Maps :

OS Outdoor Leisure 32 (scale of 1:25,000)
or
OS Sheet 41 (1:50,000)
there are also
plenty of privately produced maps available

since the ascent of "The Ben" starts from sea level it is quite arduous but just a steady plod if the pony track is used.

Carn Mor Dearg to Ben Nevis horseshoe : any confident walker who enjoys ridges and simple scrambling can approach "the Ben" by way of Carn Mor Dearg arete which is one of the finest walks in Britain.
The route first climbs Crane Mor Dearg, itself one of Scotland's few 4000 foot summits.
In summer this is a excellent walk but when there is snow on the arete it becomes a serious expedition requiring full winter equipment and experience.

via a climb on the famous North face : The north-east face on the other hand has impressive cliffs and gives a variety of rock climbing routes to the top

including Tower Ridge (more info and pictures below)
In winter these become ice climbs and it is for these that Ben Nevis is best known amongst the climbing fraternity

you could not ask for a clearer sky than this evening at the summit.

we reached the summit at 8 p.m. after the long multi pitch climb of Tower ridge below

we stayed for an almost an hour just three climbers with a view of countless other mountains and over a dozen recognisable Islands

In 1883 an observatory was built on the summit and the pony track was constructed to access it.

In 1904 this was closed down and later used briefly as a hotel before being allowed to fall into ruin after the first world war

this observatory is often completely covered in snow during the winter months

on more than one occasion I have found no sign of the hut as I "trogged" round the summit
(the reason being the depth of winter snow ~ not my poor navigation !!!)

(see below for dangers of winter on the Ben)

Ben Nevis can be particularly treacherous under snow and the scene of several fatal accidents. unfortunately some of the faces can not be seen until you walk over them.

the summit itself is very flat and littered with a mass of man-made structures, the inevitable trig point, a very conspicuous refuge hut (often covered in Snow) and at least one large commemorative cairn.

snow lingers up here well into the summer most years and mist covers the summit on about 300 days a year

in white out conditions this is a very dangerous place, in particular because one big gully, often edged by cornices, cuts into the cliffs to within a few yards of the main tourist path just as its line becomes unclear on the summit plateau

 

"The Curtain"

"Ledge Route"

further down the infamous Five Finger Gully is a less obvious hazard on the other side of the path. Posts erected here to indicate the line of this path brought howls of protest from purists who prefer their mountains unmarked

this route is 2000 feet long and as such is one of the longest climbs in the British Isles

Tower ridge is graded "Difficult"

it was first climbed way back in 1894, however it was climbed as a descent two years earlier

 

the "Tower gap" pitch, nearing the top of the ridge this section is technically easy but has huge drops on both sides

the tower gap pictured from the summit of the Ben

October 6th 1928,
George Simpson from Edinburgh
succeeded in taking a Baby Austin to the summit of Ben Nevis

can you can see "the Ben" from the A82
what are the chances of getting a view from the summit ???

its fairly rare to see "the Ben" in such good weather as above

usually if you see as much of the mountain as you can in the picture on the right from the A82 road you have done well.

the but (and its a big but) the weather can change from a fine view as above to a cloudy view as right to total white out with no view in the space of around two minutes

the "normal" everyday starting point

for a trip up the Ben is from the bridge in Glen Nevis, opposite the Youth Hostel.

The Weather on the day the picture left was taken was considerably better than on the picture above, however the mist still hung around the 3500 foot mark.  This was despite the fact that there was good visibility on many other mountains in the area.

a beautiful valley
as well as a very busy starting point
for the ascent of the Ben