Old page wikitext, before the edit (old_wikitext ) | '{{for|the racehorse|Ben Nevis (horse)}}
{{Use dmy dates|date=September 2013}}
{{Use Scottish English|date=September 2013}}
{{Infobox mountain
| name = Ben Nevis
| other_name = ''Beinn Nibheis''
| photo = BenNevis2005.jpg
| photo_caption = <small>Ben Nevis from [[Banavie]]. The summit is beyond and to the left of the apparent highest point.</small>
| photo_size = 300
| elevation_m = 1,344.527
| elevation_ref =<ref name="OS revision">{{cite web |url=https://www.ordnancesurvey.co.uk/blog/2016/03/britains-tallest-mountain-is-taller/
| title=Great Britain’s tallest mountain is taller
| publisher=Ordnance Survey |accessdate=18 March 2016}}</ref>
| prominence_m = 1,344.527
| prominence_ref = <br /><small>[[List of mountains of the British Isles by relative height|Ranked 1st]] in [[British Isles]]</small>
| parent_peak = ''none'' – Highest peak on island of [[Great Britain]]
| listing = [[Munro]], [[Marilyn (hill)|Marilyn]], [[List of Scottish council areas by highest point|Council top]] ([[Highland (council area)|Highland]]), [[List of Scottish counties by highest point|County top]] ([[Inverness-shire]]), [[List of countries by highest point|Country high point]]
| translation = Venomous mountain ''or'' mountain with its head in the clouds
| language = [[Scottish Gaelic language|Scottish Gaelic]]
| location = [[Lochaber]], [[Highland (council area)|Highland]], [[Scotland]], [[UK]]
| map = UK Scotland
| map_caption = Scotland
| label_position = right
| lat_d = 56.79685
| long_d = -5.003508
| coordinates_ref =
| grid_ref_UK = NN166712
| topo = [[Ordnance Survey|OS]] ''Landranger'' 41, ''Explorer'' 392
| first_ascent = 17 August 1771, by James Robertson
| easiest_route = [[#Ascent routes|Pony Track/Ben Path]]
}}
'''Ben Nevis ''' ({{lang-gd|Beinn Nibheis}}, {{IPA-gd|peˈɲivəʃ|pron}}) is the highest mountain in the [[British Isles]], located in Scotland. Standing at {{convert|1,344.527|m|ft|0|adj=ri0}}<ref name="OS revision"/> above sea level, it is located at the western end of the [[Grampian Mountains (Scotland)|Grampian Mountains]] in the [[Lochaber]] area of the [[Scottish Highlands]], close to the town of [[Fort William, Highland|Fort William]].
The mountain is a popular destination, attracting an estimated 100,000 ascents a year,<ref name="JMT">{{cite web |url=https://www.johnmuirtrust.org/trust-land/ben-nevis |title=Ben Nevis |accessdate=30 October 2016 |publisher=[[John Muir Trust]]}}</ref> around three-quarters of which use the Pony Track from [[Glen Nevis]].<ref name="Strategy">{{cite web |url=http://www.nevispartnership.co.uk/pdf/newnevis_strategy_summary.pdf|title=Nevis Strategy|accessdate=5 November 2006|author=The Nevis Working Party|format=PDF|year=2001| archiveurl= https://web.archive.org/web/20061104163426/http://www.nevispartnership.co.uk/pdf/newnevis_strategy_summary.pdf| archivedate= 4 November 2006 <!--DASHBot-->| deadurl= no}}</ref>
The {{convert|700|m|adj=on}} cliffs of the north face are among the highest in Scotland, providing classic [[scrambling|scrambles]] and [[rock climbing|rock climbs]] of all difficulties for climbers and [[mountaineering|mountaineers]]. They are also the principal locations in Scotland for [[ice climbing]].
The summit, which is the collapsed dome of an ancient [[volcano]],<ref name=bbc/> features the ruins of an [[observatory]] which was continuously staffed between 1883 and 1904. The [[meteorology|meteorological]] data collected during this period are still important for understanding Scottish mountain weather. [[C. T. R. Wilson]] was inspired to invent the [[cloud chamber]] after a period spent working at the observatory.
== Etymology ==
"Ben Nevis" is an [[Anglicisation]] of the [[Scottish Gaelic language|Scottish Gaelic]] name "Beinn Nibheis". "Beinn" is the most common Gaelic word for "mountain", "Nibheis" is variously understood, though the word is commonly translated as "malicious" or "venomous".<ref name="Butterfield 96">Butterfield, ''The High Mountains'', p. 96</ref> An alternative interpretation is that "Beinn Nibheis" derives from "beinn nèamh-bhathais", from "nèamh" "heavens, clouds" and "bathais" "top of a man's head". One translation would therefore be "the mountain with its head in the clouds",<ref name="Murray"/> though "mountain of Heaven" is also frequently given.<ref name="Butterfield 96"/>
As is common for many [[Scottish mountains]], it is known both to locals and visitors as simply "the Ben".<ref>{{cite web|title=Ben Nevis, or the 'Ben' as it is fondly known locally|url=http://www.visit-fortwilliam.co.uk/mf_bennevis.html|publisher=Visit Fort William Ltd |accessdate=23 October 2007| archiveurl= https://web.archive.org/web/20071018020835/http://www.visit-fortwilliam.co.uk/mf_bennevis.html| archivedate= 18 October 2007 <!--DASHBot-->| deadurl= no}}</ref><ref>{{cite web|title=Ben Nevis is almost always referred to by climbers as simply The Ben (Ben meaning Mountain)|url=http://www.takeupthechallenge.com/pages/page-nevis-history.htm|publisher=The Ben Nevis Challenge |accessdate=23 October 2007| archiveurl= https://web.archive.org/web/20071103202517/http://www.takeupthechallenge.com/pages/page-nevis-history.htm| archivedate= 3 November 2007 <!--DASHBot-->| deadurl= no}}</ref>
== Geography ==
Ben Nevis forms a [[massif]] with its neighbour to the northeast, [[Càrn Mòr Dearg]], to which it is linked by the Càrn Mòr Dearg [[Arête]].<ref name="OS">Ordnance Survey ''Landranger'' 41.</ref> Both mountains are among the nine in Scotland over {{convert|4000|ft|sig=2}}; [[Aonach Beag]] and [[Aonach Mòr]] are also on the Nevis massif.
[[File:Ben Nevis massif.PNG|thumb|left|Western flank of the Nevis massif; from [[Sgùrr Dhòmhnuill]]]]
The western and southern flanks of Ben Nevis rise {{convert|1200|m}} in about {{convert|2|km}} from the floor of Glen Nevis – the longest and steepest hill slope in Britain<ref name="Murray">W. H. Murray, ''The Companion Guide to the West Highlands of Scotland''</ref> – with the result that the mountain presents an aspect of massive bulk on this side. To the north, by contrast, cliffs drop some {{convert|600|m}} to Coire Leis (pronounced Koruh Laysh.)[[File:Cic-2.jpg|thumb|Charles Inglis Clark Memorial Hut with the Carn Dearg Buttress behind]] A descent of 200 meters from this[[Cirque|corrie]] leads to the Charles Inglis Clark Memorial Hut (known as the CIC Hut), a private [[mountain hut]] located at {{convert|680|m}} above sea level, owned by the [[Scottish Mountaineering Club]]<ref name="CIC"/> and used as a base for the many [[climbing]] routes on the mountain's north face. The hut is situated just above the confluence of Allt a' Mhuilinn and Allt Coire na Ciste.
[[File:Cic-1.jpg|thumb|Memorial Plaque on the door of the CIC Hut]]
In addition to the main {{convert|1345|m|ft|0|adj=mid}} summit, Ben Nevis has two subsidiary "tops" listed in [[Munro's Tables]], both of which are called Càrn Dearg ("red hill").<ref name="Munros">{{cite book | author=D.A. Bearhop | year=1997 | title=Munro's Tables | isbn=0-907521-53-3 | publisher=Scottish Mountaineering Club & Trust | editor=revised and edited by Derek A. Bearhop.}}</ref> The higher of these, at {{convert|1221|m}}, is situated to the northwest, and is often mistaken for Ben Nevis itself in views from the Fort William area. The other Càrn Dearg ({{convert|1020|m|abbr=on}}) juts out into Glen Nevis on the mountain's southwestern side. A lower hill, Meall an t-Suidhe ({{convert|711|m}}), is located further west, forming a saddle with Ben Nevis which contains a small [[loch]], Lochan Meall 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 is all that remains of a [[Devonian]] [[volcano]] that met a cataclysmic end in the [[Carboniferous]] period around 350 million years ago. Evidence near the summit shows light-coloured granite (which had cooled in subterranean chambers several kilometres beneath the surface) lies among dark basaltic lavas (that only form on the surface). The two lying side-by-side is evidence the huge volcano collapsed in on itself creating an explosion comparable to [[Minoan eruption|Thera]] ([[2nd millennium BC]]) or [[Krakatoa]] (1883).<ref name=bbc>{{cite news|url=http://www.bbc.co.uk/news/science-environment-18674655|title=How volcanoes shaped Britain's landscape|work=BBC News|date=5 July 2012}}</ref>
The mountain is now all that remains of the imploded inner dome of the volcano.<ref>{{cite web|url=http://ben-nevis.com/information/geology/geology.php|title=Geology of Ben Nevis|publisher=ben-nevis.com|accessdate=5 July 2012}}</ref>
Its form has been extensively shaped by [[glaciation]].<ref>
{{cite journal | author1=Averis, A. B. G. |author2 = Averis A. M.
|title=A survey of the vegetation of Ben Nevis Site of Special Scientific Interest and Special Area of Conservation, 2003–2004
|url=http://www.snh.org.uk/pdfs/publications/commissioned_reports/F02LD01.pdf |format=PDF |year=2005
|journal=Scottish National Heritage Commissioned Report |volume=090|accessdate=11 December 2006}}</ref>
Research has shown [[igneous]] rock from the Devonian period (around 400 million years ago) [[intrusion|intrudes]] into the surrounding metamorphic [[schist]]s; the intrusions take the form of a series of concentric [[ring dike]]s. The innermost of these, known as the Inner Granite, constitutes the southern bulk of the mountain above Lochan Meall an t-Suidhe, and also the neighbouring ridge of Càrn Mòr Dearg; Meall an t-Suidhe forms part of the Outer Granite, which is redder in colour. The summit dome itself, together with the steep northern cliffs, are composed of [[andesite]] and [[basaltic]] lavas.<ref>McKirdy, Alan Gordon, John & Crofts, Roger (2007) ''Land of Mountain and Flood: The Geology and Landforms of Scotland''. Edinburgh. Birlinn. Pages 114–6.</ref><ref>Gillen, Con (2003) ''Geology and landscapes of Scotland''. Harpenden. Terra. Page 80.</ref>
=== Climate ===
[[File:Ben Nevis south face.jpg|thumb|The steep south face of Ben Nevis from [[Sgurr a' Mhàim]]]]
Ben Nevis has a highland (alpine) maritime (oceanic) [[Polar climate]] (''ET'' climate in Köppen's classification). Ben Nevis's altitude, maritime location and topography frequently lead to cool and cloudy weather conditions, which can pose a danger to ill-equipped walkers. According to the observations carried out at the summit observatory from 1883–1904, fog was present on the summit for almost 80% of the time between November and January, and 55% of the time in May and June.<ref name="Roy">{{cite web|url=http://www.meteohistory.org/2004polling%5Fpreprints/docs/abstracts/roy2_poster.pdf|title=The Ben Nevis Meteorological Observatory 1883–1904|accessdate=27 November 2006|author=Marjorie Roy|year=2004|format=PDF |publisher=International Commission on History of Meteorology}}</ref> The average winter temperature was around {{convert|-5|C}},<ref name="Roy"/> and the mean monthly temperature for the year was {{convert|-0.5|C}}.<ref name="Murray 221">Murray, ''Companion Guide'', p. 221</ref> In an average year the summit sees 261 gales,<ref name="Murray 221"/> and receives {{convert|4350|mm}} of rainfall, compared to only {{convert|2050|mm}} in nearby Fort William,<ref>{{cite book|author=Eric Langmuir|year=1995 |title=Mountaincraft and Leadership (Third edition)|publisher=SportScotland, Edinburgh|isbn=1-85060-295-6}}</ref> {{convert|840|mm}} in [[Inverness]] and {{convert|580|mm}} in 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 almost [[Snow patches in Scotland|all year round]], particularly in the gullies of the north face – with the higher reaches of Observatory Gully holding snow until September most years and sometimes until the new snows of the following season.
