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Ben Nevis & CMD

Ben Nevis & CMD


Postby rvrscum » Fri Jul 01, 2011 4:44 am

Route description: Ben Nevis by the Càrn Mòr Dearg Arête

Munros included on this walk: Ben Nevis, Càrn Mòr Dearg

Date walked: 17/06/2011

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After an excellent day in the Cairngorms, it was off to Ft. William, a hotel, and some take away. I slept in a bit, as I was sore from the previous day. But with the trusty Vitamin I and some strectching, I was ready to go for the days objective, Ben Nevis via the CMD route. I went up the tourist track until the fork and headed north. Looking over Lochan Meall an t Suidhe:

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Coming around the corner and looking at CMD and the flank of Ben Nevis:

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What I could see of the North Face from near the Rescue Hut:

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Looking back the way I came (left of pic):

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Up into the clag:

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Thought of a cool name for a walker & climber friendly pub, The Clag & Scree:

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The summit of CMD is just visible in the middle right:

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CMD Summit cairn:

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A really cool walk given the conditions:

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Just got better:

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Occasionally the clag would lift and give views to the south:

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North:

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West:

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And back to the East and CMD:

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During my crossing of the Arete, the winds were very steady and strong. As I got closer to Nevis, they really picked up, to the point where you could really feel the push and become unbalanced when taking a step. By then the track was mostly on the South side. After reaching Ben Nevis proper, the winds died off a bit, but it was cold. The summit was really socked in, and about the only views I had was of all the litter on the top:

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Looking down a Coulior, thinking about skiing. But I'd want to know what's down below before I'd ever commit to such an aggressive line:

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I did get to cross some snow along the tourist track on the way down:

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The return route along the zig-zags had some great views as well:

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Returned back to Ft. William and met up with my friends, dinner, and then sleep. The next day would be an off-one, relaxing with the scenic drive to Maillaig and the ferry to Skye.
Last edited by rvrscum on Fri Jul 01, 2011 4:13 pm, edited 1 time in total.
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Re: Ben Nevis & CMD

Postby GraemeMac » Fri Jul 01, 2011 7:32 am

Good stuff, some really atmospheric pics. Love The Clag and Scree :lol:, can see the start of a pub naming thread.
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Re: Ben Nevis & CMD

Postby GraemeMac » Fri Jul 01, 2011 7:33 am

'The Wee Planker' with all this munro planking thats going on in the other thread
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Re: Ben Nevis & CMD

Postby monty » Fri Jul 01, 2011 10:02 am

good walk rvrscum. Best left for a sunny day but unfortunately you cant rely on the weather :( Good report nonetheless. Thats a good pub name :lol: Nice atmospheric photos. :D
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Re: Ben Nevis & CMD

Postby pollyh33 » Fri Jul 01, 2011 10:18 am

Crikey that's scary not being able see very well going along that ridge, especially with the strong winds.

Great photos despite the weather. Is it just me or is the stone at the top of the CMD summit a giant potato wedge???? :lol:
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Re: Ben Nevis & CMD

Postby rvrscum » Fri Jul 01, 2011 4:21 pm

pollyh33 wrote:Crikey that's scary not being able see very well going along that ridge, especially with the strong winds.

Great photos despite the weather. Is it just me or is the stone at the top of the CMD summit a giant potato wedge???? :lol:


Or a tombstone? :shock:

This was one of my favorite walks of the trip because it was challenging. I'd love to do it again in clear weather.
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