CIC Meet – Feb/Mar

As the “Beast from the East” roared in, eight members and two guest sassembled at Riasg on the Sunday prior to walking up next day to the SMC’s CIC hut at 600m on the north side of Ben Nevis with kit and food for four days. Despite the Met Office promising deep snow for most of the country, they correctly forecast very cold temperatures but little snow for the Western Highlands, and this is indeed what happened, although very high winds late in the week did discourage some from climbing.

When we were finally settled in, the hut was bursting at the seams with mix of guided and private teams, plus a club group of five from Florence, and a couple from Holland who were up for three weeks…dedication indeed! Tuesday dawned clear, cold and breezy, with the keenest up at five and away at first light at six, with laggards taking their time and getting out nearer nine, a pattern that lasted the week.

Of the CC teams, it was Tom Priestley and James Gibson who set the pace and battled the strengthening wind with a stunning set of climbs…Orion Face Direct, Point Five, Zero, Hadrian’s Wall Direct, Smiths Route, Green Gullyand Italian Right-hand. All the parties also got their share of classics, with Paul and Tom especially enjoying Vanishing Gully, The Curtain and Italian Right-hand, while Matt and Marc had a full day on Tower Ridge, with a direct start to prolong the pleasure, followed by the long walk back round to the hut as the usual descent down Number 4 gully was hard to find in the gloaming. Unfortunately the trusty marker post at the top of the gully has been removed…definitely a poor idea.

The snow and ice conditions were uniformly good wherever routes were complete, although a recent thaw had stripped some lines. Unfortunately, after the first two days the wind picked up to such an extent that only Tom and James completed climbs, other teams deciding discretion was the better part of valour. This was particularly true for Colin and David, who were blown head first down the slope while descending below The Curtain and had good reason to thank their time practicing ice-axe braking.

As the week went on the numbers in the hut reduced and things became more comfortable, with the final evening being especially memorable as the whole hut was treated to dinner by the Italians, who had carried a huge amount of food up to the hut and were determined not to carry it down again. While we hope to run another meet at the CIC next year, we can’t guarantee such culinary delights again!

Attendees:- James Reeley & Peri Stracchino, Paul Seabrook & Tom Evans, Matt Burrows & Marc Bunyard, Tom Priestley & James Gibson, David Myatt & Colin Densem.

David Myatt