{{Weather box
|location = Ben Nevis
|metric first = Yes
|single line = Yes
|Jan high C = -2.5
|Feb high C = -2.8
|Mar high C = -2.6
|Apr high C = -0.5
|May high C = 2.6
|Jun high C = 6.5
|Jul high C = 7.1
|Aug high C = 6.4
|Sep high C = 5.3
|Oct high C = 1.4
|Nov high C = 0.1
|Dec high C = -2.0
|Jan low C = -6.3
|Feb low C = -6.4
|Mar low C = -6.3
|Apr low C = -4.3
|May low C = -1.6
|Jun low C = 2.2
|Jul low C = 3.1
|Aug low C = 2.8
|Sep low C = 1.4
|Oct low C = -2.1
|Nov low C = -3.5
|Dec low C = -5.5
|Jan precipitation mm = 465
|Feb precipitation mm = 344
|Mar precipitation mm = 386
|Apr precipitation mm = 215
|May precipitation mm = 201
|Jun precipitation mm = 191
|Jul precipitation mm = 274
|Aug precipitation mm = 339
|Sep precipitation mm = 400
|Oct precipitation mm = 392
|Nov precipitation mm = 390
|Dec precipitation mm = 484
|source 1 =<ref name= "Ben Nevis Observatory">{{cite web
| url = http://www.metlink.org/pdf/science_weather/bennevis.pdf
| title = Ben Nevis Observatory
| accessdate = 21 February 2012
}}</ref>
|date=February 2012}}
== History ==
[[File:Ben Nevis. From FWVL.jpg|thumb|right|Ben Nevis viewed from Neptune's Staircase]]
The first recorded ascent of Ben Nevis was made on 17 August 1771 by James Robertson, an [[Edinburgh]] [[botany|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.<ref name="Miller">{{cite journal |author=Suzanne Miller |year=2004 |title=Ben Nevis Geology |journal=The Edinburgh Geologist |volume=43 |pages=3–9}}</ref> [[John Keats]] climbed the mountain in 1818, comparing the ascent to "mounting ten [[St Paul's Cathedral|St. Pauls]] without the convenience of a staircase".<ref name="Hodgkiss 117">Hodgkiss, ''The Central Highlands'', p. 117</ref> The following year [[William MacGillivray]], who was later to become a distinguished naturalist, reached the summit only to find "fragments of earthen and glass ware, chicken bones, corks, and bits of paper".<ref>{{cite journal|last1=Hunter|first1=Andrew|title=Bones on Ben Nevis - a walk back into history|journal=Leopard Magazine|date=September 2014|pages=30–34|issn=2053-9851}}</ref> It was not until 1847 that Ben Nevis was confirmed by the [[Ordnance Survey]] as the highest mountain in Britain and Ireland, ahead of its rival [[Ben Macdhui (Scotland)|Ben Macdhui]].
The [[#Observatory|summit observatory]] was built in the summer of 1883, and would remain in operation for 21 years. The first [[trail|path]] to the summit was built at the same time as the observatory and was designed to allow [[pony|ponies]] to carry up supplies, with a maximum gradient of one in five.<ref name="Roy"/> The opening of the path and the observatory made the ascent of the Ben increasingly popular, all the more so after the arrival of the [[West Highland Railway]] in Fort William in 1894.<ref name="MacLennan"/> Around this time the first of several proposals was made for a [[rack railway]] to the summit, none of which came to fruition.<ref name="Hodgkiss 117"/>
In 2000, the Ben Nevis Estate, comprising all of the south side of the mountain including the summit, was bought by the Scottish conservation charity the [[John Muir Trust]].
== Ascent routes ==
[[File:Path Up Ben Nevis.JPG|thumb|left|An old postcard view showing the path up Ben Nevis]]
The 1883 Pony Track to the summit (also known as the ''Ben Path'', the ''Mountain Path'' or the ''Tourist Route'') remains the simplest and most popular route of ascent. It begins at [[Achintee, Fort William|Achintee]] on the east side of Glen Nevis about {{convert|2|km|mi|abbr=on}} from Fort William town centre, at around 20 metres above sea level. Bridges from the Visitor Centre and the [[youth hostel]] now allow access from the west side of Glen Nevis.<ref name="OS"/><ref name="Butterfield 97">Butterfield, ''The High Mountains'', p. 97</ref> The path climbs steeply to the saddle by Lochan Meall an t-Suidhe (also known as the 'Halfway Lochan') 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 regularly maintained but running water, uneven rocks and loose scree make it hazardous and slippery in places. Thanks to the zig-zags, the path is not unusually steep apart from in the initial stages, but inexperienced walkers should be aware that the descent is relatively arduous and wearing on the knees.
[[File:Carn Mor Dearg arete.jpg|thumb|right|The CMD Arête under deep snow in spring, from the summit of [[Càrn Mòr Dearg]]]]
A route popular with experienced [[hillwalking|hillwalkers]] starts at Torlundy, a few miles north-east of Fort William on the [[A82 road]], and follows the path alongside the Allt a' Mhuilinn. It can also be reached from Glen Nevis by following the Pony Track as far as Lochan Meall an t-Suidhe, then descending slightly to the CIC Hut. The route then ascends Càrn Mòr Dearg and continues along the Càrn Mòr Dearg Arête ("CMD Arête") before climbing steeply to the summit of Ben Nevis. This route involves a total of 1,500 metres of ascent and requires modest scrambling ability and a [[head for heights]].<ref>Butterfield, ''The High Mountains'', p. 98</ref> In common with other approaches on this side of the mountain, it has the advantage of giving an extensive view of the cliffs of the north face, which are hidden from the Pony Track.<ref name="Butterfield 97"/>
It is also possible to climb Ben Nevis from the Nevis Gorge car park at Steal at the head of the road up Glen Nevis, either by the south-east ridge or via the summit of Càrn Dearg (south-west). These routes require mild scrambling, are shorter and steeper than the Pony Track, and tend only to be used by experienced hill walkers.
[[File:Ben Nevis summit.jpg|thumb|left|The summit survival shelter (centre) atop the ruined observatory. The squat summit cairn (right) has a [[trig point]].]]
== Summit ==
The summit of Ben Nevis comprises a large stony [[plateau]] of about {{convert|40|ha|-1}}.<ref>{{cite web|url=http://www.britannica.com/eb/article-9078533|title=Ben Nevis|accessdate=25 November 2006|work=Encyclopædia Britannica}} (Subscription required for full access.)</ref> The highest point is marked with a large, solidly built [[cairn]] atop which sits an Ordnance Survey [[trig point]]. The summit is the highest ground for over 400 miles (644 [[kilometre]]s), before the [[Scandinavian Mountains]] in [[west]]ern [[Norway]] are reached, which contain many peaks higher than Ben Nevis. The summit is much higher than the [[Faroe Islands]] and well as the rest of the British Isles.
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, and, 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 the UK. 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]], which owns much of the mountain.<ref>{{cite news |work=The Guardian |url=https://www.theguardian.com/uk/2006/may/17/arts.artsnews1 |title=Piano found on Britain's highest mountain | location=London | date=17 May 2006| accessdate= 30 October 2016}}</ref><ref>{{cite news |publisher=BBC News |url=http://news.bbc.co.uk/2/hi/uk_news/scotland/highlands_and_islands/4994552.stm |title=New twist in Nevis music mystery |accessdate=22 June 2006 | date=18 May 2006}}</ref> The piano is believed to have been carried up for charity by removal men from [[Dundee]] over 20 years earlier.<ref>{{cite news |publisher=BBC News |url=http://news.bbc.co.uk/1/hi/scotland/highlands_and_islands/4998440.stm |title=Trust names Ben Nevis 'piano men' |accessdate=15 August 2006 | date=19 May 2006}}</ref>
The view from the UK's highest point is extensive. Under ideal conditions, it can extend to over {{convert|190|km}}, including such mountains as the [[Torridon Hills]], [[Morven, Caithness|Morven]] in [[Caithness]], [[Lochnagar]], [[Ben Lomond]], [[Barra Head]] and to [[Knocklayd]] in [[County Antrim]], Northern Ireland.<ref>Viewfinder Panoramas: [http://www.viewfinderpanoramas.org/panoramas/GRW/NEVIS-North.gif North], [http://www.viewfinderpanoramas.org/panoramas/GRW/Nevis-South.gif South]. Retrieved 25 November 2006.</ref>
[[File:Archive photograph of Ben Nevis observatory (detail).jpg|thumb|right|250px|An undated photograph of the Ben Nevis observatory (1883-1904) and 'hotel' (hostel). The hotel began as a spare-room-for-hire within the observatory, and remained open until 1916.]]
=== Observatory ===
A meteorological observatory on the summit was first proposed by the [[Scottish Meteorological Society]] (SMS) in the late 1870s, at a time when similar observatories were being built around the world to study the weather at high altitude.<ref name="Roy"/> In the summer of 1881, [[Clement Lindley Wragge]] climbed the mountain daily to make observations (earning him the nickname "Inclement Rag"), leading to the opening on 17 October 1883 of a permanent observatory run by the SMS.<ref name=crocket1986>{{cite book|last=Crocket|first=Ken|title=Ben Nevis : Britain's highest mountain|year=1986|publisher=Scottish Mountaineering Trust|location=Glasgow|isbn=0907521169|pages=41–44}}</ref> The building was manned full-time until 1904, when it was closed due to inadequate Government funding. The twenty years' worth of readings still provide the most comprehensive set of data on mountain weather in Great Britain.<ref name="Roy"/>
In September 1894, [[C. T. R. Wilson]] was employed at the observatory for a couple of weeks, as temporary relief for one of the permanent staff. During this period, he witnessed a [[Brocken spectre]] and [[glory (optical phenomenon)|glory]], caused by the sun casting a shadow on a cloud below the observer. He subsequently tried to reproduce these phenomena in the laboratory, resulting in his invention of the [[cloud chamber]], used to detect [[ionising radiation]].<ref name=Wilson>{{cite web| url=http://nobelprize.org/nobel_prizes/physics/laureates/1927/wilson-bio.html |title=C. T. R. Wilson Biography from Nobel Lectures, Physics 1922–1941, Elsevier Publishing Company, Amsterdam |year=1965|author=Nobel Foundation|accessdate=27 November 2006}}</ref><ref>{{cite av media|url=https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=oQ5xYJU4k1g&list=PLD8B65A38DC22D432&index=5&feature=plpp_video|title=YouTube|publisher=|accessdate=18 March 2016}}</ref>
Marjory Roy, a member of the Scottish Meteorological Society is the author of the book '''The Ben Nevis Weathermen''' which is in print and available from SMC or from the West Highland Museum in Fort William. This tells the story of the funding, building and operating of the Ben Nevis Observatory in Fort William, Scotland
== Navigation and safety ==
[[File:Ben Nevis cornice.jpg|thumb|right|View south-west from the summit in early April. When the cliff edges are [[cornice (climbing)|corniced]], accurate navigation is critical.]]
