| Ben Nevis: Britain's Highest Mountain - Ken Crocket and Simon Richardson. |
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Every now and again in the outdoor publishing scene there comes a book which is truly impressive in the quality of its research and writing. In Ben Nevis – Britain's Highest Mountain, climbers Ken Crocket and Simon Richardson have produced what will undoubtedly become the definitive volume on both the history and the modern story of one of the best-known mountains in the world.
By international standards Ben Nevis is not a high peak (4408 ft.) but it has a special character both for the general hillwalker and the rock and ice technical climbers who continue to put up new routes of demanding severity as well as repeating old favourites.
Much of this 416-page book is taken up with the feats of rock and ice climbers to whom the Ben seems to take on the character of a giant gymnasium.
A galaxy of star quality climbers, male and female, are paraded before the reader. Many regularly risk life and limb to successfully scale a given climb and the narrative also covers the development of ice-climbing tools and other gear.
But there are, of course, two sides to the Ben – its great rock crags, buttresses, chimneys, gullies and ridges and the world of the tourist-walker and the club-member hill walker are also covered.
Here are the early travellers and mountaineers, the building of the old summit Observatory, the modern problems of litter and visitor pressure, the destruction of wilderness quality, the map makers and geologists, Gaelic place names, wildlife ranging from birds to flora and history.
Over 100,000 ascents are made of the Ben each year and this book also covers the foot race, whisky making, aluminium and hydro projects, not forgetting the controversial desire of so many visitors to build or add to cairns, to leave litter and mementoes of dead friends or relatives. The admirable John Muir Trust now owns a large part of the mountain and has forged good relationships with outdoor bodies and neighbours and has set up the Nevis Partnership and the Friends Of Nevis.
The problems of litter and path erosion are being addressed and a Site of Contemplation enclosure has been created at the foot of the mountain so that people can leave plaques, cairns and other mementoes. It is obviously better to leave nothing but thoughts.
This lively book is not expensive, considering the quality of the paper and printing and the number of illustrations.
It is worth noting that the Scottish Mountaineering Trust is a charity and revenue goes towards the publishing of other books and projects such as footpath repair and mountaineering education and training. |
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