   #copyright

Ben Nevis

2007 Schools Wikipedia Selection. Related subjects: Geography of Great
Britain

   Ben Nevis
   Ben Nevis from Banavie. The summit is beyond and to the left of the
   apparent highest point.
   Elevation 1344  m (4409  ft)
   Location Lochaber, Scotland
   Prominence 1344 m
   Topo map OS Landranger 41
   First ascent 17 August 1771, by James Robertson
   Easiest route hike
   OS grid reference NN166713
   Listing Munro, Marilyn, Council top ( Highland), County top (
   Inverness-shire)
   Translation Venomous mountain? (Gaelic)

   Ben Nevis (Gaelic: Beinn Nibheis) is the highest mountain in the United
   Kingdom. It is located at the western end of the Grampian Mountains in
   the Lochaber area of Scotland, close to the coastal town of Fort
   William.

   The mountain attracts an estimated 100,000 visitors a year, around
   three-quarters of whom use the well-constructed tourist path. A large
   number of visitors are climbers attracted by the cliffs of the north
   face – among the highest in Great Britain – which harbour some classic
   rock climbs as well as being one of the principal locations in the UK
   for ice climbing. Ben Nevis's popularity, climate and complex
   topography contribute to a high number of mountain rescue incidents.

   The name Ben Nevis is usually translated as "malicious" or "venomous
   mountain", although some people believe Nevis to be derived from the
   Gaelic for "cloud" or "Heaven". It is often known simply as The Ben.

Geography

   Ben Nevis forms a massif with its neighbour to the north-east, Carn Mòr
   Dearg, to which it is linked by the Carn Mòr Dearg Arête. Both
   mountains are among the eight in Great Britain over 4,000 feet (1,219
   metres), as are Aonach Mòr and Aonach Beag immediately to the west; the
   other four are all in the Cairngorms.

   The western and southern flanks of Ben Nevis rise steeply but
   relatively smoothly from Glen Nevis, with the result that the mountain
   presents an aspect of massive bulk on this side. To the north, in
   contrast, steep cliffs drop some 600 metres (2,000 feet) to Coire Leis.
   This corrie contains the Charles Inglis Clark Memorial Hut (known as
   the CIC Hut), a private climbing hut located at 680 metres above sea
   level, owned by the Scottish Mountaineering Club and used as a base for
   the many climbing routes on the mountain's north face.
   The steep south face of Ben Nevis from Sgurr a' Mhàim.
   Enlarge
   The steep south face of Ben Nevis from Sgurr a' Mhàim.

   In addition to the main 1,344-metre summit, Ben Nevis has two
   subsidiary "tops" listed in Munro's Tables, both of which are called
   Carn Dearg ("red hill"). The higher of these, at 1,221 metres, is
   situated to the north-west, and is often mistaken for Ben Nevis itself
   in views from the Fort William area. The other Carn Dearg (1,020 m)
   juts out into Glen Nevis on the mountain's south-western side. A lower
   hill, Meall an t-Suidhe (711 m), is located further west, forming a
   saddle with Ben Nevis which contains a small loch, Lochan an t-Suidhe.
   The popular tourist path from Glen Nevis skirts the side of this hill
   before ascending Ben Nevis's broad western flank.

Geology

   Ben Nevis consists mainly of igneous granite from the Devonian period
   (around 400 million years ago), intruded into the surrounding
   metamorphic schists; the intrusions take the form of a series of
   concentric ring dikes. The innermost of these, known as the Inner
   Granite, constitutes the bulk of the mountain above Lochan Meall an
   t-Suidhe and includes the cliffs of the north face; Meall an t-Suidhe
   forms part of the Outer Granite, which is redder in colour. The
   mountain has been extensively shaped by glaciation.

Climate

   Ben Nevis's altitude and maritime location frequently leads to
   unusually poor weather conditions which can pose a danger to
   ill-equipped walkers. In an average year the summit is covered by cloud
   (for at least part of the day) on 355 days, sees 261 full gales, and
   receives 4,350 millimetres (171 inches) of rainfall, compared to only
   2,050 mm in nearby Fort William and about 600 mm in Inverness and
   London. Rainfall on Ben Nevis is about twice as high in the winter as
   it is in the spring and summer. Snow can be found on the mountain all
   year round, particularly in the gullies of the north face.

History

   The first recorded ascent of Ben Nevis was made on 17 August 1771 by
   James Robertson, an Edinburgh botanist, who was in the region to
   collect botanical specimens. Another early ascent was in 1774 by John
   Williams, who provided the first account of the mountain's geological
   structure.

   A meteorological observatory on the summit was established in 1881 by
   Clement Lindley Wragge, who climbed the mountain daily to make
   readings, and permanently manned between October 1883 and October 1904.
   In September 1894, C.T.R. Wilson was employed for a couple of weeks as
   temporary relief for one of the permanent staff, during which time he
   witnessed a Brocken spectre. His subsequent experimental work aimed at
   understanding this phenomenon eventually led to his invention of the
   cloud chamber.