Ben Nevis's popularity, climate and complex [[topography]] contribute to a high number of [[mountain rescue]] incidents. In 1999, for example, there were 41 rescues and four fatalities on the mountain.<ref name="Strategy"/><!--Compared to what?--> Some accidents arise over difficulties in [[navigation|navigating]] to or from the summit,<ref name="MCofS Newsletter"/> especially in poor visibility. The problem stems from the fact that the summit 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]] [[bearing (navigation)|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.<ref>{{cite web |url=http://www.mcofs.org.uk/ben-nevis-navigation.asp |title=Navigation on Ben Nevis |publisher=[[Mountaineering Scotland]] |website=www.mcofs.org.uk |accessdate=30 October 2016}}</ref>
In the late 1990s, Lochaber Mountain Rescue Team erected two posts on the summit plateau, to assist walkers attempting the descent in [[fog]]gy conditions. These posts were subsequently cut down by climbers, sparking controversy in mountaineering circles on the ethics of such additions.<ref name="MCofS Newsletter">{{cite journal |author=The Mountaineering Council of Scotland |year=1997 |title=Ben Nevis—The Future |journal=Newsletter |volume=33 |url=http://www.mountaineering-scotland.org.uk/nl/33b.html}}</ref><ref name="Cairns debate">{{cite web |url= http://www.mountaineering-scotland.org.uk/bendebate/index.html|title= Summit Safety and Ben Nevis Cairns: The MCofS seeks a resolution |accessdate= 26 October 2006 |author= The Mountaineering Council of Scotland |format=also see sub-pages| archiveurl= https://web.archive.org/web/20060927152330/http://www.mountaineering-scotland.org.uk/bendebate/index.html| archivedate= 27 September 2006 <!--DASHBot-->| deadurl= no}}</ref> Critics argued 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.<ref name="Cairns debate"/> Supporters of navigational aids pointed to the high number of accidents that occurred 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),<ref name="MCofS Newsletter"/> the long tradition of placing such aids on the summit, and the potentially life-saving role they could play. A series of solidly-constructed cairns currently (September 2009) marks the upper reaches of the Pony Track.
== Climbing on Ben Nevis ==
[[File:Ben N Face annotated.jpg|thumb|left|Major features of the north face summit region.]]
The north face of Ben Nevis is riven with buttresses, ridges, towers and pinnacles, and contains many classic scrambles and rock climbs. It is of major importance for British winter climbing, with many of its routes holding snow often until late April. It was one of the first places in Scotland to receive the attention of serious mountaineers, with a descent of [[Tower Ridge]] in 1892 the earliest documented climbing expedition on the Ben.<ref name="Adby">{{cite book|author1=Terry Adby |author2=Stuart Johnston |lastauthoramp=yes |year=2003|title=The Hillwalker's Guide to Mountaineering|publisher=Cicerone|location=Milnthorpe|isbn=1-85284-393-4|pages=240–247}}</ref><ref>Hodgkiss, ''The Central Highlands'', p. 119</ref> (It was not climbed from bottom to top for another two years). The Scottish Mountaineering Club's Charles Inglis Clark hut was built below the north face in Coire Leis in 1929. Because of its remote location, it is said to be the only genuine [[Mountain hut|alpine hut]] in Britain.<ref name="CIC"/> It remains popular with climbers, especially in winter.
Tower Ridge is the longest of the north face's four main [[ridges]], with around 600 metres of ascent. It is not technically demanding (its [[grade (climbing)#British|grade]] is Difficult), and most pitches can be tackled unroped by competent climbers, but it is committing and very exposed.<ref name="Adby"/> Castle Ridge (Moderate), the northernmost of the main ridges, is an easier scramble, while Observatory Ridge (Very Difficult),<ref>Hodgkiss, ''The Central Highlands'', p. 126</ref> the closest ridge to the summit, is "technically the hardest of the Nevis ridges in summer and winter".<ref name=crocket2009>{{cite book|last1=Crocket|first1=Ken|last2=Richardson|first2=Simon|title=Ben Nevis: Britain's Highest Mountain (second edition)|year=2009|publisher=Scottish Mountaineering Trust|location=Glasgow|isbn=978-1-907233-10-4|page=100}}</ref> Between the Tower and Observatory Ridges are the Tower and Gardyloo Gullies; the latter takes its name from the cry of "''garde à l'eau''" (French for "watch out for the water") formerly used in Scottish cities as a warning when householders threw their slops (and worse) out of a [[tenement]] window into the street. The gully's top wall was the refuse pit for the now-disused summit observatory.<ref name="Murray"/> The North-east Buttress (Very Difficult) is the southernmost and bulkiest of the four ridges; it is as serious as Observatory Ridge but not as technically demanding, mainly because an "infamous"<ref name=richardson2002>{{cite book|last=Richardson|first=Simon|title=Ben Nevis: Rock and Ice Climbs|year=2002|publisher=Scottish Mountaineering Trust|location=Glasgow|isbn=0-907521-73-8|page=53}}</ref> rock problem, the 'Man-trap', can be avoided on either side.
[[File:Ben Nevis.jpg|thumb|right|A temperature inversion around Càrn Dearg Buttress and Castle Corrie.]]
The north face contains dozens of graded rock climbs along its entire length, with particular concentrations on the Càrn Dearg Buttress (below the [[Munro]] top of Càrn Dearg NW) and around the North-east Buttress and Observatory Ridge. Classic rock routes include ''Rubicon Wall'' on Observatory Buttress (Severe) – whose second ascent in 1937, when it was considered the hardest route on the mountain, is described by [[W. H. Murray]] in ''Mountaineering in Scotland''<ref>W. H. Murray [1947] (1962). ''Mountaineering in Scotland''. London: J. M. Dent.</ref> – and, on Càrn Dearg, ''Centurion'' and ''The Bullroar'' (both HVS), ''Torro'' (E2), and ''Titan's Wall'' (E3), these four described in the [[Scottish Mountaineering Club|SMC]]'s guide as among "the best climbs of their class in Scotland".<ref name=richardson2002 />
Many seminal lines were recorded before the [[First World War]] by pioneering [[Scottish Mountaineering Club|Scottish climbers]] like J N Collie, Willie Naismith, [[Harold Raeburn]], and William and [[Ladies' Scottish Climbing Club|Jane]] Inglis Clark. Other classic routes were put up by G. Graham Macphee, Dr [[J. H. B. Bell|James H. B. Bell]] and others between the Wars; these include Bell's 'Long Climb', at {{convert|1400|ft|m|abbr=on}} reputedly the longest sustained climb on the British mainland. In summer 1943 conscientious objector [[Brian Pinder Kellett|Brian Kellett]] made a phenomenal seventy-four repeat climbs and seventeen first ascents including fourteen solos,<ref name=crocket2009 /> returning in 1944 to add fifteen more new lines, eleven solo, including his eponymous HVS on Gardyloo buttress. Much more recently, an extreme and as-yet ungraded climb on Echo Wall was completed by [[Dave MacLeod]] in 2008 after two years of preparation.<ref>{{cite web |url= http://www.alpinist.com/doc/web08x/newswire-echo-wall-macleod |title=MacLeod's Boldest: Echo Wall |publisher=Alpinist.com| accessdate = 22 February 2006}}</ref>
[[File:A climber nearing the top of No 5 Gulley - geograph.org.uk - 1104524.jpg|thumb|left|An ice-climber exiting Number Five Gully (450m I). [[Tower Ridge|Tower Gap]] can be discerned in the background.]]
The north face is also one of Scotland's foremost venues for winter mountaineering and ice climbing, and holds snow until quite late in the year; in a good year, routes may remain in winter condition until mid-spring. Most of the possible rock routes are also suitable as winter climbs, including the four main ridges; Tower Ridge, for example, is grade IV on the [[Grade (climbing)#Grade systems for ice climbing|Scottish winter grading system]], having been upgraded in 2009 by the Scottish Mountaineering Club after requests by the local Mountain Rescue Team, there being numerous benightments and incidents every winter season.<ref>{{cite web |url=http://www.scotclimb.org.uk/bennevis.shtml |title=Climbing on Ben Nevis |publisher=Scottish Climbing Archive | accessdate = 26 October 2006| archiveurl= https://web.archive.org/web/20060924044416/http://scotclimb.org.uk/bennevis.shtml| archivedate= 24 September 2006 <!--DASHBot-->| deadurl= no}}</ref> Probably the most popular ice climb on Ben Nevis<ref name="Hodgkiss 130">Hodgkiss, ''The Central Highlands'', p. 130</ref> is ''The Curtain'' (IV,5) on the left side of the Càrn Dearg Buttress. At the top end of the scale, ''Centurion'' in winter is a grade VIII,8 face climb.
In February 1960 James R. Marshall and Robin Clark Smith recorded six major new ice routes in only eight days including Orion Direct (V,5 400m); this winter version of Bell's Long Climb was "the climax of a magnificent week's climbing by Smith and Marshall, and the highpoint of the [[Glossary of climbing terms#step cutting|step-cutting]] era."<ref name=richardson2002 />
== Ben Nevis Race ==
{{Main article|Ben Nevis Race}}
[[File:Image29 jpg ben race 1979.jpg|thumb|right|1979 Ben Nevis Race]]
[[File:Image6 Ben Race 1979.jpg|thumb|right|1979 Ben Nevis Race]]
The history of [[hill running]] on Ben Nevis dates back to 1895. William Swan, a barber from Fort William, made the first recorded timed ascent up the mountain on or around 27 September of that year, when he ran from the old post office in Fort William to the summit and back in 2 hours 41 minutes.<ref name="MacLennan">{{cite journal |author=Hugh Dan MacLennan |date=November 1998 |title=The Ben Race: The supreme test of athletic fitness |journal=The Sports Historian |volume=18 |issue=2 |pages=131–147 |url=http://www.la84foundation.org/SportsLibrary/SportsHistorian/1998/sh182j.pdf |accessdate=2 June 2009 |doi=10.1080/17460269809445800}}</ref>
The following years saw several improvements on Swan's record, but the first competitive race was held on 3 June 1898 under Scottish Amateur Athletic Association rules. Ten competitors ran the course, which started at the Lochiel Arms Hotel in [[Banavie]] and was thus longer than the route from Fort William; the winner was 21-year-old Hugh Kennedy, a gamekeeper at Tor Castle, who finished (coincidentally with Swan's original run) in 2 hours 41 minutes.<ref name="MacLennan"/>
[[File:Ben Race.jpg|thumb|Runners line up for an early Ben Race. The starter is on left with a shotgun]]
Regular races were organised until 1903, when two events were held; these were the last for 24 years, perhaps due to the closure of the summit observatory the following year.<ref name="MacLennan"/> The first was from [[Achintee]], at the foot of the Pony Track, and finished at the summit; It was won in just over an hour by Ewen MacKenzie, the observatory roadman.<ref name="MacLennan"/> The second race ran from new Fort William post office, and MacKenzie lowered the record to 2 hours 10 minutes, a record he held for 34 years.<ref name="MacLennan"/>
The [[Ben Nevis hill race|Ben Nevis Race]] has been run in its current form since 1937. It now takes place on the first Saturday in September every year, with a maximum of 500 competitors taking part.<ref name="FWO">{{cite web|url=http://www.visit-fortwilliam.co.uk/mf_race.html|title=Ben Nevis Race – a brief history|accessdate=25 November 2006|publisher=Fort William Online| archiveurl= https://web.archive.org/web/20070102174814/http://visit-fortwilliam.co.uk/mf_race.html| archivedate= 2 January 2007 <!--DASHBot-->| deadurl= no}}</ref> It starts and finishes at the [[Claggan Park, Fort William|Claggan Park]] football ground on the outskirts of Fort William, and is {{convert|14|km}} long with {{convert|1340|m}} of ascent.<ref name="SHR">{{cite web|url=http://www.scottishhillracing.co.uk/RaceDetails.aspx?RaceID=RA-0098&RaceDate=9%2f2%2f2006|title=Scottish Hill Racing – Ben Nevis Race|accessdate=30 October 2010}}</ref> Due to the seriousness of the mountain environment, entry is restricted to those who have completed three hill races, and runners must carry waterproofs, a hat, gloves and a whistle; anyone who has not reached the summit after two hours is turned back.<ref name="kopac">{{cite web|url=http://www.mhrrc.org/kopacs_corner/other_races/199803_ben_nevis.html|title=For Sport Alone: The Ben Nevis Race|accessdate=2009-06-02|author=Bob Kopac|publisher=MHRRC Online}}</ref> As of 2010 the records have stood unbroken since 1984, when [[Kenny Stuart]] and Pauline Haworth of [[Keswick, Cumbria|Keswick]] Athletic Club won the men's and the women's races with times of 1:25:34 and 1:43:25 respectively.<ref name="SHR"/><ref>[http://www.bennevisrace.co.uk/ The Ben Nevis Race]. Retrieved 30 October 2010.</ref>
==Skiing on The Ben==
Ben Nevis is becoming popular with ski mountaineers. The Red Burn (Allt Coire na h-Urcaire) just to the North of the tourist path gives the easiest descent but most, if not all, of the easier gullies on the North Face have been skied as has the slope once adorned by the abseil poles into Coire Leis. No 4 gully is probably the most skied. Although Tower scoop makes it a no fall zone, Tower Gully is becoming popular, especially in May and June when there is spring snow.<ref>Kenny Biggin, ''Scottish Offpiste Skiing and Snowboarding : Nevis Range and Ben Nevis'',(Spean Bridge: Skimountain,2013)64-84</ref>
[[File:Ski Ben Nevis.jpg|thumb|A skier skinning towards the summit]]
== Environmental Issues & Nevis Landscape Partnership ==
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 creation of The [http://www.nevislandscape.co.uk/ Nevis Landscape Partnership], a five-year programme which aims to protect, enhance and future-proof Ben Nevis by delivering nineteen ambitious environmental projects between 2014 and 2019. The Nevis Landscape Partnership is supported by five partner organisations (John Muir Trust, Forestry Commission Scotland, The Highland Council, Scottish Natural Heritage & The Nevis Partnership) and has been made possible by Heritage Lottery Funding.
