Aonach Mor - the Northern Corries

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Reaching the Northern Corries on Aonach Mor used to require determination and stamina. Then Nevis Range with it's car park and Gondola was created. This whisks you effortlessly up to 2,300' from where a short walk (which feels dreadfully long to those wearing ski boots) takes you into the corries.

This area is popular with the local Guides for ice-axe training, as it's readily accessible and holds snow for a great deal of the year. However it is known for a high avalanche risk in some conditions and one year several people on a course were killed. Check the information posted at the bottom station if you are planing this trip.

I went with a friend in spring one year. There was plenty of snow so we wore our winter boots (both plastic double boots) and took two ice-tools each. Once at the top station we sorted ourselves out with one ice-axe each and walked along the upper line of snow fence. The line we took slowly climbed as we walked further into the corrie. Eventually we reached a ridge separating two corries. Here we put on our crampons and got out the second axes. The one I was using was not my own and as we worked our way up the slope using our hands on top of the axe heads, I found that it seemed specially designed to have bits that dug in!

It was a fairly short climb to the cornice guarding the plateau. It already had a convenient slot cut, which we scrambled up. On the top it would have been a short walk to the actual summit, but since view was obscured by mist we headed back to the top station. Very soon some of the ski tows came into view and then we popped out under the mist to enjoy a panorama of Loch Eil. Once there we succumbed to the temptation of the bar (a.k.a Plan B), where some coffee and mulled wine went down very nicely.