Ascent routes

   The lower part of the Ben Path, maintained at a high standard to
   accommodate 75,000 people a year.
   Enlarge
   The lower part of the Ben Path, maintained at a high standard to
   accommodate 75,000 people a year.

   The first path up the Ben was constructed in 1883 to service the newly
   constructed summit observatory. It was designed by local headmaster,
   Colin Livingston, cost £800, and was built to a suitable standard to
   allow ponies to carry up supplies. It is now known as the Ben Path, the
   Pony Track, or the Tourist Route, and is the simplest route of ascent.
   The path begins at the Glen Nevis Visitor Centre about 2 km (1.5 miles)
   from Fort William town centre, at around 20 metres above sea level, and
   a short distance up the mountain is joined by a path from the youth
   hostel. It climbs steeply to the saddle by Lochan Meall an t-Suidhe at
   570 m, then ascends the remaining 700 metres up the stony west flank of
   Ben Nevis in a series of zig-zags. The path is well made and maintained
   throughout its length, and, thanks to the zig-zags, not unusually steep
   apart from in the initial stages; however, the section above the loch
   especially is found tedious by many who attempt it, as there is little
   variety in scenery.
   The CMD Arête from near the summit of Carn Mòr Dearg.
   Enlarge
   The CMD Arête from near the summit of Carn Mòr Dearg.

   A route popular with experienced hillwalkers starts from a few miles
   north-east of Fort William on the A82 road, and follows the path
   alongside the Allt a' Mhuilinn before ascending Carn Mòr Dearg. (It is
   also possible to take this route from Glen Nevis by following the
   tourist route as far as Lochan Meall an t-Suidhe, then descending
   slightly to the CIC Hut.) From Carn Mòr Dearg one continues along the
   Carn Mòr Dearg Arête (known as the "CMD Arête"), requiring modest
   scrambling ability and a head for heights, before climbing steeply to
   the summit of Ben Nevis; the route involves a total of 1,500 metres of
   ascent. This route has the advantage of giving an extensive view of the
   cliffs of the north face, which are not seen at all from the Tourist
   Route.

   It is also possible to climb Ben Nevis from the Nevis Gorge car park at
   the head of the road up Glen Nevis, either by the south-east ridge or
   via the summit of Carn Dearg (south-west). These routes do not require
   scrambling, but are shorter and steeper, and tend to be used by
   experienced hill walkers.

The summit

   The summit plateau. The ruined observatory is in the centre, with the
   summit cairn to the right.
   Enlarge
   The summit plateau. The ruined observatory is in the centre, with the
   summit cairn to the right.

   The summit of Ben Nevis comprises a large stony plateau of around 40
   hectares (100 acres). The highest point is marked with a large, solidly
   built cairn atop which sits an Ordnance Survey trig point.

   The ruined walls of the observatory are a prominent feature on the
   summit. An emergency shelter has been built on top of the observatory
   tower for the benefit of those caught out by bad weather; although the
   base of the tower is slightly lower than the true summit of the
   mountain, the roof of the shelter overtops the trig point by several
   feet, making it the highest man-made structure in Britain. A war
   memorial to the dead of World War II is located next to the
   observatory.

   On 17 May 2006, a piano that had been buried under one of the cairns on
   the peak was uncovered by the John Muir Trust, the which owns much of
   the mountain. The piano was believed to have been carried for charity
   by removal men from Dundee over 20 years earlier.

   The view from Britain's highest point is extensive. In ideal conditions
   it can extend up to 190 km (120 miles), including such mountains as the
   Torridon Hills, Morven in Caithness, Lochnagar, Ben Lomond and Barra
   Head.

Navigation

   View south-west from the summit in early April. When the cliff edges
   are corniced, accurate navigation is critical.
   Enlarge
   View south-west from the summit in early April. When the cliff edges
   are corniced, accurate navigation is critical.

   In poor visibility navigating safely off the summit plateau is
   notoriously difficult and dangerous. The problem stems from the fact
   that the plateau is roughly kidney-shaped, and surrounded by cliffs on
   three sides; the danger is particularly accentuated when the main path
   is obscured by snow. Two precise compass bearings taken in succession
   are necessary to navigate from the summit cairn to the west flank, from
   where a descent can be made on the Pony Track in relative safety.

   In the late 1990s Lochaber Mountain Rescue Team erected two posts on
   the summit plateau, in order to assist walkers attempting the descent
   in foggy conditions. These posts were subsequently cut down by
   climbers, sparking widespread controversy on the ethics of such
   additions. Supporters of navigational aids point to the high number of
   accidents that occur on the mountain (between 1990 and 1995 alone there
   were 13 fatalities, although eight of these were due to falls while
   rock climbing rather than navigational error), the long tradition of
   placing such aids on the summit, and the potentially life-saving role
   they could play. However, critics argue that cairns and posts are an
   unnecessary man-made intrusion into the natural landscape, which create
   a false sense of security and could lessen mountaineers' sense of
   responsibility for their own safety.