Now in project year three (March 2016 – March 2017), there have been significant positive changes implemented by Nevis Landscape Partnership and their projects, most significantly the upgrades to the [http://www.walkhighlands.co.uk/fortwilliam/bennevis.shtml Ben Nevis Mountain Track]. Work to upgrade the mountain track started in November 2015 after two contracts were awarded to McGowan Ltd. & Cairngorm Wilderness Contracts. Both contractors immediately started bagging stone from high up Ben Nevis to be brought down to by helicopter to replace crumbling steps and stabilise eroding parts of the path. The project will eventually upgrade 3.5 km of the mountain track from the starting point at Achintee all the way up to John's Wall; this year the maintenance was focused on a difficult middle section which was most in need of attention. After six months of hard work and battling with the weather, the contractors have now upgraded 1 km of the mountain track which is roughly 30% of the overall maintenance this project will carry out. The next contracted works will resume towards the end of September, after the Ben Nevis Race, for stage two of the project.
Volunteer effort has already been a huge help and will continue to be a large contributing factor to the overall upgrade of the mountain track. Nevis Landscape Partnership are working closely with National Trust for Scotland to run [http://www.nts.org.uk/thistlecamps/ Thistle Camp Working Holidays] which will focus on much-needed maintenance on the first section of the Ben Nevis footpath and allow outdoor enthusiasts to actively be a part of maintaining and protecting the United Kingdom's highest mountain for this generation and many more to come.[[File:Allt a' Mhuilinn.JPG|thumb|left|Path to the CIC Hut alongside the Allt a' Mhuilinn]]
== Ben Nevis Distillery ==
The [[Ben Nevis Distillery]] is a [[single malt Scotch|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,<ref>{{cite web| url=http://www.bennevisdistillery.com/|title=Ben Nevis Distillery|accessdate=25 November 2006| archiveurl= https://web.archive.org/web/20061125072703/http://www.bennevisdistillery.com/| archivedate= 25 November 2006 <!--DASHBot-->| deadurl= no}}</ref><ref>{{cite web|url=http://www.dcs.ed.ac.uk/home/jhb/whisky/smws/78.html|title=Ben Nevis|publisher=Edinburgh Malt Whisky Tour|accessdate=25 November 2006| archiveurl= https://web.archive.org/web/20061010212903/http://www.dcs.ed.ac.uk/home/jhb/whisky/smws/78.html| archivedate= 10 October 2006 <!--DASHBot-->| deadurl= no}}</ref> 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.<ref>{{cite web|url=http://www.scotchwhisky.net/distilleries/ben_nevis.htm|title=Ben Nevis Distillery|publisher=Scotchwhisky.net|accessdate=25 November 2006| archiveurl= https://web.archive.org/web/20061229171048/http://www.scotchwhisky.net/distilleries/ben_nevis.htm| archivedate= 29 December 2006 <!--DASHBot-->| deadurl= no}}</ref> "Ben Nevis" 80/- organic [[ale]] is, by contrast, brewed in [[Bridge of Allan]] near [[Stirling]].<ref>{{cite web|url=http://www.bottledbeer.co.uk/index.html?beerid=2403|title=Ben Nevis ale|accessdate=11 December 2006}}</ref>
==Other uses==
''Ben Nevis'' was the name of a [[White Star Line]] [[packet ship]] which in 1854 carried the group of immigrants who were to become the [[Wends of Texas]].<ref name='wends'>{{cite web|url=http://www.texaswendish.org/Pages/BriefHistory.aspx |archiveurl=http://www.webcitation.org/6DlfCJtGe?url=http%3A%2F%2Fwww.texaswendish.org%2FPages%2FBriefHistory.aspx |archivedate=18 January 2013 |title=Texas Wendish Heritage Society: Brief History |last=Lammert |first=Ron |publisher=Texas Heritage Society |deadurl=yes |df=dmy }}</ref> At least another eight vessels have carried the name since then.<ref>{{cite web|url=http://www.miramarshipindex.org.nz/|title=Miramar Ship Index|publisher=|accessdate=18 March 2016}}</ref>
A mountain in [[Svalbard]] is also named [[Ben Nevis (Svalbard)|Ben Nevis]], after the Scottish peak. It is 922 metres high, and located south of the head of [[Raudfjorden]], Albert I Land, in the northwestern part of the island of [[Spitsbergen]].<ref>{{cite web|url=http://stadnamn.npolar.no/stadnamn/Ben%20Nevis?lang=en |title=Place names in Norwegian polar areas |accessdate=11 March 2009 |publisher=Norwegian Polar Institute }}</ref>
A comic strip character, [[Wee Ben Nevis]], about a [[Scottish Highlands]] [[boarding school]] student with superhuman strength and his antics were featured in the [[United Kingdom|British]] [[comic]] ''[[The Beano]]'' from 1974 to 1977, was named after the mountain.
[[Hung Fa Chai]], a 489-metre hill in Northeast [[New Territories]] of [[Hong Kong]] was marked as Ben Nevis on historical colonial maps.
== See also ==
{{portal|Mountains}}
* [[National Three Peaks Challenge]]
* [[The Remarkables, New Zealand]] – mountain range containing a peak also called Ben Nevis.
* [[Northwest Spitsbergen National Park]] includes a mountain called Ben Nevis. Its height is 918 metres and it is located at Northwest Spitsbergen National Park
* [[Scottish Highlands]]
== References ==
;Notes
{{reflist|2|refs=
<ref name="CIC">
{{cite web|url=http://www.smc.org.uk/Huts/CIC.htm|title= Charles Inglis Clark Memorial Hut (C.I.C.) |accessdate= 12 November 2007
| author= Scottish Mountaineering Club website
| archiveurl = https://web.archive.org/web/20070915100543/http://www.smc.org.uk/Huts/CIC.htm |archivedate = 15 September 2007|deadurl=yes}}</ref>
}}
;Bibliography
{{refbegin}}
* {{cite book |last=Butterfield |first=Irvine |year=1986 |title=The High Mountains of Britain and Ireland |publisher=Diadem Books |location=London |isbn=0-906371-71-6 |pages=96–99}}
* {{cite book | last1 = Crocket| first1 = Ken| year = 2009| last2 = Richardson| first2 = Simon| title = Ben Nevis: Britain's Highest Mountain: 2nd Edition
| publisher = The Scottish Mountaineering Trust | ISBN = 978-1-907233-10-4}}
* {{cite book |last=Hodgkiss |first=Peter |year=1994 |title=The Central Highlands |edition=5th |publisher=Scottish Mountaineering Trust |isbn=0-907521-44-4 |pages=116–134}}
* {{cite book |last=Irving |first=R. L. G. |authorlink=Robert Lock Graham Irving |year=1940 |title=Ten Great Mountains
| publisher=J. M. Dent & Sons |location=London |id= }}
* {{cite map |title=Landranger 41: Ben Nevis |year=2002 |publisher=[[Ordnance Survey]] |isbn=0-319-22641-7 |author=Ordnance Survey.}}
* {{cite book |last=Murray |first=W. H. |authorlink=W. H. Murray |year=1977 |title=The Companion Guide to the West Highlands of Scotland
| publisher=Collins |location=London |isbn=0-00-216813-8 |pages=218–221}}
* {{cite book | last = Richardson| first = Simon| year = 2002| title = Ben Nevis: Rock and Ice Climbs
| publisher = The Scottish Mountaineering Trust | isbn = 0-907521-73-8}}
{{refend}}
== External links ==
{{Wikivoyage}}
{{Commons category|Ben Nevis}}
{{Wiktionary}}
* {{oscoor gbx|216666_771285}}
* [http://www.nevispartnership.co.uk/ Nevis Partnership] – Environmental and visitor management in the Nevis area
* [https://maps.google.com/?ll=56.796861,-5.003546&t=m&layer=c&panoid=U-TvsoEPFhcAAAQDMaMYcg&cbp=12,,,,&z=16&cbll=56.796861,-5.003546&hl=en Panorama] from the peak of Ben Nevis (Google Maps)
* Computer generated digital panoramas from Ben Nevis: [http://www.viewfinderpanoramas.org/panoramas/GRW/NEVIS-North.gif North] [http://www.viewfinderpanoramas.org/panoramas/GRW/Nevis-South.gif South] [http://www.viewfinderpanoramas.org/panoramas.html index]
* [http://aboutfortwilliam.com/webcams/ben-nevis-and-fort-william/ Ben Nevis Webcam]
* [http://www.bennevisrace.co.uk/index.html The Ben Nevis Race] (official website)
* [http://www.mountaineering-scotland.org.uk/leaflets/nevis.html Navigation on Ben Nevis] Advice for people walking up Ben Nevis – available as leaflet in the town.
* [http://player.bfi.org.uk/film/watch-motoring-over-ben-nevis-1911/?utm_medium=referrer&utm_source=wikipedia&utm_campaign=ben-nevis Motoring over Ben Nevis on BFI Player ]
* [http://www.smc.org.uk/Munros/MunrosTable.php Ben Nevis]. ''Munros Table''. [[Scottish Mountaineering Club]].
