Author |
Ben Nevis (North cliff) beta |
|
|
8-Apr-2015 9:17:54 AM
|
Morning All,
I was thinking of heading to Ben Nevis (via Buangor and Warrak) to climb Big Ben on the North cliff and would like some beta please.
1) Is it accessible by 2WD vehicle (Commodore)
2) Are the bolts O.K ?, given the first ascent was in1991 (or have they been replaced?)
3) Would it be a good thing to replace the bolts? (re 2)
4) Would a new rap point at the end of pitch 1 of Great Pretender be desirable? (given the second pitch sounds ordinary (from NW Vic guide)
Cheers, JDB
|
13-Apr-2015 8:50:14 AM
|
Dear JDB,
1) Yes, the dirt roads are excellent from either direction (ie Beaufort and Buangor)
2) The bolts are excellent well spaced stainless steel
3) See 2
4) Don't bother
Note: Big Ben (if you can find it) is one of the best slab/face climb I've ever done. I would recommend combining the second and third pitches. As for finding 'said' route (we erected a cairn on the ramp), the climb starts on top of a ramp, so when you are descending down the scrubby gully keep and eye out.
Take the slab-meister Martin Jackson with you, because there are zero holds on the 2nd an 3rd pitches!!
Hope this beta is useful.
Cheers, JDB
|
13-Apr-2015 11:03:48 AM
|
Hmm.
Careful jdb, as JDB might be a split personality stalker, ... given the identity-crisis quirky user-id swaps/impersonations that Chocky has endured in the past.
;-)
|
13-Apr-2015 11:43:46 AM
|
Heh, heh, heh........
|
13-Apr-2015 12:47:53 PM
|
On 13/04/2015 jdb wrote:
>Heh, heh, heh........
Hmm*.
Where have I heard that before?
*Con_text:
>quirky user-id swaps/impersonations
|
15-Apr-2015 8:41:53 PM
|
Hi John. My recollection of Ben Nevis is that the bolts were very spaced. I believe the routes were bolted on lead, so the bolts were where you least needed them. My only climbing experience there was climbing to the first bot, bailing, then spending the rest of the day walking out. I think the drive in is OK.
|