UKC

https://www.bbc.co.uk/news/uk-scotland-highlands-islands-48448274

The fifth picture down is hilarious

Agreed....that really is crap!!

Ha, saw this earlier and wondered how long itd take to get a link on here! Pretty banal article really; Climb mountain, get good view ...sometimes.

This article is a write up from a very good piece this morning on BBC Breakfast. I thought it was a great showcase of Ben Nevis, including a trip up Ledge Route, some chat about Number 5 Gully (where one of the photos is taken) and a midnight-start up the tourist track to reach the summit for sunrise. 

The guy in the fifth "hilarious" photo is Mike Pescod, British Mountain Guide, owner of Abacus Mountaineering (the busiest guiding company on the Ben?), key instigator in the North Face Survey and general all-round good guy. He is also the Chairman of the Nevis Landscape Partnership, a community collaboration partnered with Forestry Commission Scotland, John Muir Trust, The Highland Council & Scottish Natural Heritage. They coordinate volunteers, work on the paths, monitor wildlife and habitats and look after Glen Nevis. The key message from this broadcast was that the Nevis Landscape Partnership have no long-term, ongoing funding for the care taking of this iconic (and busy) mountain. I thought the use of BBC License payers money was well worth it in order to publicise this and perhaps reach a wider audience for both funding opportunities and general education. 

Do you mean the photo of Mr. Pescod, or the incredibly shit landscape which follows it?

I accept that my licence fee covers many special interests. If it continues to include Attenborough and 'More or Less' then I can tolerate it covering Songs of Praise and mainstream articles about climbing! 

It might have been a decent piece on TV, but the article is pretty rubbish. I read it before I saw this thread, and didn't pick up anything about a lack of funding... just some advice about being prepared for bad weather. Shame that doesn't come across if that's what they were there to discuss.

Having seen the actual footage of the step cutting it looked pretty reasonable to me (I suspect this photo is either at an odd angle or has not been set up very well).  Obviously I do not know the actual snow conditions but it did not look unreasonable to be cutting steps and more importantly it was making a point about being safe in the mountains and discouraging those who are ill-prepared from attempting things like the Ledge Route.  I think the BBC should be applauded for making such a film.  Normally people are on here complaining about people going up the tourist track in trainers.  I suppose you can never win.

Well, that's splendid - and thanks for sharing.

It's good to know there was a decent TV segment...but the article linked says none of that and I was talking about the article. I'm sure Mike is a good guy (and a good guide) but that's not the point. Its a terribly lazy, disjointed and hollow bit of journalism. And the photo is hilarious.

Given that it is a web page with a few photos and a bit of text I would have thought the cost of posting negligible. 

"Conquering" the mountain!!! Ffs I thought it was only American journalists who still used that word these days.

Well said Rach, fully agree with your post.

I'm yet to see what is hilarious about the photo.

Pretty sure that is looking down No 5 gully, with Mike cutting steps up hard late spring neve. What exactly is so funny? Do you mean the perspective optical illusion that makes it look flat?

Yes - it's a terrible photo that makes it look like a madman attacking a flat slope with both hands.

And in the context (or rather lack thereof) of the rest of the article is just bizarre; for example another photo shows a nicely (£800k nicely) rebuilt path.