than compensated. For both of us, the Scottish Highlands and Islands have always given rise to the most majestic and transcendent of human passion for our country. This view will stay with us for many years to come.

We were very reluctant to leave this privileged viewpoint, especially with the weather we were now experiencing. After some rehydration, we set off again towards the Arete truly inspired and fired with enthusiasm. Piers summed it all up: 'God's Country.' Unaware that he had a PhD in theology, I was very impressed. It would not be the last time I was to hear this saying. However his language was slightly different during the ascent of Carn Mor Meadhonach. Was the feng-shui having an effect?

"The Arete is a magnificent traverse of exposure which manifests itself in a show of solidarity..."

As we began our careful traverse of the Arete it became distinctly obvious why this is the only way to ascend the Ben, 'Gods Country.' The Arete heads the rim of Coire Leis, and the northeast face of the Ben overwhelms you. Looking down into Coire Leis, the eye finds it difficult to spot the CIC hut. Sadly it can't be missed due to the pile of bright orange cylinders that litters the view.

About 2000 feet below us, we were reminded how much respect this area should be given. The RAF were flying their yellow Sea King helicopter through Glen Nevis. A few days later we found out that someone had been airlifted—off the tourist path of all places.

Once on the Arete, it soon becomes clear why a head for heights is required. A quick glance to your right reveals the worse prospect, little room for error, a fast descent into Coire Leis if you get it wrong.

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As the Arete branches right it abuts with the southeast slope of the Ben. This was our next low point of the day, knowing that we had a final 1000-foot ascent which included a scramble up the steep cliff edge in order to reach the top of the United Kingdom. We stopped before embarking on this scramble for a short five-minute break and consumed a few bars of chocolate to restore beaten and depressed glucose levels and once again took in the view, this time looking north across the Grey Corries with their quartzite summits radiating in the afternoon sun.

We arrived on the summit at 5pm to be greeted by a sea of tourists wearing everything from designer jeans to the latest fashion in Reeboks...not quite what we had in mind. The perfect reward on reaching the summit was not the tourists but the clear skies and panoramic views. The summit of the Ben contains the ruins of an observatory and the highest war memorial in the UK.

We snapped the traditional summit photograph, and after a quick cuppa, we began our descent via the monotonous tourist path picking up our steps back from the Halfway Lochan. It became quite clear to us why the tourist path should be missed at all cost. On the ascent of the CMD Arete, we met 4 people. The tourist path was like Oxford Street during the January sales. We recommend avoiding it even on the descent, by going back down the Arete or heading back over Lochan Meall and t-Suide, coming out at the Distillery.

"On the ascent of the CMD Arete, we met 4 people. The tourist path was like Oxford Street during the January sales..."

Both of us would like to thank all our family friends and work colleagues for the support and sponsorship received and pay a big thanks to our main sponsor, Medic International, in Edinburgh who made a particularly generous donation to our cause. Without all your support and without all your kind donations, we could not have expected to come this far. We hope the money raised will go in some way to help the families and children who need it most.

— Gerry McGirr, MountainZone.com Pubster