Self reliance is a fundamental principle of mountaineering. By participating we accept this and take responsibility for the decisions we make. These Conditions Reports are intended to help you make good decisions. They do not remove the need for you to make your own judgements when out in the hills.

Thursday 6 August 2015


Along with the Trainee Voluntary Rangers (TVRs) we carried 1400m of rope to the CIC Hut on Ben Nevis today. It must be time for the North Face Survey! Nevis Landscape Partnership (NLP) is again managing this project with Scottish Natural Heritage. The same team of guides as last year is all set to go and we have the same expert botanists and geologists coming back as well. Today I was working with the TVRs (another NLP project) who will be with us helping look after the survey team and inform the public what is going on.


We went in to Coire na Ciste and out to Ledge Route. On the way past Number Five Gully we found all sorts of interesting plants such as dwarf cudweed and sibaldia. We had a few views from Ledge Route but the rain came on towards the top and we wandered around in the wet mist finding the tops of the major gullies. These all have big areas of snow in and there is more snow in the coire than last year by quite a way.


We found the mouse ears around the base of the cairn at the top of Number Four Gully which are doing well. The Starwort Mouse Ears are in flower but the Arctic Mouse Ears are not. Tomorrow we have a training day with the main survey team which will be great fun.





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