Scotland on Sunday has branded climbers 'filthy' and says they are
turning Ben Nevis into 'a giant open sewer'.
In the article, headlined 'Filthy Climbers Doing The Dirty On Ben
Nevis', the improbably named Marco Mega goes on to allege that
climbers 'answer the call of nature near paths and even in streams
from which people drink.'
Apparently the problem has been exacerbated by the destruction, in
high winds, of the chemical toilet outside the famous CIC
climbing hut below the North Face of the mountain. The paper
reports that the local council is about to erect signs at the bottom
of the 'tourist path' reminding walkers that there are no toilet
facilities on the mountain.
The problem around the CIC hut however, is more likely confined to
climbers, since few walkers approach the mountain from this side. The
hut owners, the Scottish Mountaineering Club (not to be confused with
the Mountaineering Council of Scotland) has a page
about the problem of the lack of toilet facilities at the CIC on its
web site, which appears to have provided much of the basis for the
newspaper article.
The solutions they are exploring are summed up as 'bag it, burn it
or compost it', composting seeming to be the preferred solution for
hut occupants. This wouldn't, however, solve the problem from day
climbers or those camping close to the hut who are currently advised
to cross the burn and bury waste, a spade, claims the article, is
available at the CIC hut.
As an aside, the SMC page mentions that the burning solution is
undermined partly by the tendency of Propane-fuelled incinerator
toilet systems 'backfiring' with the result that they became known as
'rocket shitters'. Thankfully that design has now been
discontinued...
Clearly there's a problem here, but by generalised sensationalism
and branding climbers as 'filthy', Scotland on Sunday isn't helping
anyone. It's not even particularly well researched - the article
claims that 'the problem has become so severe the Mountaineering
Council of Scotland has issued new guidelines to climbers on what to
do when nature calls'.
In fact the leaflet in question - 'Where to go in the great
outdoors' - has been available for several years. You can get a copy
by calling the Mountaineering Council of Scotland on 01738 677227.
We're trying to clear up this mess, so more information when we have
it.
original
Scotland
on Sunday news story
