Ben Nevis - Gutless (IV/5)

Shorter route on the Douglas Boulder. Never difficult, nor hard to protect, but requires some wriggling in an offwidth-like corner which is interesting with crampons and ice axes!

L#| 40m| Climb 2 steeper sections to reach a belay (fixed nut + piton) on your left (hydrographic right). L#| 25m| Climb the corner to reach a small cave where the corner goes right a bit. Make a belay here. The pitch is well protected with solid chockstones. Bring some slings! L#| 25m| Move right in the corner and step out of it to your right after 5 to 10m to reach a snowy gully which leads to a good ledge. (Pitch 2 and 3 can be combined easily into one pitch, although some rope drag may occur.)

Abseil the line in 2 goes, or continue to the top of the Douglas Boulder by easy ledges.

Good for a windy day as the chimney is very well sheltered. Also a very good route for when avalanche danger is too high to continue further up to other routes like Vanishing Gully f.e.