Dave MacLeod and Andy Turner have been successful in their attempt to recreate an epic series of winter climbs on Ben Nevis. The pair retraced Jimmy Marshall and Robin Smith’s first ascents of six routes in winter conditions made in a week 50 years ago and have filmed the climbs for the Fort William Mountain Festival taking place this weekend.
Mr MacLeod said it was great to mark the achievements of Marshall and Smith saying, “When I started in climbing, and I guess it was the same for a lot of people of my generation, I read the articles and essays by both Smith and Marshall and was completely inspired by them and by their climbs and by Ben Nevis. When you have read about that and dreamt about it and you come here and do it for real it is really, really amazing. They were really far ahead of everyone else at that time.”
The week of climbs was not without incident. At one point, while climbing in Minus Three Gully a rucksack came flying past them – luckily no one followed, and the climber later came past to reclaim the fallen bag. Whilst staying in the CIC Hut near the base of the North Face, Andy Turner’s gloves were the target of hungry mice. Despite these excitments the climbing went well with good winter conditions. The successful pair will relate their adventures and show the film on Sunday evening at the Festival. See the Festival website for more details and prices.