{{Scottish Munros section 4}}
{{British hills}}
{{Highest mountains of the United Kingdom}}
{{Lochaber}}
{{good article}}
{{Authority control}}
[[Category:Lochaber]]
[[Category:Munros]]
[[Category:Marilyns of Scotland]]
[[Category:Mountains and hills of the Central Highlands]]
[[Category:National Scenic Areas in Scotland]]
[[Category:Sites of Special Scientific Interest in North Lochaber]]
[[Category:Special Areas of Conservation in Scotland]]
[[Category:Climbing areas of Scotland]]
[[Category:Volcanism of Scotland]]
[[Category:Devonian volcanism]]
[[Category:Highest points of historic Scottish counties]]
[[Category:Mountains and hills of Highland (council area)]]
[[Category:One-thousanders of the British Isles]]
[[Category:Highest points of countries]]' |
New page wikitext, after the edit (new_wikitext ) | '{{for|the racehorse|Ben Nevis (horse)}}
{{Use dmy dates|date=September 2013}}
{{Use Scottish English|date=September 2013}}
{{Infobox mountain
| name = Ben Nevis
| other_name = ''Beinn Nibheis''
| photo = BenNevis2005.jpg
| photo_caption = <small>Ben Nevis from [[Banavie]]. The summit is beyond and to the left of the apparent highest point.</small>
| photo_size = 300
| elevation_m = 1,344.527
| elevation_ref =<ref name="OS revision">{{cite web |url=https://www.ordnancesurvey.co.uk/blog/2016/03/britains-tallest-mountain-is-taller/
| title=Great Britain’s tallest mountain is taller
| publisher=Ordnance Survey |accessdate=18 March 2016}}</ref>
| prominence_m = 1,344.527
| prominence_ref = <br /><small>[[List of mountains of the British Isles by relative height|Ranked 1st]] in [[British Isles]]</small>
| parent_peak = ''none'' – Highest peak on island of [[Great Britain]]
| listing = [[Munro]], [[Marilyn (hill)|Marilyn]], [[List of Scottish council areas by highest point|Council top]] ([[Highland (council area)|Highland]]), [[List of Scottish counties by highest point|County top]] ([[Inverness-shire]]), [[List of countries by highest point|Country high point]]
| translation = Venomous mountain ''or'' mountain with its head in the clouds
| language = [[Scottish Gaelic language|Scottish Gaelic]]
| location = [[Lochaber]], [[Highland (council area)|Highland]], [[Scotland]], [[UK]]
| map = UK Scotland
| map_caption = Scotland
| label_position = right
| lat_d = 56.79685
| long_d = -5.003508
| coordinates_ref =
| grid_ref_UK = NN166712
| topo = [[Ordnance Survey|OS]] ''Landranger'' 41, ''Explorer'' 392
| first_ascent = 17 August 1771, by James Robertson
| easiest_route = [[#Ascent routes|Pony Track/Ben Path]]
}}
'''Ben Nevis ''' ({{lang-gd|Beinn Nibheis}}, {{IPA-gd|peˈɲivəʃ|pron}}) is the highest mountain in the [[British Isles]], located in Scotland. Standing at {{convert|1,344.527|m|ft|0|adj=ri0}}<ref name="OS revision"/> above sea level, it is located at the western end of the [[Grampian Mountains (Scotland)|Grampian Mountains]] in the [[Lochaber]] area of the [[Scottish Highlands]], close to the town of [[Fort William, Highland|Fort William]].
The mountain is a popular destination, attracting an estimated 100,000 ascents a year,<ref name="JMT">{{cite web |url=https://www.johnmuirtrust.org/trust-land/ben-nevis |title=Ben Nevis |accessdate=30 October 2016 |publisher=[[John Muir Trust]]}}</ref> around three-quarters of which use the Pony Track from [[Glen Nevis]].<ref name="Strategy">{{cite web |url=http://www.nevispartnership.co.uk/pdf/newnevis_strategy_summary.pdf|title=Nevis Strategy|accessdate=5 November 2006|author=The Nevis Working Party|format=PDF|year=2001| archiveurl= https://web.archive.org/web/20061104163426/http://www.nevispartnership.co.uk/pdf/newnevis_strategy_summary.pdf| archivedate= 4 November 2006 <!--DASHBot-->| deadurl= no}}</ref>
The {{convert|700|m|adj=on}} cliffs of the north face are among the highest in Scotland, providing classic [[scrambling|scrambles]] and [[rock climbing|rock climbs]] of all difficulties for climbers and [[mountaineering|mountaineers]]. They are also the principal locations in Scotland for [[ice climbing]].
The summit, which is the collapsed dome of an ancient [[volcano]],<ref name=bbc/> features the ruins of an [[observatory]] which was continuously staffed between 1883 and 1904. The [[meteorology|meteorological]] data collected during this period are still important for understanding Scottish mountain weather. [[C. T. R. Wilson]] was inspired to invent the [[cloud chamber]] after a period spent working at the observatory.
== Etymology ==
"Ben Nevis" is an [[Anglicisation]] of the [[Scottish Gaelic language|Scottish Gaelic]] name "Beinn Nibheis". "Beinn" is the most common Gaelic word for "mountain", "Nibheis" is variously understood, though the word is commonly translated as "malicious" or "venomous".<ref name="Butterfield 96">Butterfield, ''The High Mountains'', p. 96</ref> An alternative interpretation is that "Beinn Nibheis" derives from "beinn nèamh-bhathais", from "nèamh" "heavens, clouds" and "bathais" "top of a man's head". One translation would therefore be "the mountain with its head in the clouds",<ref name="Murray"/> though "mountain of Heaven" is also frequently given.<ref name="Butterfield 96"/>
As is common for many [[Scottish mountains]], it is known both to locals and visitors as simply "the Ben".<ref>{{cite web|title=Ben Nevis, or the 'Ben' as it is fondly known locally|url=http://www.visit-fortwilliam.co.uk/mf_bennevis.html|publisher=Visit Fort William Ltd |accessdate=23 October 2007| archiveurl= https://web.archive.org/web/20071018020835/http://www.visit-fortwilliam.co.uk/mf_bennevis.html| archivedate= 18 October 2007 <!--DASHBot-->| deadurl= no}}</ref><ref>{{cite web|title=Ben Nevis is almost always referred to by climbers as simply The Ben (Ben meaning Mountain)|url=http://www.takeupthechallenge.com/pages/page-nevis-history.htm|publisher=The Ben Nevis Challenge |accessdate=23 October 2007| archiveurl= https://web.archive.org/web/20071103202517/http://www.takeupthechallenge.com/pages/page-nevis-history.htm| archivedate= 3 November 2007 <!--DASHBot-->| deadurl= no}}</ref>
== Geography ==
Ben Nevis forms a [[massif]] with its neighbour to the northeast, [[Càrn Mòr Dearg]], to which it is linked by the Càrn Mòr Dearg [[Arête]].<ref name="OS">Ordnance Survey ''Landranger'' 41.</ref> Both mountains are among the nine in Scotland over {{convert|4000|ft|sig=2}}; [[Aonach Beag]] and [[Aonach Mòr]] are also on the Nevis massif.
[[File:Ben Nevis massif.PNG|thumb|left|Western flank of the Nevis massif; from [[Sgùrr Dhòmhnuill]]]]
The western and southern flanks of Ben Nevis rise {{convert|1200|m}} in about {{convert|2|km}} from the floor of Glen Nevis – the longest and steepest hill slope in Britain<ref name="Murray">W. H. Murray, ''The Companion Guide to the West Highlands of Scotland''</ref> – with the result that the mountain presents an aspect of massive bulk on this side. To the north, by contrast, cliffs drop some {{convert|600|m}} to Coire Leis (pronounced Koruh Laysh.)[[File:Cic-2.jpg|thumb|Charles Inglis Clark Memorial Hut with the Carn Dearg Buttress behind]] A descent of 200 meters from this[[Cirque|corrie]] leads to the Charles Inglis Clark Memorial Hut (known as the CIC Hut), a private [[mountain hut]] located at {{convert|680|m}} above sea level, owned by the [[Scottish Mountaineering Club]]<ref name="CIC"/> and used as a base for the many [[climbing]] routes on the mountain's north face. The hut is situated just above the confluence of Allt a' Mhuilinn and Allt Coire na Ciste.
[[File:Cic-1.jpg|thumb|Memorial Plaque on the door of the CIC Hut]]
In addition to the main {{convert|1345|m|ft|0|adj=mid}} summit, Ben Nevis has two subsidiary "tops" listed in [[Munro's Tables]], both of which are called Càrn Dearg ("red hill").<ref name="Munros">{{cite book | author=D.A. Bearhop | year=1997 | title=Munro's Tables | isbn=0-907521-53-3 | publisher=Scottish Mountaineering Club & Trust | editor=revised and edited by Derek A. Bearhop.}}</ref> The higher of these, at {{convert|1221|m}}, is situated to the northwest, and is often mistaken for Ben Nevis itself in views from the Fort William area. The other Càrn Dearg ({{convert|1020|m|abbr=on}}) juts out into Glen Nevis on the mountain's southwestern side. A lower hill, Meall an t-Suidhe ({{convert|711|m}}), is located further west, forming a saddle with Ben Nevis which contains a small [[loch]], Lochan Meall 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 is all that remains of a [[Devonian]] [[volcano]] that met a cataclysmic end in the [[Carboniferous]] period around 350 million years ago. Evidence near the summit shows light-coloured granite (which had cooled in subterranean chambers several kilometres beneath the surface) lies among dark basaltic lavas (that only form on the surface). The two lying side-by-side is evidence the huge volcano collapsed in on itself creating an explosion comparable to [[Minoan eruption|Thera]] ([[2nd millennium BC]]) or [[Krakatoa]] (1883).<ref name=bbc>{{cite news|url=http://www.bbc.co.uk/news/science-environment-18674655|title=How volcanoes shaped Britain's landscape|work=BBC News|date=5 July 2012}}</ref>
The mountain is now all that remains of the imploded inner dome of the volcano.<ref>{{cite web|url=http://ben-nevis.com/information/geology/geology.php|title=Geology of Ben Nevis|publisher=ben-nevis.com|accessdate=5 July 2012}}</ref>
Its form has been extensively shaped by [[glaciation]].<ref>
{{cite journal | author1=Averis, A. B. G. |author2 = Averis A. M.
|title=A survey of the vegetation of Ben Nevis Site of Special Scientific Interest and Special Area of Conservation, 2003–2004
|url=http://www.snh.org.uk/pdfs/publications/commissioned_reports/F02LD01.pdf |format=PDF |year=2005
|journal=Scottish National Heritage Commissioned Report |volume=090|accessdate=11 December 2006}}</ref>
Research has shown [[igneous]] rock from the Devonian period (around 400 million years ago) [[intrusion|intrudes]] into the surrounding metamorphic [[schist]]s; the intrusions take the form of a series of concentric [[ring dike]]s. The innermost of these, known as the Inner Granite, constitutes the southern bulk of the mountain above Lochan Meall an t-Suidhe, and also the neighbouring ridge of Càrn Mòr Dearg; Meall an t-Suidhe forms part of the Outer Granite, which is redder in colour. The summit dome itself, together with the steep northern cliffs, are composed of [[andesite]] and [[basaltic]] lavas.<ref>McKirdy, Alan Gordon, John & Crofts, Roger (2007) ''Land of Mountain and Flood: The Geology and Landforms of Scotland''. Edinburgh. Birlinn. Pages 114–6.</ref><ref>Gillen, Con (2003) ''Geology and landscapes of Scotland''. Harpenden. Terra. Page 80.</ref>
=== Climate ===
[[File:Ben Nevis south face.jpg|thumb|The steep south face of Ben Nevis from [[Sgurr a' Mhàim]]]]
Ben Nevis has a highland (alpine) maritime (oceanic) [[Polar climate]] (''ET'' climate in Köppen's classification). Ben Nevis's altitude, maritime location and topography frequently lead to cool and cloudy weather conditions, which can pose a danger to ill-equipped walkers. According to the observations carried out at the summit observatory from 1883–1904, fog was present on the summit for almost 80% of the time between November and January, and 55% of the time in May and June.<ref name="Roy">{{cite web|url=http://www.meteohistory.org/2004polling%5Fpreprints/docs/abstracts/roy2_poster.pdf|title=The Ben Nevis Meteorological Observatory 1883–1904|accessdate=27 November 2006|author=Marjorie Roy|year=2004|format=PDF |publisher=International Commission on History of Meteorology}}</ref> The average winter temperature was around {{convert|-5|C}},<ref name="Roy"/> and the mean monthly temperature for the year was {{convert|-0.5|C}}.<ref name="Murray 221">Murray, ''Companion Guide'', p. 221</ref> In an average year the summit sees 261 gales,<ref name="Murray 221"/> and receives {{convert|4350|mm}} of rainfall, compared to only {{convert|2050|mm}} in nearby Fort William,<ref>{{cite book|author=Eric Langmuir|year=1995 |title=Mountaincraft and Leadership (Third edition)|publisher=SportScotland, Edinburgh|isbn=1-85060-295-6}}</ref> {{convert|840|mm}} in [[Inverness]] and {{convert|580|mm}} in 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 almost [[Snow patches in Scotland|all year round]], particularly in the gullies of the north face – with the higher reaches of Observatory Gully holding snow until September most years and sometimes until the new snows of the following season.
