Faulty Plumbing on Fawlty Towers, Ben Nevis

A huge difference from Saturday!

With soaring temperatures, I thought that the ice on Fawlty Towers may just about be hanging on in there.  It was, just.  Today, I was out with my brother, Phil, and a couple of his friends from Sheffield, John and Ben.  Ben and my brother had kindly helped me out when getting ready for my Mountain Instructor Award Assessment back in October, and again, with my Mountain Instructor Certificate Assessment in the pipeline, the three of them were willing 'guinea pigs' once again.  I should point out that they're all very enthusiastic and keen to learn the ropes of winter climbing, so a win-win situation for all.

Carn Dearg to Castle Ridge

Fawlty Towers is normally a great grade III snow/ice climb, finishing low down on Tower Ridge, however today, it was looking a little bit lean, and with water dripping down all the buttresses of Ben Nevis that I could see (the cloud was low, so I couldn't see up into Coire Na Ciste or Observatory Gully), it was going to be a damp experience for all.  The first pitch usually involves a good snow-ice groove, however today, we had to take a line slightly to the right which involved a bit of rock climbing in order to gain the thinning ice above, which was good fun, and not without interest. The turf was still frozen in places, and what ice there was, was not bad at all, but care was needed not to dislodge the now unfrozen blocks.   The three climbed well and quickly, helped by their previous rock climbing experience, and it wasn't long until we gained the crest of Tower Ridge.  It did sound as though there was a team on Tower Ridge, but given the low cloud, it was impossible to be sure.  We descended Tower Ridge and the West Gully of Douglas Boulder, which all added to the adventure of the day. 

Looking up Fawlty Towers, taken by Phil Applegate

 
Conditions on the mountain are far from ideal, with a huge thaw currently in progress, and due to continue throughout the next few days.  With a high pressure system set to dominate as of tomorrow, our saving grace might just be the cooler night time temperatures.  Vanishing Gully, Italian Climb and the routes on the Douglas Boulder are all no longer climbable, reports from others suggested that the ice lines on Creag Coire Na Ciste are no longer viable either, but a team did climb No. 3 Gully Buttress.  I'd imagine that Green Gully and the ice lines high on the mountain are hanging on in there, but for how much longer I wouldn't like to say.