Midway through pitch 2 on Good Friday Climb
This route is definitely on the hard end of mild, but it’s awesome nonetheless – a big day out on Grade III snow/ice. I seconded it with a guide and while the climbing wasn’t too hard (Grade III ice is much easier than Grade III mixed!), the pitches are long (almost exactly a 60m rope length), the belays are quite specifically placed and the crux is reasonably hard and high on the route.
Head up to the CIC Hut from the North Face car park and keep going until you reach Observatory Gully. Head up the gully and the route starts on the right hand side at about 1,200m – this usually means a traverse over to the right at the foot of Gardyloo Gully, which isn’t especially hard but it’s exposed and a long way down Observatory Gully – care is definitely warranted.
Heading up Observatory Gully – the route takes the cleft at the top left (the centre line is Gardyloo Gully, II)
Once you’ve completed the traverse, it’s a reasonably straightforward climb up the obvious gully, with belays on the right-hand wall. Pitch 1 brings you to the foot of the proper climbing and the straightforward climb up snow/ice that is pitch 2.
Looking up pitch 1 – head up for dark cleft in the rocks on the right, the route continues right up the obvious gully.
Looking down pitch 2, with Tower Ridge behind
Pitch 3 is the crux of the climb – climb up and to the right right over the belay on a steeper and harder than it looks ice shelf and up over a bulge. From there, continue straight up a steep snow slope to the final belay. Climb right along the foot of the rocks, then turn left up a final small gully and up over the cornice onto the summit.
Looking down from the belay at the top of pitch 3
Pitch 4 – the summit is just round the icy bulge on the right
After you pop out onto the summit, head down your choice of route (we descended via No.4 Gully) and enjoy basking in the glow of a spectacular mountain day: Goldilocks climbing in amazing, atmospheric situations. Highly recommended – book yourself a guide and have a day to remember on the Ben.
https://explore.osmaps.com/route/25613712/good-friday-climb?lat=56.82076&lon=-5.04652&zoom=12.6032&style=Leisure&type=2d
Note: the GPX file does not show the exact climbing route.