Ben Nevis: the best way. An ascent of Tower Ridge with Ian and Craig.

Louis Kennedy
Dec 15, 2024
2 min read

Updated: 4 days ago

A Blustery Day on Tower Ridge

One of our guests, Craig Bloxham, captured this fantastic video during a slightly windswept ascent of Tower Ridge last year. It’s not every day I choose to venture onto Tower in such blustery conditions—but having climbed with Ian before, I knew we could handle the added challenge together. It turned out to be a memorable day, but it was a bit soggy.. .

Tower Ridge is one of the most iconic and sought-after alpine-style routes in the UK, located on Ben Nevis, the highest mountain in Britain (1,345 m / 4,413 ft). It offers a long, dramatic climb and is often described as Scotland’s finest mountaineering route. However in reality it's one of many, but certainly the finest way of reaching the top of Ben Nevis!

🧗 Overview

Location: North Face of Ben Nevis, Scotland
Length: ~600 meters of climbing
Grade:
- Summer: Difficult (rock climbing grade), suitable for confident scramblers with experience of long scrambles.
Style: Long alpine-esque ridge.

🗺️ Route Description

Tower Ridge begins near the Charles Inglis Clark (CIC) Hut, a base for North Face climbs. The route follows the long buttress running from the lower slopes all the way to the summit plateau of Ben Nevis.

🏔️ History

First climbed in 1892 by Norman Collie and Godfrey Solly, pioneers of Scottish Mountaineering.
Tower Ridge was a major stepping stone in the development of climbing in the UK.
Still considered a benchmark for mountaineering skill and judgment, especially in winter.