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GUNUNG · Britania Raya (Skotlandia)

Ben Nevis

Beinn Nibheis

Source
Ben Nevis

Photo: source

Information

Elevation
1.345 m
Country
Britania Raya (Skotlandia) (GB)
Location / Range
Grampian Mountains — Lochaber region, near Fort William
Mountain type
Remnant of an ancient collapsed and eroded volcano (peak of andesite/granite rock; not an active volcano)
Volcanic?
No (non-volcanic)
Coordinates
56.7969, -5.0037
Difficulty
Moderate–strenuous (the Mountain Track is long and rocky but requires no technical skills; the CMD Arête is an exposed Grade 1 scramble; winter requires full mountaineering skills)
Best Season
May–September; outside that the summit plateau is often snow/ice-covered
Permits & Rules
No permit; free access under Scottish access rights. Start from the Ben Nevis visitor centre at Achintee, Glen Nevis
Hazards
A broad, flat summit plateau that is easy to get lost on in fog (accurate compass navigation is needed to avoid the North Face cliffs and Gardyloo Gully), sudden weather changes, snow/ice lingering into early summer, exposure on the CMD Arête

Description

Ben Nevis (1,345 m) is the highest mountain in Great Britain, rising above the town of Fort William in the Lochaber region of Scotland. Known affectionately as 'the Ben', its summit is a broad stony plateau — the eroded remains of an ancient collapsed volcano — ending in a north face of cliffs hundreds of metres high that form one of Britain's most important ice- and rock-climbing arenas. The standard ascent, the Mountain Track (also called the Pony Track or Tourist Path), requires no technical skill but is long, rocky and relentlessly uphill; the round trip is about 16 km with ~1,345 m of ascent, typically 7–9 hours. For experienced hikers, the CMD Arête (Càrn Mòr Dearg Arête) offers a far more dramatic, exposed ridge scramble. The often cloud-bound summit plateau demands careful compass navigation.

Routes

CMD Arête (Càrn Mòr Dearg Arête)

Berat; scrambling Grade 1 terbuka di punggung sempit, untuk pendaki berpengalaman
1 hari panjang (±9–11 jam, lebih menantang)

A horseshoe route for experienced hikers taking in Càrn Mòr Dearg, then traversing the narrow, exposed CMD Arête to Ben Nevis's summit. Considered a long but relatively easy Grade 1 scramble in good conditions, yet serious in poor weather or winter.

Source

Mountain Track (Pony Track / Tourist Path)

Sedang–berat; panjang & berbatu tanpa keahlian teknis, ±16 km PP, beda tinggi ±1.345 m
1 hari (±7–9 jam pulang-pergi)

The standard ascent for most walkers. Starting from the Ben Nevis Visitor Centre at Achintee (Glen Nevis, ~20 m), it climbs steeply to Lochan Meall an t-Suidhe, then zig-zags up to the broad, stony summit plateau (1,345 m). No technical skill is needed in summer, but it is long and tiring; in cloud the plateau crossing demands careful compass navigation to avoid the cliffs.

Route Segments

  1. 1

    Achintee (pusat pengunjung) → Lochan Meall an t-Suidhe

    570 mdpl

    Tanjakan curam awal hingga 'halfway lochan'

  2. 2

    Lochan → zig-zag panjang

    1.000 mdpl

    Switchback bertahap di sisi berbatu

  3. 3

    Plateau puncak → trig point

    1.345 mdpl

    Plateau luas & datar; navigasi kompas wajib dalam kabut

Source

Climbing Experiences

Climbing Ben Nevis (1,345 m) is most commonly done via the Mountain Track (Pony Track / Tourist Path) from the visitor centre at Achintee, Glen Nevis. The route needs no technical skill in summer but is long and rocky: steeply up to Lochan Meall an t-Suidhe then long zig-zags to the summit plateau; about 16 km round trip with ~1,345 m of ascent, typically 7–9 hours. Experienced hikers prefer the CMD Arête (Càrn Mòr Dearg Arête) — an exposed Grade 1 scrambling ridge that is far more challenging. Many hikers stress the danger of the broad, flat summit plateau in cloud, where accurate compass navigation is essential to avoid the north-face cliffs. Winter ascents demand ice axe, crampons and full mountaineering skills.

References

The summary above is compiled from the following sources. Click to explore them yourself.

  1. 1 Wikipedia Ben Nevis en.wikipedia.org · EN
  2. 2 Wikidata Ben Nevis (Q104674) wikidata.org · EN
  3. 3 Media All You Need to Know About Climbing Ben Nevis bigworldsmallpockets.com · EN
  4. 4 wikivoyage Ben Nevis en.wikivoyage.org · EN