Friday 13 – Sunday 15 February 2026
Nestled under the steep cliffs of the north face of Ben Nevis, seven DMC’ers toiled up to the CIC hut at various times on Friday evening, ready to celebrate Valentine’s Day doing what they all loved best.
Valentine’s Day itself dawned beautifully: blue skies, cold temperatures and low winds, so we were all keen to get out on the mountain. Between the seven of us there were a range of mountaineering skills, and confidence, so we all decided to stick together for the relatively easy Ledge Route. After soloing happily up number 5 gully and across the initial ledge, we decided to get the ropes out before tackling the steep gully out of sight round the corner. However, ropes proved more faff than they were worth as the gully didn’t feel that steep or hard so they were soon put away again. After that it was a wonderful jaunt to the top in glorious sunshine.
Descending Number 4 Gully our party now split, Iain, Andrew and Martim heading off to climb Number 2 Gully before summiting and heading down Coire Leis. Barry, Bruce, Chris and I headed back to the hut for lashings of tea and a snooze before cooking the chilli.
Let me tell you about this chilli. Incredible chilli. Some people are saying it’s the best chilli they’ve ever seen. I don’t know, that’s what they’re saying. Very smart people. It’s not just a meal. It’s a tremendous success. Five stars. Maybe six. Frankly, nobody does meals better. Nobody.
Tired out we all went to bed early, only to be woken up at half past midnight by Lochaber Mountain Rescue Team bursting into the bedroom to retrieve their kit for an incident up in Coire na Ciste! The weather was foul by now, so hats off to these heroes! We also found a new hut mate sleeping on the kitchen floor: someone had been out camping and their tent had been trashed in the wind!
The worst of the wind had subsided by the morning but continued snow and rising freezing levels meant climbing again wasn’t really an option, so it was back home in time for tea and medals.
It’s been a while since the club went to the CIC hut, maybe 2017? Let’s hope it’s not so long until the next visit.
- Report by David Matthews
