Carn Mor Dearg Arete
Ben Nevis via the Carn Mor Dearg Arete
For the more experienced hillwalker a route starts at Torlundy, a few miles north-east of Fort William on the A82 road, and follows the path alongside the Allt a' Mhuilinn.
More usually it can also be reached from Glen Nevis by following the Mountain Track as far as Lochan Meall an t-Suidhe (halfway lochan) and taking the left fork (with the right fork continuing as the Mountain Track) just as the track begins to climb more steeply again immediately after the lochan, then descending slightly towards the CIC (Charles Inglis Clark) Hut (private), passing the spectacular North Face cliffs, Castle Ridge, Carn Dearg Buttress and Trident Buttress on the way.
CIC Hut (bottom left) to Carn Dearg Meadhonach
Photo by Ben-Nevis.com, © 2009 Ben-Nevis.com
From the CIC Hut the route then makes a very steep ascent of Carn Dearg Meadhonach before a much less exhausting slope leads to Carn Mòr Dearg (Scotland's 9th highest munro) and then continues along the breathtaking Carn Mòr Dearg Arête before climbing steeply to the summit of Ben Nevis itself. This route involves a total of 1,500 metres of ascent and does require a modest scrambling ability, a head for heights and a decent level of fitness. In common with other approaches on this side of the mountain, as already mentioned, it has the advantage of giving an extensive view of the massive and imposing cliffs of the north face of Ben Nevis which are hidden from the more commonly climbed Mountain Track.
It is also possible to climb Ben Nevis from the Nevis Gorge car park at the head of the road up Glen Nevis, either by the south-east ridge or via the summit of Carn Dearg (south-west). These routes do not require scrambling, but are shorter and steeper, and tend to be used by experienced hill walkers.