Ben Nevis via Tower Ridge

We set off from the hut a little after eight - it hadn't been rowdy the night before - but it wasn't an early finish. Still the benefit of the hut is that we were still the only party anywhere near as we approached.
There was more snow on the approach than we'd have liked bearing in mind our summer equipment - fortunately it soon disappeared and wasn't to be seen again till the summit plateau. A steady team work approach, strongest boots and legs at the front and after 20 minutes of kicking steps we took to the rock - the climbing had begun.
The final approach gully is steep and loose - in winter its a nice warm up - in summer a bit more care is required to protect those behind you. Geared up at the base of the starting pitch we split into our two teams - me & Anna out front, Steve & Dave right behind us.
An Alpine approach is the best way to tackle this huge climb - because that's basically what it is - there aren't many other routes in the UK that can come close for their scale or  exposure. Pitching as little as possible we moved together along the ridge - weaving the rope around spikes and flakes - only taking stances when the ground steepened. Soon you're at the Little Tower - we had a moment of uncertainty as the cloud rolled in - a good check round the corner confirmed it was, well, horrifying & certainly not the infamous Eastern Traverse - so we headed up on steeper ground - huge hand and footholds - only matched by the huge drops to either side. Moving as two independent teams kept us quicker - but the instructor come control freak in me meant that we had regular pauses to come together as one team, check we were all OK and also have a laugh. I think this was a popular choice as astoundingly I was the only one to remember to bring a camera!*
Next comes the Great Tower and the now unmistakable Eastern Traverse (a little bit different to how it looks in winter!) - we paused for an early lunch - the hut now a speck on the valley floor beneath us - watching the tiny dot of the helicopter come & go ferrying the SMC maintenance group in for the annual repair & tidy trip.
Across the traverse (which in summer is little more than a path - albeit a path above an impressive drop) and through the cave/chimney - then possibly the only 'real' bit of climbing enroute - slightly overhanging steps above a huge void - fantastically out there - something not to be found on any other climb of this grade. This surmounted you're onto the famous knife edge ridge - the drop either side is over a 1000ft - and next is the Gap...
...which was easy to be honest - I can see why its position might intimidate the nervous - but a steady approach and its one move - for a second the rope is always above you - its a joy really - pausing bridged across the gap - knowing those folk on the summit plateau all have their cameras trained on you - its a great place to be.
From here the route is mostly a roped walk - there's a brief steepening before, all of a sudden, you're on the plateau. Thankfully you emerge a fair way away from the crowds - as literally hundreds of folk tramp up the tourist path - here on the UK's highest mountain - we found a spot of tranquillity - a chance to pause and reflect on where we were and what we'd just done.
One of the greats of British Mountaineering - now when can I do it again...

*When I came to choose a blip for the day I couldn't pick just one that did justice to the route - so I've opted for our moment of peace on the summit.

A fuller write up with more pics can be found here