{{Weather box
|location = Ben Nevis
|metric first = Yes
|single line = Yes
|Jan high C = -2.5
|Feb high C = -2.8
|Mar high C = -2.6
|Apr high C = -0.5
|May high C = 2.6
|Jun high C = 6.5
|Jul high C = 7.1
|Aug high C = 6.4
|Sep high C = 5.3
|Oct high C = 1.4
|Nov high C = 0.1
|Dec high C = -2.0
|Jan low C = -6.3
|Feb low C = -6.4
|Mar low C = -6.3
|Apr low C = -4.3
|May low C = -1.6
|Jun low C = 2.2
|Jul low C = 3.1
|Aug low C = 2.8
|Sep low C = 1.4
|Oct low C = -2.1
|Nov low C = -3.5
|Dec low C = -5.5
|Jan precipitation mm = 465
|Feb precipitation mm = 344
|Mar precipitation mm = 386
|Apr precipitation mm = 215
|May precipitation mm = 201
|Jun precipitation mm = 191
|Jul precipitation mm = 274
|Aug precipitation mm = 339
|Sep precipitation mm = 400
|Oct precipitation mm = 392
|Nov precipitation mm = 390
|Dec precipitation mm = 484
|source 1 =<ref name= "Ben Nevis Observatory">{{cite web
| url = http://www.metlink.org/pdf/science_weather/bennevis.pdf
| title = Ben Nevis Observatory
| accessdate = 21 February 2012
}}</ref>
|date=February 2012}}
== History ==
[[File: Penis. From FWVL.jpg|thumb|right|Ben Nevis viewed from Neptune's Staircase]]
The first recorded ascent of Penis was made on 17 August 1771 by James Penisson, an [[Edinburgh]] [[botany|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.<ref name="Miller">{{cite journal |author=Suzanne Miller |year=2004 |title=Ben Nevis Geology |journal=The Edinburgh Geologist |volume=43 |pages=3–9}}</ref> [[John Keats]] climbed the mountain in 1818, comparing the ascent to "mounting ten [[St Paul's Cathedral|St. Pauls]] without the convenience of a staircase".<ref name="Hodgkiss 117">Hodgkiss, ''The Central Highlands'', p. 117</ref> The following year [[William MacGillivray]], who was later to become a distinguished naturalist, reached the summit only to find "fragments of earthen and glass ware, chicken bones, corks, and bits of paper".<ref>{{cite journal|last1=Hunter|first1=Andrew|title=Bones on Ben Nevis - a walk back into history|journal=Leopard Magazine|date=September 2014|pages=30–34|issn=2053-9851}}</ref> It was not until 1847 that Ben Nevis was confirmed by the [[Ordnance Survey]] as the highest mountain in Britain and Ireland, ahead of its rival [[Ben Macdhui (Scotland)|Ben Macdhui]].
The [[#Observatory|summit observatory]] was built in the summer of 1883, and would remain in operation for 21 years. The first [[trail|path]] to the summit was built at the same time as the observatory and was designed to allow [[pony|ponies]] to carry up supplies, with a maximum gradient of one in five.<ref name="Roy"/> The opening of the path and the observatory made the ascent of the Ben increasingly popular, all the more so after the arrival of the [[West Highland Railway]] in Fort William in 1894.<ref name="MacLennan"/> Around this time the first of several proposals was made for a [[rack railway]] to the summit, none of which came to fruition.<ref name="Hodgkiss 117"/>
In 2000, the Ben Nevis Estate, comprising all of the south side of the mountain including the summit, was bought by the Scottish conservation charity the [[John Muir Trust]].
== Ascent routes ==
[[File:Path Up Ben Nevis.JPG|thumb|left|An old postcard view showing the path up Ben Nevis]]
The 1883 Pony Track to the summit (also known as the ''Ben Path'', the ''Mountain Path'' or the ''Tourist Route'') remains the simplest and most popular route of ascent. It begins at [[Achintee, Fort William|Achintee]] on the east side of Glen Nevis about {{convert|2|km|mi|abbr=on}} from Fort William town centre, at around 20 metres above sea level. Bridges from the Visitor Centre and the [[youth hostel]] now allow access from the west side of Glen Nevis.<ref name="OS"/><ref name="Butterfield 97">Butterfield, ''The High Mountains'', p. 97</ref> The path climbs steeply to the saddle by Lochan Meall an t-Suidhe (also known as the 'Halfway Lochan') 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 regularly maintained but running water, uneven rocks and loose scree make it hazardous and slippery in places. Thanks to the zig-zags, the path is not unusually steep apart from in the initial stages, but inexperienced walkers should be aware that the descent is relatively arduous and wearing on the knees.
[[File:Carn Mor Dearg arete.jpg|thumb|right|The CMD Arête under deep snow in spring, from the summit of [[Càrn Mòr Dearg]]]]
A route popular with experienced [[hillwalking|hillwalkers]] starts at Torlundy, a few miles north-east of Fort William on the [[A82 road]], and follows the path alongside the Allt a' Mhuilinn. It can also be reached from Glen Nevis by following the Pony Track as far as Lochan Meall an t-Suidhe, then descending slightly to the CIC Hut. The route then ascends Càrn Mòr Dearg and continues along the Càrn Mòr Dearg Arête ("CMD Arête") before climbing steeply to the summit of Ben Nevis. This route involves a total of 1,500 metres of ascent and requires modest scrambling ability and a [[head for heights]].<ref>Butterfield, ''The High Mountains'', p. 98</ref> In common with other approaches on this side of the mountain, it has the advantage of giving an extensive view of the cliffs of the north face, which are hidden from the Pony Track.<ref name="Butterfield 97"/>
It is also possible to climb Ben Nevis from the Nevis Gorge car park at Steal at the head of the road up Glen Nevis, either by the south-east ridge or via the summit of Càrn Dearg (south-west). These routes require mild scrambling, are shorter and steeper than the Pony Track, and tend only to be used by experienced hill walkers.
[[File:Ben Nevis summit.jpg|thumb|left|The summit survival shelter (centre) atop the ruined observatory. The squat summit cairn (right) has a [[trig point]].]]
== Summit ==
The summit of Ben Nevis comprises a large stony [[plateau]] of about {{convert|40|ha|-1}}.<ref>{{cite web|url=http://www.britannica.com/eb/article-9078533|title=Ben Nevis|accessdate=25 November 2006|work=Encyclopædia Britannica}} (Subscription required for full access.)</ref> The highest point is marked with a large, solidly built [[cairn]] atop which sits an Ordnance Survey [[trig point]]. The summit is the highest ground for over 400 miles (644 [[kilometre]]s), before the [[Scandinavian Mountains]] in [[west]]ern [[Norway]] are reached, which contain many peaks higher than Ben Nevis. The summit is much higher than the [[Faroe Islands]] and well as the rest of the British Isles.
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, and, 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 the UK. 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]], which owns much of the mountain.<ref>{{cite news |work=The Guardian |url=https://www.theguardian.com/uk/2006/may/17/arts.artsnews1 |title=Piano found on Britain's highest mountain | location=London | date=17 May 2006| accessdate= 30 October 2016}}</ref><ref>{{cite news |publisher=BBC News |url=http://news.bbc.co.uk/2/hi/uk_news/scotland/highlands_and_islands/4994552.stm |title=New twist in Nevis music mystery |accessdate=22 June 2006 | date=18 May 2006}}</ref> The piano is believed to have been carried up for charity by removal men from [[Dundee]] over 20 years earlier.<ref>{{cite news |publisher=BBC News |url=http://news.bbc.co.uk/1/hi/scotland/highlands_and_islands/4998440.stm |title=Trust names Ben Nevis 'piano men' |accessdate=15 August 2006 | date=19 May 2006}}</ref>
The view from the UK's highest point is extensive. Under ideal conditions, it can extend to over {{convert|190|km}}, including such mountains as the [[Torridon Hills]], [[Morven, Caithness|Morven]] in [[Caithness]], [[Lochnagar]], [[Ben Lomond]], [[Barra Head]] and to [[Knocklayd]] in [[County Antrim]], Northern Ireland.<ref>Viewfinder Panoramas: [http://www.viewfinderpanoramas.org/panoramas/GRW/NEVIS-North.gif North], [http://www.viewfinderpanoramas.org/panoramas/GRW/Nevis-South.gif South]. Retrieved 25 November 2006.</ref>
[[File:Archive photograph of Ben Nevis observatory (detail).jpg|thumb|right|250px|An undated photograph of the Ben Nevis observatory (1883-1904) and 'hotel' (hostel). The hotel began as a spare-room-for-hire within the observatory, and remained open until 1916.]]
=== Observatory ===
A meteorological observatory on the summit was first proposed by the [[Scottish Meteorological Society]] (SMS) in the late 1870s, at a time when similar observatories were being built around the world to study the weather at high altitude.<ref name="Roy"/> In the summer of 1881, [[Clement Lindley Wragge]] climbed the mountain daily to make observations (earning him the nickname "Inclement Rag"), leading to the opening on 17 October 1883 of a permanent observatory run by the SMS.<ref name=crocket1986>{{cite book|last=Crocket|first=Ken|title=Ben Nevis : Britain's highest mountain|year=1986|publisher=Scottish Mountaineering Trust|location=Glasgow|isbn=0907521169|pages=41–44}}</ref> The building was manned full-time until 1904, when it was closed due to inadequate Government funding. The twenty years' worth of readings still provide the most comprehensive set of data on mountain weather in Great Britain.<ref name="Roy"/>
In September 1894, [[C. T. R. Wilson]] was employed at the observatory for a couple of weeks, as temporary relief for one of the permanent staff. During this period, he witnessed a [[Brocken spectre]] and [[glory (optical phenomenon)|glory]], caused by the sun casting a shadow on a cloud below the observer. He subsequently tried to reproduce these phenomena in the laboratory, resulting in his invention of the [[cloud chamber]], used to detect [[ionising radiation]].<ref name=Wilson>{{cite web| url=http://nobelprize.org/nobel_prizes/physics/laureates/1927/wilson-bio.html |title=C. T. R. Wilson Biography from Nobel Lectures, Physics 1922–1941, Elsevier Publishing Company, Amsterdam |year=1965|author=Nobel Foundation|accessdate=27 November 2006}}</ref><ref>{{cite av media|url=https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=oQ5xYJU4k1g&list=PLD8B65A38DC22D432&index=5&feature=plpp_video|title=YouTube|publisher=|accessdate=18 March 2016}}</ref>
Marjory Roy, a member of the Scottish Meteorological Society is the author of the book '''The Ben Nevis Weathermen''' which is in print and available from SMC or from the West Highland Museum in Fort William. This tells the story of the funding, building and operating of the Ben Nevis Observatory in Fort William, Scotland
== Navigation and safety ==
[[File:Ben Nevis cornice.jpg|thumb|right|View south-west from the summit in early April. When the cliff edges are [[cornice (climbing)|corniced]], accurate navigation is critical.]]