Climbing on Ben Nevis

   Carn Dearg and the north face in early April.
   Enlarge
   Carn Dearg and the north face in early April.

   The north face of Ben Nevis contains many classic scrambles and rock
   climbs, including Tower Ridge – a climb of 600 metres, not technically
   demanding (it is graded "Difficult") but committing and very exposed.
   The north face is also one of Scotland's foremost venues for winter
   mountaineering on snow and ice, and holds snow until quite late in the
   year; in a good year routes may remain in winter condition until
   mid-spring. Famous winter routes range from the aforementioned Tower
   Ridge (grade III) to Centurion (grade VIII.8).

Ben Nevis Race

   The first recorded run up Ben Nevis was on 2 August 1895. William Swan,
   a hairdresser and tobacconist from Fort William, ran from the old post
   office in 2 hours 41 minutes. In 1897, Spencer Acklom recorded a time
   of 2:55, and later William MacDonald from Leith improved the record to
   2:27. Two months later Swan again took the record with a time of 2:20,
   and in 1896 MacDonald improved this to 2:18.

   The first competitive race was held in 1899. Ten competitors set off
   from the Lochiel Arms Hotel in Banavie. The winner was Hugh Kennedy, a
   gamekeeper at Tor Castle.

   The 1903 race was from Achintee and to the summit only. It was won in
   just over an hour by Ewen MacKenzie from Achintore, the observatory
   roadman. That year there was another race, from the new Fort William
   post office, and MacKenzie lowered the record to 2:10. Hugh Kennedy was
   in second place. MacKenzie's record held for 34 years.

   The Ben Nevis Race has been run in its current form since 1937, and now
   takes place on the first Saturday in September every year, with up to
   500 competitors taking part. It starts from the Claggan Park football
   ground on the outskirts of Fort William, and the route is about four
   miles shorter than in the early years. The current record for men is 1
   hour and 25 minutes, and 1 hour 43 minutes for women.

Environmental issues

   Path to the CIC Hut alongside the Allt a' Mhuilinn.
   Enlarge
   Path to the CIC Hut alongside the Allt a' Mhuilinn.

   Ben Nevis's popularity and high profile have led to concerns in recent
   decades over the impact of humans on the fragile mountain environment.
   These concerns contributed to the purchase of the Ben Nevis Estate in
   2000 by the John Muir Trust, a Scottish charity dedicated to the
   conservation of wild places. The Estate covers 1,700 hectares of land
   on the south side of Ben Nevis and the neighbouring mountains of Carn
   Mòr Dearg and Aonach Beag, including the summit of Ben Nevis.

   The John Muir Trust is one of nine bodies represented on the main board
   of the Nevis Partnership. Founded in 2003, the Partnership, which also
   includes representatives from local government, Glen Nevis residents
   and mountaineering interests, works to "guide future policies and
   actions to safeguard, manage and where appropriate enhance the
   environmental qualities and opportunities for visitor enjoyment and
   appreciation of the Nevis area". Its projects include path repairs and
   improvement and the development of strategies for visitor management.

   One of the Nevis Partnership's more controversial actions has concerned
   the large number of memorial plaques placed by individuals, especially
   around the summit war memorial. Many people believe that the
   proliferation of such plaques is inappropriate, and in August 2006 the
   Nevis Partnership declared an intention to eventually remove these
   plaques (after making efforts to return them to their owners) as part
   of a wider campaign to clean up the mountain.

   In 2005 the amount of litter on the Pony Track was highlighted by
   national media, including BBC Radio 5 Live. Robin Kevan, a retired
   social worker from mid-Wales who is known as "Rob the Rubbish" for his
   efforts to clean up the countryside, then drove to Ben Nevis and
   cleaned the mountain himself, resulting in much media coverage and a
   concerted clean-up effort.

Ben Nevis Distillery

   The Ben Nevis Distillery is a single malt whisky distillery at the foot
   of the mountain, located by Victoria Bridge to the north of Fort
   William. Founded in 1825 by John McDonald (known as "Long John"), it is
   one of the oldest licensed distilleries in Scotland, and is a popular
   visitor attraction in Fort William. The water used to make the whisky
   comes from the Allt a' Mhuilinn, the stream that flows from Ben Nevis's
   northern corrie.

   Retrieved from " http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Ben_Nevis"
   This reference article is mainly selected from the English Wikipedia
   with only minor checks and changes (see www.wikipedia.org for details
   of authors and sources) and is available under the GNU Free
   Documentation License. See also our Disclaimer.
