IT may be the start of the summer season but hillwalkers have been warned to be on their guard for snow on the country's highest mountain.
The Mountaineering Council of Scotland (MCofS) has warned that while people may be enjoying slightly milder weather in the rest of the country, up on Ben Nevis it is a very different story.
The country experienced exceptionally high levels of snowfall on the mountains last winter and experts warn that a surprising amount of the white stuff still remains.
This means that anyone heading up Ben Nevis will be walking on snow-covered terrain, still more than a yard deep in some places.
Heather Morning, mountain safety adviser with MCofS, advised those heading out to be extremely cautious of the late-lying snow beds.
She said: "Walking on snow in summer can really add to your day out on the hill and be a lot of fun if the snow is relatively flat.
"However, be warned: if you take a slip and start to slide - is there a chance that slide could take you over the edge?
"There are still large cornices [ledges of snow hanging over the edge of the cliff face] on Ben Nevis and many other Scottish Munros. Care should be taken to avoid these and stay on the rocky terrain, particularly in misty conditions when it might be difficult to see the edge."
MCofS, which counts more than 12,000 hillwalkers, climbers and mountaineers as members, added that although the main tourist track up Ben Nevis from Glen Nevis is well defined, hillwalkers should always be prepared and carry a map and compass.
Marian Austin, managing director of the Nevis Range, said: "The ski slopes still have large patches of snow which is not particularly unusual for June. But this year they're much larger than they would normally be, due to the significant amounts of snowfall during this winter, the largest recorded since we opened in 1989.
"There are still a number of ski-mountaineering enthusiasts taking to the hills and the snow patches and we would reiterate the need for them to be properly experienced and equipped before heading out on their adventures."
Ben Nevis, in Lochaber by Fort William, is the highest mountain in the British Isles, reaching 4,409 feet. It is estimated around 125,000 complete ascents of the mountain and around 100,000 partial ascents are made every year. It is also regularly used for charity events, with one such event, organised by Action for Charity, due to take place on Saturday.
MCofS added that hillwalkers should check the weather forecast before heading out.
Why are you making commenting on The Herald only available to subscribers?
It should have been a safe space for informed debate, somewhere for readers to discuss issues around the biggest stories of the day, but all too often the below the line comments on most websites have become bogged down by off-topic discussions and abuse.
heraldscotland.com is tackling this problem by allowing only subscribers to comment.
We are doing this to improve the experience for our loyal readers and we believe it will reduce the ability of trolls and troublemakers, who occasionally find their way onto our site, to abuse our journalists and readers. We also hope it will help the comments section fulfil its promise as a part of Scotland's conversation with itself.
We are lucky at The Herald. We are read by an informed, educated readership who can add their knowledge and insights to our stories.
That is invaluable.
We are making the subscriber-only change to support our valued readers, who tell us they don't want the site cluttered up with irrelevant comments, untruths and abuse.
In the past, the journalist’s job was to collect and distribute information to the audience. Technology means that readers can shape a discussion. We look forward to hearing from you on heraldscotland.com
Comments & Moderation
Readers’ comments: You are personally liable for the content of any comments you upload to this website, so please act responsibly. We do not pre-moderate or monitor readers’ comments appearing on our websites, but we do post-moderate in response to complaints we receive or otherwise when a potential problem comes to our attention. You can make a complaint by using the ‘report this post’ link . We may then apply our discretion under the user terms to amend or delete comments.
Post moderation is undertaken full-time 9am-6pm on weekdays, and on a part-time basis outwith those hours.
Read the rules hereComments are closed on this article