Ben Nevis's popularity, climate and complex [[topography]] contribute to a high number of [[mountain rescue]] incidents. In 1999, for example, there were 41 rescues and four fatalities on the mountain.<ref name="Strategy"/><!--Compared to what?--> Some accidents arise over difficulties in [[navigation|navigating]] to or from the summit,<ref name="MCofS Newsletter"/> especially in poor visibility. The problem stems from the fact that the summit 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]] [[bearing (navigation)|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.<ref>{{cite web |url=http://www.mcofs.org.uk/ben-nevis-navigation.asp |title=Navigation on Ben Nevis |publisher=[[Mountaineering Scotland]] |website=www.mcofs.org.uk |accessdate=30 October 2016}}</ref>
In the late 1990s, Lochaber Mountain Rescue Team erected two posts on the summit plateau, to assist walkers attempting the descent in [[fog]]gy conditions. These posts were subsequently cut down by climbers, sparking controversy in mountaineering circles on the ethics of such additions.<ref name="MCofS Newsletter">{{cite journal |author=The Mountaineering Council of Scotland |year=1997 |title=Ben Nevis—The Future |journal=Newsletter |volume=33 |url=http://www.mountaineering-scotland.org.uk/nl/33b.html}}</ref><ref name="Cairns debate">{{cite web |url= http://www.mountaineering-scotland.org.uk/bendebate/index.html|title= Summit Safety and Ben Nevis Cairns: The MCofS seeks a resolution |accessdate= 26 October 2006 |author= The Mountaineering Council of Scotland |format=also see sub-pages| archiveurl= https://web.archive.org/web/20060927152330/http://www.mountaineering-scotland.org.uk/bendebate/index.html| archivedate= 27 September 2006 <!--DASHBot-->| deadurl= no}}</ref> Critics argued 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.<ref name="Cairns debate"/> Supporters of navigational aids pointed to the high number of accidents that occurred 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),<ref name="MCofS Newsletter"/> the long tradition of placing such aids on the summit, and the potentially life-saving role they could play. A series of solidly-constructed cairns currently (September 2009) marks the upper reaches of the Pony Track.
== Climbing on Ben Nevis ==
[[File:Ben N Face annotated.jpg|thumb|left|Major features of the north face summit region.]]
The north face of Ben Nevis is riven with buttresses, ridges, towers and pinnacles, and contains many classic scrambles and rock climbs. It is of major importance for British winter climbing, with many of its routes holding snow often until late April. It was one of the first places in Scotland to receive the attention of serious mountaineers, with a descent of [[Tower Ridge]] in 1892 the earliest documented climbing expedition on the Ben.<ref name="Adby">{{cite book|author1=Terry Adby |author2=Stuart Johnston |lastauthoramp=yes |year=2003|title=The Hillwalker's Guide to Mountaineering|publisher=Cicerone|location=Milnthorpe|isbn=1-85284-393-4|pages=240–247}}</ref><ref>Hodgkiss, ''The Central Highlands'', p. 119</ref> (It was not climbed from bottom to top for another two years). The Scottish Mountaineering Club's Charles Inglis Clark hut was built below the north face in Coire Leis in 1929. Because of its remote location, it is said to be the only genuine [[Mountain hut|alpine hut]] in Britain.<ref name="CIC"/> It remains popular with climbers, especially in winter.
Tower Ridge is the longest of the north face's four main [[ridges]], with around 600 metres of ascent. It is not technically demanding (its [[grade (climbing)#British|grade]] is Difficult), and most pitches can be tackled unroped by competent climbers, but it is committing and very exposed.<ref name="Adby"/> Castle Ridge (Moderate), the northernmost of the main ridges, is an easier scramble, while Observatory Ridge (Very Difficult),<ref>Hodgkiss, ''The Central Highlands'', p. 126</ref> the closest ridge to the summit, is "technically the hardest of the Nevis ridges in summer and winter".<ref name=crocket2009>{{cite book|last1=Crocket|first1=Ken|last2=Richardson|first2=Simon|title=Ben Nevis: Britain's Highest Mountain (second edition)|year=2009|publisher=Scottish Mountaineering Trust|location=Glasgow|isbn=978-1-907233-10-4|page=100}}</ref> Between the Tower and Observatory Ridges are the Tower and Gardyloo Gullies; the latter takes its name from the cry of "''garde à l'eau''" (French for "watch out for the water") formerly used in Scottish cities as a warning when householders threw their slops (and worse) out of a [[tenement]] window into the street. The gully's top wall was the refuse pit for the now-disused summit observatory.<ref name="Murray"/> The North-east Buttress (Very Difficult) is the southernmost and bulkiest of the four ridges; it is as serious as Observatory Ridge but not as technically demanding, mainly because an "infamous"<ref name=richardson2002>{{cite book|last=Richardson|first=Simon|title=Ben Nevis: Rock and Ice Climbs|year=2002|publisher=Scottish Mountaineering Trust|location=Glasgow|isbn=0-907521-73-8|page=53}}</ref> rock problem, the 'Man-trap', can be avoided on either side.
[[File:Ben Nevis.jpg|thumb|right|A temperature inversion around Càrn Dearg Buttress and Castle Corrie.]]
The north face contains dozens of graded rock climbs along its entire length, with particular concentrations on the Càrn Dearg Buttress (below the [[Munro]] top of Càrn Dearg NW) and around the North-east Buttress and Observatory Ridge. Classic rock routes include ''Rubicon Wall'' on Observatory Buttress (Severe) – whose second ascent in 1937, when it was considered the hardest route on the mountain, is described by [[W. H. Murray]] in ''Mountaineering in Scotland''<ref>W. H. Murray [1947] (1962). ''Mountaineering in Scotland''. London: J. M. Dent.</ref> – and, on Càrn Dearg, ''Centurion'' and ''The Bullroar'' (both HVS), ''Torro'' (E2), and ''Titan's Wall'' (E3), these four described in the [[Scottish Mountaineering Club|SMC]]'s guide as among "the best climbs of their class in Scotland".<ref name=richardson2002 />
Many seminal lines were recorded before the [[First World War]] by pioneering [[Scottish Mountaineering Club|Scottish climbers]] like J N Collie, Willie Naismith, [[Harold Raeburn]], and William and [[Ladies' Scottish Climbing Club|Jane]] Inglis Clark. Other classic routes were put up by G. Graham Macphee, Dr [[J. H. B. Bell|James H. B. Bell]] and others between the Wars; these include Bell's 'Long Climb', at {{convert|1400|ft|m|abbr=on}} reputedly the longest sustained climb on the British mainland. In summer 1943 conscientious objector [[Brian Pinder Kellett|Brian Kellett]] made a phenomenal seventy-four repeat climbs and seventeen first ascents including fourteen solos,<ref name=crocket2009 /> returning in 1944 to add fifteen more new lines, eleven solo, including his eponymous HVS on Gardyloo buttress. Much more recently, an extreme and as-yet ungraded climb on Echo Wall was completed by [[Dave MacLeod]] in 2008 after two years of preparation.<ref>{{cite web |url= http://www.alpinist.com/doc/web08x/newswire-echo-wall-macleod |title=MacLeod's Boldest: Echo Wall |publisher=Alpinist.com| accessdate = 22 February 2006}}</ref>
[[File:A climber nearing the top of No 5 Gulley - geograph.org.uk - 1104524.jpg|thumb|left|An ice-climber exiting Number Five Gully (450m I). [[Tower Ridge|Tower Gap]] can be discerned in the background.]]
The north face is also one of Scotland's foremost venues for winter mountaineering and ice climbing, and holds snow until quite late in the year; in a good year, routes may remain in winter condition until mid-spring. Most of the possible rock routes are also suitable as winter climbs, including the four main ridges; Tower Ridge, for example, is grade IV on the [[Grade (climbing)#Grade systems for ice climbing|Scottish winter grading system]], having been upgraded in 2009 by the Scottish Mountaineering Club after requests by the local Mountain Rescue Team, there being numerous benightments and incidents every winter season.<ref>{{cite web |url=http://www.scotclimb.org.uk/bennevis.shtml |title=Climbing on Ben Nevis |publisher=Scottish Climbing Archive | accessdate = 26 October 2006| archiveurl= https://web.archive.org/web/20060924044416/http://scotclimb.org.uk/bennevis.shtml| archivedate= 24 September 2006 <!--DASHBot-->| deadurl= no}}</ref> Probably the most popular ice climb on Ben Nevis<ref name="Hodgkiss 130">Hodgkiss, ''The Central Highlands'', p. 130</ref> is ''The Curtain'' (IV,5) on the left side of the Càrn Dearg Buttress. At the top end of the scale, ''Centurion'' in winter is a grade VIII,8 face climb.
In February 1960 James R. Marshall and Robin Clark Smith recorded six major new ice routes in only eight days including Orion Direct (V,5 400m); this winter version of Bell's Long Climb was "the climax of a magnificent week's climbing by Smith and Marshall, and the highpoint of the [[Glossary of climbing terms#step cutting|step-cutting]] era."<ref name=richardson2002 />
== Ben Nevis Race ==
{{Main article|Ben Nevis Race}}
[[File:Image29 jpg ben race 1979.jpg|thumb|right|1979 Ben Nevis Race]]
[[File:Image6 Ben Race 1979.jpg|thumb|right|1979 Ben Nevis Race]]
The history of [[hill running]] on Ben Nevis dates back to 1895. William Swan, a barber from Fort William, made the first recorded timed ascent up the mountain on or around 27 September of that year, when he ran from the old post office in Fort William to the summit and back in 2 hours 41 minutes.<ref name="MacLennan">{{cite journal |author=Hugh Dan MacLennan |date=November 1998 |title=The Ben Race: The supreme test of athletic fitness |journal=The Sports Historian |volume=18 |issue=2 |pages=131–147 |url=http://www.la84foundation.org/SportsLibrary/SportsHistorian/1998/sh182j.pdf |accessdate=2 June 2009 |doi=10.1080/17460269809445800}}</ref>
The following years saw several improvements on Swan's record, but the first competitive race was held on 3 June 1898 under Scottish Amateur Athletic Association rules. Ten competitors ran the course, which started at the Lochiel Arms Hotel in [[Banavie]] and was thus longer than the route from Fort William; the winner was 21-year-old Hugh Kennedy, a gamekeeper at Tor Castle, who finished (coincidentally with Swan's original run) in 2 hours 41 minutes.<ref name="MacLennan"/>
[[File:Ben Race.jpg|thumb|Runners line up for an early Ben Race. The starter is on left with a shotgun]]
Regular races were organised until 1903, when two events were held; these were the last for 24 years, perhaps due to the closure of the summit observatory the following year.<ref name="MacLennan"/> The first was from [[Achintee]], at the foot of the Pony Track, and finished at the summit; It was won in just over an hour by Ewen MacKenzie, the observatory roadman.<ref name="MacLennan"/> The second race ran from new Fort William post office, and MacKenzie lowered the record to 2 hours 10 minutes, a record he held for 34 years.<ref name="MacLennan"/>
The [[Ben Nevis hill race|Ben Nevis Race]] has been run in its current form since 1937. It now takes place on the first Saturday in September every year, with a maximum of 500 competitors taking part.<ref name="FWO">{{cite web|url=http://www.visit-fortwilliam.co.uk/mf_race.html|title=Ben Nevis Race – a brief history|accessdate=25 November 2006|publisher=Fort William Online| archiveurl= https://web.archive.org/web/20070102174814/http://visit-fortwilliam.co.uk/mf_race.html| archivedate= 2 January 2007 <!--DASHBot-->| deadurl= no}}</ref> It starts and finishes at the [[Claggan Park, Fort William|Claggan Park]] football ground on the outskirts of Fort William, and is {{convert|14|km}} long with {{convert|1340|m}} of ascent.<ref name="SHR">{{cite web|url=http://www.scottishhillracing.co.uk/RaceDetails.aspx?RaceID=RA-0098&RaceDate=9%2f2%2f2006|title=Scottish Hill Racing – Ben Nevis Race|accessdate=30 October 2010}}</ref> Due to the seriousness of the mountain environment, entry is restricted to those who have completed three hill races, and runners must carry waterproofs, a hat, gloves and a whistle; anyone who has not reached the summit after two hours is turned back.<ref name="kopac">{{cite web|url=http://www.mhrrc.org/kopacs_corner/other_races/199803_ben_nevis.html|title=For Sport Alone: The Ben Nevis Race|accessdate=2009-06-02|author=Bob Kopac|publisher=MHRRC Online}}</ref> As of 2010 the records have stood unbroken since 1984, when [[Kenny Stuart]] and Pauline Haworth of [[Keswick, Cumbria|Keswick]] Athletic Club won the men's and the women's races with times of 1:25:34 and 1:43:25 respectively.<ref name="SHR"/><ref>[http://www.bennevisrace.co.uk/ The Ben Nevis Race]. Retrieved 30 October 2010.</ref>
==Skiing on The Ben==
Ben Nevis is becoming popular with ski mountaineers. The Red Burn (Allt Coire na h-Urcaire) just to the North of the tourist path gives the easiest descent but most, if not all, of the easier gullies on the North Face have been skied as has the slope once adorned by the abseil poles into Coire Leis. No 4 gully is probably the most skied. Although Tower scoop makes it a no fall zone, Tower Gully is becoming popular, especially in May and June when there is spring snow.<ref>Kenny Biggin, ''Scottish Offpiste Skiing and Snowboarding : Nevis Range and Ben Nevis'',(Spean Bridge: Skimountain,2013)64-84</ref>
[[File:Ski Ben Nevis.jpg|thumb|A skier skinning towards the summit]]
== Environmental Issues & Nevis Landscape Partnership ==
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 creation of The [http://www.nevislandscape.co.uk/ Nevis Landscape Partnership], a five-year programme which aims to protect, enhance and future-proof Ben Nevis by delivering nineteen ambitious environmental projects between 2014 and 2019. The Nevis Landscape Partnership is supported by five partner organisations (John Muir Trust, Forestry Commission Scotland, The Highland Council, Scottish Natural Heritage & The Nevis Partnership) and has been made possible by Heritage Lottery Funding.
