After a cold and dry week last week, the weekend was about as good as you get for ice climbing weather on Ben Nevis. We had a thaw on Monday night and on Tuesday but much colder weather yesterday with lots of fresh snow.
Westerly winds were blowing up the Allt a'Mhuillin yesterday, scouring slopes underneath the Orion Face, Hadrian's Wall and Indicator Wall. Lou and Andy found secure snow up to Orion Direct which they had to themselves today. There were also teams on Hadrian's Wall Direct and Point Five Gully. Many more ice routes look really good. The Minus Gullies all look iced up, several routes on Orion Face, Vade Mecum and Sickle are good, routes on Rubicon Wall might be worth a look as well as Indicator Wall. Smith's Route is fat too.
In Coire na Ciste the ice routes are pretty good. Snow ice gullies are nice and mid-level routes such as Vanishing Gully, Italian Right Hand and Mega Route X (climbed today) are looking great. On Carn Dearg Buttress The Shroud now has two pillars, Gemini is fat, The Curtain was climbed today and The Shield Direct might be OK too.
All the great ridges are well filled in with solid snow. Ledge Route has quite a bit of soft snow but there is now a trail up it.
The big snow gullies mostly have deep soft snow in them and large cornices.
Icy mixed climbs such as Tower Face of the Comb are good but snowed up rock climbs have ice filled cracks. It's all about the ice which is how it should be on Ben Nevis in March!
Happy climbing!
Mike Pescod
http://www.abacusmountainguides.com/
https://www.facebook.com/AbacusMountainGuides 
