Scramble Route - Tower Ridge

OK some scrambles are longer, some are steeper, some are technically harder - but Tower Ridge takes the best combination of all that makes scrambling fun and puts it all together in a single ridge to the summit of Britain's highest montain.

Once you have Tower Ridge safely ticked off in your log book you also know that you can cope with pretty much anything that scrambling routes can throw at you - you've just made the transition from scrambler to mountaineer

Note Tower Ridge is at the very edge of what is considered to be a scramble. Some guidebooks grade it as a Diff rock climb and in winter it merits a grade III rating for its length and exposure. It's not a route for the inexperienced scrambler, best to cut your teeth elsewhere.

Bear in mind that in winter conditions, Tower Ridge is a serious, graded winter climb with a reputation for forced benightments so leave well alone unless you're an experienced winter mountaineer. Something like Ledge Route is a better starter ridge / buttress route.

Once you've identified the boulder, move east around its base to the bottom of Observatory Gully. Once the angle of the rock on the right eases scramble up into the start of Eastern Gully and a grassy bay.

From here ascend the scree to the obvious Douglas Gap above. A 20m leftwards slanting chimney leads up to the crest of the ridge on good holds, though the rock is a bit polished. Exit the chimney to the left onto the main ridge and easier ground.

The ridge steepens again, and heads towards a section of overhanging rock. Move right here onto a ledge and a scramble back up to the crest of the ridge. The next obstacle is The Little Tower, which is more of a significant steepening than an actual "tower". The best route here takes the left hand edge, with big drops below, onto a narrow ledge. From a small platform move back slightly right and climb up good holds to regain the ridge above the Little Tower.

Easy ground now leads to the base of The Great Tower. This is as much a "crux" as the fabled Tower Gap further on, but it also marks the point of no return. Climb the first two steep sections to gain the Eastern Traverse on the left. This traverses round the edge of the Great Tower to a large block which ends the traverse.

Escape Route At this point you can go left where a large boulder lies close to the main cliff to access a scree ledge into the upper part of Eastern Gully, and a scree climb to the summit plateau.

To continue the ascent of the ridge go through the gap between the boulder and the main face and emerge onto steep, exposed, ground (rope advisable) leading back up onto the ridge above The Great Tower.

The next section demands a head for hights and fast but safe movement. With frightening drops to either side the traverse of the ridge to Tower Gap is as exposed a spot as you're likely to find, and particularly dangerous in high winds. Continue along the ridge to Tower Gap, where things have got easier recently as a block has detatched from the wall and fallen directly into the gap.

Again a rope is advisable here, as you lower yourself from a projecting block into the gap. Cross the small gap to the far wall, and climb a series of small cracks and holds on the left. The ridge steepens one more time ahead, but a path leads left to right to a ledge and short groove. This leads to the summit plateau and end of a scramble that will live in your mind for ever.

The summit of Ben Nevis lies off to the left , where you can join the "normal" route back down the mountain.