Now in project year three (March 2016 – March 2017), there have been significant positive changes implemented by Nevis Landscape Partnership and their projects, most significantly the upgrades to the [http://www.walkhighlands.co.uk/fortwilliam/bennevis.shtml Ben Nevis Mountain Track]. Work to upgrade the mountain track started in November 2015 after two contracts were awarded to McGowan Ltd. & Cairngorm Wilderness Contracts. Both contractors immediately started bagging stone from high up Ben Nevis to be brought down to by helicopter to replace crumbling steps and stabilise eroding parts of the path. The project will eventually upgrade 3.5 km of the mountain track from the starting point at Achintee all the way up to John's Wall; this year the maintenance was focused on a difficult middle section which was most in need of attention. After six months of hard work and battling with the weather, the contractors have now upgraded 1 km of the mountain track which is roughly 30% of the overall maintenance this project will carry out. The next contracted works will resume towards the end of September, after the Ben Nevis Race, for stage two of the project.
Volunteer effort has already been a huge help and will continue to be a large contributing factor to the overall upgrade of the mountain track. Nevis Landscape Partnership are working closely with National Trust for Scotland to run [http://www.nts.org.uk/thistlecamps/ Thistle Camp Working Holidays] which will focus on much-needed maintenance on the first section of the Ben Nevis footpath and allow outdoor enthusiasts to actively be a part of maintaining and protecting the United Kingdom's highest mountain for this generation and many more to come.[[File:Allt a' Mhuilinn.JPG|thumb|left|Path to the CIC Hut alongside the Allt a' Mhuilinn]]
== Ben Nevis Distillery ==
The [[Ben Nevis Distillery]] is a [[single malt Scotch|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,<ref>{{cite web| url=http://www.bennevisdistillery.com/|title=Ben Nevis Distillery|accessdate=25 November 2006| archiveurl= https://web.archive.org/web/20061125072703/http://www.bennevisdistillery.com/| archivedate= 25 November 2006 <!--DASHBot-->| deadurl= no}}</ref><ref>{{cite web|url=http://www.dcs.ed.ac.uk/home/jhb/whisky/smws/78.html|title=Ben Nevis|publisher=Edinburgh Malt Whisky Tour|accessdate=25 November 2006| archiveurl= https://web.archive.org/web/20061010212903/http://www.dcs.ed.ac.uk/home/jhb/whisky/smws/78.html| archivedate= 10 October 2006 <!--DASHBot-->| deadurl= no}}</ref> 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.<ref>{{cite web|url=http://www.scotchwhisky.net/distilleries/ben_nevis.htm|title=Ben Nevis Distillery|publisher=Scotchwhisky.net|accessdate=25 November 2006| archiveurl= https://web.archive.org/web/20061229171048/http://www.scotchwhisky.net/distilleries/ben_nevis.htm| archivedate= 29 December 2006 <!--DASHBot-->| deadurl= no}}</ref> "Ben Nevis" 80/- organic [[ale]] is, by contrast, brewed in [[Bridge of Allan]] near [[Stirling]].<ref>{{cite web|url=http://www.bottledbeer.co.uk/index.html?beerid=2403|title=Ben Nevis ale|accessdate=11 December 2006}}</ref>
==Other uses==
''Ben Nevis'' was the name of a [[White Star Line]] [[packet ship]] which in 1854 carried the group of immigrants who were to become the [[Wends of Texas]].<ref name='wends'>{{cite web|url=http://www.texaswendish.org/Pages/BriefHistory.aspx |archiveurl=http://www.webcitation.org/6DlfCJtGe?url=http%3A%2F%2Fwww.texaswendish.org%2FPages%2FBriefHistory.aspx |archivedate=18 January 2013 |title=Texas Wendish Heritage Society: Brief History |last=Lammert |first=Ron |publisher=Texas Heritage Society |deadurl=yes |df=dmy }}</ref> At least another eight vessels have carried the name since then.<ref>{{cite web|url=http://www.miramarshipindex.org.nz/|title=Miramar Ship Index|publisher=|accessdate=18 March 2016}}</ref>
A mountain in [[Svalbard]] is also named [[Ben Nevis (Svalbard)|Ben Nevis]], after the Scottish peak. It is 922 metres high, and located south of the head of [[Raudfjorden]], Albert I Land, in the northwestern part of the island of [[Spitsbergen]].<ref>{{cite web|url=http://stadnamn.npolar.no/stadnamn/Ben%20Nevis?lang=en |title=Place names in Norwegian polar areas |accessdate=11 March 2009 |publisher=Norwegian Polar Institute }}</ref>
A comic strip character, [[Wee Ben Nevis]], about a [[Scottish Highlands]] [[boarding school]] student with superhuman strength and his antics were featured in the [[United Kingdom|British]] [[comic]] ''[[The Beano]]'' from 1974 to 1977, was named after the mountain.
[[Hung Fa Chai]], a 489-metre hill in Northeast [[New Territories]] of [[Hong Kong]] was marked as Ben Nevis on historical colonial maps.
== See also ==
{{portal|Mountains}}
* [[National Three Peaks Challenge]]
* [[The Remarkables, New Zealand]] – mountain range containing a peak also called Ben Nevis.
* [[Northwest Spitsbergen National Park]] includes a mountain called Ben Nevis. Its height is 918 metres and it is located at Northwest Spitsbergen National Park
* [[Scottish Highlands]]
== References ==
;Notes
{{reflist|2|refs=
<ref name="CIC">
{{cite web|url=http://www.smc.org.uk/Huts/CIC.htm|title= Charles Inglis Clark Memorial Hut (C.I.C.) |accessdate= 12 November 2007
| author= Scottish Mountaineering Club website
| archiveurl = https://web.archive.org/web/20070915100543/http://www.smc.org.uk/Huts/CIC.htm |archivedate = 15 September 2007|deadurl=yes}}</ref>
}}
;Bibliography
{{refbegin}}
* {{cite book |last=Butterfield |first=Irvine |year=1986 |title=The High Mountains of Britain and Ireland |publisher=Diadem Books |location=London |isbn=0-906371-71-6 |pages=96–99}}
* {{cite book | last1 = Crocket| first1 = Ken| year = 2009| last2 = Richardson| first2 = Simon| title = Ben Nevis: Britain's Highest Mountain: 2nd Edition
| publisher = The Scottish Mountaineering Trust | ISBN = 978-1-907233-10-4}}
* {{cite book |last=Hodgkiss |first=Peter |year=1994 |title=The Central Highlands |edition=5th |publisher=Scottish Mountaineering Trust |isbn=0-907521-44-4 |pages=116–134}}
* {{cite book |last=Irving |first=R. L. G. |authorlink=Robert Lock Graham Irving |year=1940 |title=Ten Great Mountains
| publisher=J. M. Dent & Sons |location=London |id= }}
* {{cite map |title=Landranger 41: Ben Nevis |year=2002 |publisher=[[Ordnance Survey]] |isbn=0-319-22641-7 |author=Ordnance Survey.}}
* {{cite book |last=Murray |first=W. H. |authorlink=W. H. Murray |year=1977 |title=The Companion Guide to the West Highlands of Scotland
| publisher=Collins |location=London |isbn=0-00-216813-8 |pages=218–221}}
* {{cite book | last = Richardson| first = Simon| year = 2002| title = Ben Nevis: Rock and Ice Climbs
| publisher = The Scottish Mountaineering Trust | isbn = 0-907521-73-8}}
{{refend}}
== External links ==
{{Wikivoyage}}
{{Commons category|Ben Nevis}}
{{Wiktionary}}
* {{oscoor gbx|216666_771285}}
* [http://www.nevispartnership.co.uk/ Nevis Partnership] – Environmental and visitor management in the Nevis area
* [https://maps.google.com/?ll=56.796861,-5.003546&t=m&layer=c&panoid=U-TvsoEPFhcAAAQDMaMYcg&cbp=12,,,,&z=16&cbll=56.796861,-5.003546&hl=en Panorama] from the peak of Ben Nevis (Google Maps)
* Computer generated digital panoramas from Ben Nevis: [http://www.viewfinderpanoramas.org/panoramas/GRW/NEVIS-North.gif North] [http://www.viewfinderpanoramas.org/panoramas/GRW/Nevis-South.gif South] [http://www.viewfinderpanoramas.org/panoramas.html index]
* [http://aboutfortwilliam.com/webcams/ben-nevis-and-fort-william/ Ben Nevis Webcam]
* [http://www.bennevisrace.co.uk/index.html The Ben Nevis Race] (official website)
* [http://www.mountaineering-scotland.org.uk/leaflets/nevis.html Navigation on Ben Nevis] Advice for people walking up Ben Nevis – available as leaflet in the town.
* [http://player.bfi.org.uk/film/watch-motoring-over-ben-nevis-1911/?utm_medium=referrer&utm_source=wikipedia&utm_campaign=ben-nevis Motoring over Ben Nevis on BFI Player ]
* [http://www.smc.org.uk/Munros/MunrosTable.php Ben Nevis]. ''Munros Table''. [[Scottish Mountaineering Club]].
{{Scottish Munros section 4}}
{{British hills}}
{{Highest mountains of the United Kingdom}}
{{Lochaber}}
{{good article}}
{{Authority control}}
[[Category:Lochaber]]
[[Category:Munros]]
[[Category:Marilyns of Scotland]]
[[Category:Mountains and hills of the Central Highlands]]
[[Category:National Scenic Areas in Scotland]]
[[Category:Sites of Special Scientific Interest in North Lochaber]]
[[Category:Special Areas of Conservation in Scotland]]
[[Category:Climbing areas of Scotland]]
[[Category:Volcanism of Scotland]]
[[Category:Devonian volcanism]]
[[Category:Highest points of historic Scottish counties]]
[[Category:Mountains and hills of Highland (council area)]]
[[Category:One-thousanders of the British Isles]]
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