It always feels good to be back on the North Face of Ben Nevis, even if it is only a week since last being up there.

Michael and I ignored the drizzle as we chatted our way up the Allt a' Mhuillin and looked forward to picking our way up through the steep snow, ice bulges and clean wet rock of Ledge Route.

There was a very mild thaw across most of the mountain and the temperature was +1C on the 1200m summit of Carn Dearg. Many teams were out enjoying the fat, plastic late winter ice.

Susan and Iain enjoyed 'Albatross' on Indicator Wall whilst George and partner reported great plastic ice on Observatory Buttress Direct. The cheerful Swiss teams climbed Hadrians Wall and Sickle and seemed bemused that they couldn't book into the CIC Hut - Hut bookings work a bit different in the Scottish Alps to the Swiss Mountain Huts!

Other teams were climbing Orion Face, Astral Highway, North East Buttress, Italian Climb and Glovers Chimney.

We descended No. 4 Gully which gives a pleasant and rapid descent from the plateau to the Lochan in the Ciste, the only avalanche impact Lochan in the UK.