UKC

Hello,
Me and my girlfriend are planning to make an ascend on the Ben Nevis on winter, we are mountaineering beginners and are not able to afford a guide.
How hard is it to climb mountain on winter?, which route should we take?. How do we get started?
Kind regards
Nicolas Bisordi

In reply to nickbidi:
Why the Ben? Youre from Bristol there are far more straight forward peaks for you to hit a short drive away,
Great that youre keen but for safety cut your teeth on more straight foreard terrain, although in winter even that can lead to mishap.
Why not join a local mountaineering club?

In reply to nickbidi:

It all depends on what you mean by 'Mountaineering beginners'.

If you mean you have never walked up any mountains before, even in the summer, then I would suggest choosing some easier hills to start out on.

There IS a "tourist path" up the Ben, BUT it can be very difficult to follow when covered with snow or in a whiteout. You need basic navigation skills to avoid ending up falling down a gully on the summit (which may be covered with snow so not easy to spot) and you need general fitness and hill 'survival' skills as well as winter equipment such as walking axes / crampons and the skills to use them properly.

On the other hand if you mean you already do some summer hillwalking and climbing, and now want to progress to real 'Mountain' territory (where you feel like a beginner) there may be better advice we can give.

Joining a club would be one of the best ways of doing it either way!

In reply to payney1973:

Oh come on now, both of you never had a sense of adventure?

OP:
Remember it can still be a great day out even if you turn back early.
I have a mountaineering handbook you are welcome to have for nothing to get you started.
Email me postal address.

In reply to nickbidi:

This may have been better posted in the hill talk forum, not sure if you can move it!
If you could comment back with your relevant summer mountain walking experience then we can more accurately target our advice.
I'm assuming here that you mean "Mountain Walking" as apposed to "Mountain Climbing" which involves ropes and harnesses! As mentioned there is the Normal walkers path up to the summit which initially is very well defined and easy to follow. However as you near the summit it is less defined and obviously in most winters is under snow so not visible on the ground at all! There are cairns to direct you off the summit difficulties, but in poor visibility, ie thick cloud or dark they can be to far apart to see, also by late winter some are usually under snow (unlikely this winter), so you should be very confident in your compass and map work. Being the highest mountain in the UK, in Scotland and in winter it can get very wild, very quickly up there! So if your a reasonably experienced summer mountain walker, confident in your compass and map work, take head of the mountain weather forecast and have the appropriate equipment and knowledge of how to use it, then sure why not, give it a go and be prepared to turn back if not happy. If one of the above doesn't apply then I would say join your local mountaineering club and gain experience closer to home, on some less demanding hills and mountains. or save up and use the services of a guide, perhaps find another couple to join you and split the cost between the 4 of you!