Never be fooled by the weather at sea level. The day I climbed Ben Nevis it was around 26C at the base, people were sunbathing and swimming in the river to cool off. About a quarter of the way up a girl in our group had to turn back as she was in the the early stages of hypothermia and half our group went back with her as they were struggling with the cold. I should add that she was inadequately prepared and not dressed for the occasion. However the temperature and wind chill was insane. When we stopped for lunch I couldn’t bear to take my rucksack off as it was shielding me from the wind. On the summit the snow almost reached the door of the emergency shelter. This was the middle of July. I’ve climbed many mountains in Scotland and have always been amazed at how quickly the weather can change, so don’t get caught out.

Thank you

Ive got a map, compass and AllTrails but I’m still scared of getting lost, anything extra you recommend?

Im getting ready to climb ben nevis for the first time in a wintery environment i will make sure i have all you have suggested.

Very useful video. Waterproof trousers are indeed a must. Two weeks ago we climbed in sunny weather but ended up in a storm with heavy rain. My legs became wet and cold and I could hardly move them, so the descent was very difficult. We checked the weather conditions before, but we underestimated how fast the weather can change on Ben Nevis.

Mike, how you going? Im planning on Nevis in a couple weeks (02/11/24), crampon time? good idea? whats your thoughts :) Thanks loads for all the great contact!

How would you retrieve the rope after the first abseil technique, on a single strand? Just give the rope a flick to get the loop off the spike? Thanks

Excellent video thankyou

Just subbed, vid still helpin folk in 2024. Cheers bud

No thanks I'll only take advice from q true qualified guide your so called advice is nothing but a danger

How is the mountain like during April/May? I am going there end of April/beginning of May. Any advice would be great for my survival lol

I've been up Ben Nevis twice, once by the CMD. I had a bit of food and a waterproof. Oh and some sunblock, map and compass. That was it, lightweight and nothing more than the basics. If the weather looked dreadful, I wouldn't waste my time doing the walk. Bill

Excellent video..thank you

Climbed Mount Snowdon in my trainers in the pouring down rain.

Hello mate just wanted to ask how long this took you to reach the summit and make it back down

❤

Planning on going wild camping in May (near Ben Nevis) . Travelling their by train from Manchester. Any suggestions on what I should bring / pack for 2 nights wild camping. Would be much appreciated!

Thank you for your professional guidance.

Thank you for this. I’ve been practising all that you have shown and it’s paid of lots . You should upload a donation thing for your page because i could send a tenner for your techniques that I’ve learned.

Planning on a hike to mount Ben Nevis and this video was what im looking for, thanks alot for sharing 😅

👍💯👍... 👏👏👏 ...👍💯👍...😊

No crampons or ice axe?

Hi. When did you climb it?

Epic climb (bravo 👏) Regards Simon 🤠🏔️👍

Now that is an achievement 👏 xXx

Awesome!!!

I like a tin of soup - pots and pans and a stove in case i get peckish..... oh and another pair of gloves........

Thank you very much. Heading out soon to work on this.

Is that the shortcut which has a sign next to it saying Do Not Use? Shame on these people! Hope they heard what you were saying

Why do posh Englishers infiltrate every aspect of Scottish outdoor life? From ecologists , rangers , guides and so called "mountain experts"...theyre not just happy with infesting our highland towns but feel they need to get involved in running everything.

Out of curiousity, what's the mobile coverage like around Ben Nevis? If somebody does get into trouble and needs assistance from the MRT, any idea what's the typical response time from the team being scrambled to reaching a casualty?

Hello Mike. My name is Sevgi. It's very cold there.

Grand advice. I'd add a pair of goggles. In case the horizontal sleet comes in. A small gas burner. A hot brew when needed is magic, wherever you are And what I lerned walking in the snow in France - a good wine weighs no more that a bad wine.

Spasibo 👍

When or how can i join a guided climb?

I done Ben Nevis me and my wife 5 yr ago I was 61 wife was 57 . Found it was a long walk to get started . However we done it with just jeans shirt trainers bottle of water , that was it . Was surprised how many people were on it hundreds. It was May when we done it .

Those boots are overkill for Ben Nevis on summer/walking season. I've done Ben plenty of times during summer and a decent pair of trail runners are more than adequate. Also checking the weather forecast and bringing the appropriate clothing system based on that forecast is better than bringing innumerable layers for all the what ifs.

Was up the summit yesterday (24/12/22) and it felt like I was in the North Pole lol, the weather was horrible when I was going up had the rain, snow and wind once I got near the top couldn’t see 10ft in front of you for the fog, luckily it had all started to ease of a bit as I started to make the walk back down.. can’t wait for the summer now to get back up there with my dog he loves going up the Ben

Thank you 👌

Thanks Mike, and merry Christmas to you and your crew at Abacus mountain guides

Noice

I've spent the night on the mountain at the little loch there last weekend, nice little snowstorm and unfortunately some mist but a lovely winter scene otherwise.

what the point in having a helmet if its in your bag?

train ticket for a safe place to go.

Cheers Mike, I’m going up Ben Nevis (mountain path) for the first time with a couple of friends in a few days, we’ve walked up mountains as high as 1100m before but never in the winter. As long as we have our crampons/iceaxe, should we be alright ascending/descending?

No brandy?

I went up and down there about 5 or 6 weeks ago and I can tell you that I slid around a lot on the way down, the rocks around that section get loose due to rainfall and traffic, some parts are basically small streams veining down into the valley. I'm a rock climber and I only weigh about ten stone and I struggled a little on that section on the way down so please take this chaps advice because you don't want to slip and bang your head or twist an ankle. Why make life harder for yourself? If this video had been brought out a few weeks earlier I'd have taken this gentleman's advice, no got hurt luckily but there were a few cuts and bruises. For beginners in Britain I'd only recommend trying Ben Nevis in the summer preferably after you've climbed Snowdon or a smaller peak. Snowdon will give you a good idea of whether Ben Nevis is possible for you in my opinion, just one man's opinion though. Stay safe out there.

Gravity..tiny landslide, not exactly at. Helen's! All mountains have minor landslides

i tried short cut. very dangerous.

Let's hope that it doesn't get any worse.